BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012.


You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?



October 28, 2016 7:49 am  #1


Benedict about Sherlock

There has been some talk about how Benedict who talks so perceptively and beautifully about his characters seems to repeat the same phrases over and over again where Sherlock is concerned: sociopath, cold, distant. He has been talking in more breadth about voicing a wolf than about his most iconic character. In an interview about Doctor Strange, however, I found something interesting and wrote a litte thing about it:

Beautiful Words - Benedict on Sherlock (via Doctor Strange)
So this is what Benedict said in a Berlin interview (http://talalyla.tumblr.com/post/152365501670/benedict-cumberbatch-als-doctor-strange-im) when asked about similarities between Sherlock and Doctor Strange. Which is quite telling because Sherlock must be the exact opposite of what Benedict has to say about Stephen Strange:

“I didn’t find it too similar. This guy is a New York bred and born superhero. And he is a neurosurgeon who while, like you say, arrogant and smart, is also somebody who’s very trapped by the material success of his profession. (…) He drives fast cars and has fast relationships and yet it’s all very hollow. He lives in a beautiful apartment with a stunning view but no one to share it with. He drives a rather beautiful and very fast car (…) but there is no one in the passenger seat (…). But he’s alone. What he becomes at the end is someone who chooses that aloneness in order to do what he has realised is his calling, to become a sorcerer. Yes, I think there are huge amounts of differences.”

So according to Benedict Sherlock is:

- not interested in material success
- does not have a (fast) car
- does not have fast relationships
- his life is not hollow
- he has (when driving) someone in the passenger seat
- he is not alone
- he does not choose being alone

We all know who he shares his flat with. We all know who sat in his passenger seat the one time we saw him drive a car. We all know Sherlock never chose to be alone, he felt forced to do so by Moriarty. I think Benedict has managed to give a beautiful characterisation of Sherlock even while talking about a completely different character. 

 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
 

October 28, 2016 10:26 am  #2


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

Very nice deduction, Susi.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And I said "dangerous" and here you are.

You. It's always you. John Watson, you keep me right.

 

October 28, 2016 7:32 pm  #3


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

Some good observations.

The part about Sherlock not being alone got me thinking. Sherlock was living by the "alone protects me" and "sosiopath" persona at the beginning of the series. So why was he looking for a flatmate? Did he really need to, financially? Or was he actually feeling lonely?


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"We'll live on starlight and crime scenes" - wordstrings


Team Hudders!
 
 

October 28, 2016 7:38 pm  #4


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

I think he probably never really liked being alone. He has been talking to Mike about a flatshare, so there is social interaction. He is on friendly terms with Mrs Hudson. He grudgingly accepts Lestrade and I think not just because he provides him with cases. I think he has been conditioned by Mycroft, this becomes clearer over time. Caring is not an advantage has been drilled into him. I think he did not choose this way out of his own free will. And in TRF he say this only to get John out of the way, out of danger. 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

October 28, 2016 7:46 pm  #5


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

Yeah, I think it's clear that Mycroft fairs better alone than Sherlock does. But I think Sherlock, begrudgingly, looks up to his older brother and wants to be like him. Be he can't, because he is more emotional and more wanting a relationship/companionship with someone.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"We'll live on starlight and crime scenes" - wordstrings


Team Hudders!
 
 

October 28, 2016 9:00 pm  #6


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

I do not think he is still looking up to him. After series 3 I do not see much positive in their relationship, at least not from Sherlock's POV. In his mind his brother appears as a judge, towering over him. Or as an adult threatening and belittling a small boy. We have no idea if this reflects their childhood but this is how Sherlock perceives his brother. I think Mycroft has quite a lot to answer for where Sherlock's psyche is concerned. 
 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

October 28, 2016 9:15 pm  #7


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

Now we're getting into some really interesting territory. :D

I think that Sherlock's feelings towards Mycroft are very complicated. I think that there is clearly quite a bit of resentment there, probably based on more than what we know so far (and hopefully will learn more of in S4). But I am also quite sure that Sherlock looks still look up to him.

"Dragon slayer... is that how you see me?"

Still want that big brother approval. 

Yet in one area he has outgrown Mycroft - forming close bonds with other people. Something he shows in TEH. I think there is honest care behind it, when he wants Mycroft to find himself a goldfish. He wants Mycroft to experience what he himself has - the positive sides of friendship. 

But, yes, there is clearly resentment and bitterness. And I think it goes way back, seeing as Sherlock regresses almost to a teenager sometimes with Mycroft (never seen more clearly than in TAB, on the plane).


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"We'll live on starlight and crime scenes" - wordstrings


Team Hudders!
 
 

October 28, 2016 9:24 pm  #8


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

Well, I am very careful with my opinions about TAB since I still do not believe the first plane scene to be true. Maybe January will show I am wrong but then I want an explanation for the Mary-Mycroft connection as well. 

There are two moments where Mycroft is shown as full of sentiment: in HLV where he is either drugged or the scene takes place in Sherlock's head and in TAB where the scene is either in Sherlock's head or he is working together with the woman who shot his brother. 


 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

October 28, 2016 9:34 pm  #9


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

I think Mycroft shows great sentiment towards Sherlock from the very first episode, and in every episode onwards. He just has a way of showing it that rubs Sherlock the wrong way. 

I have two big brothers myself. Well... I have to brothers that are older than me, but only the oldest one is the true Big Brother. He is the oldest, and as such he has always had a slightly condescending, arrogant way of speaking to us. To me in particular, since I am the youngest. Something that annoyed me when I was younger, but I always knew that his manner was born out of true care, even though it came across as annoying.

So I can sort of relate to Sherlock. How easy it is to regress into old patterns with your sibling even when you're both (supposedly) adults. And Sherlock has always gone straight into the annoying, younger sibling role whenever he is with Mycroft. Just as with the knocker, I don't think he is aware of it. And, yes, Mycroft could annoy a rock if he put his mind to it, so it's no wonder he pushes all of Sherlock's buttons.

But I do see great care between them. Because their banter is rarely truly hateful. The only time I think Mycroft went too far, was with his "How would you know?"-remark at Buckingham Palace. That was just completely inappropriate, especially in that setting. Showing that Mycroft also regresses when he speaks with Sherlock. (Although, interestingly enough, never as much as he does with his mother).


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"We'll live on starlight and crime scenes" - wordstrings


Team Hudders!
 
 

October 29, 2016 5:27 pm  #10


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

SusiGo wrote:

Well, I am very careful with my opinions about TAB since I still do not believe the first plane scene to be true. Maybe January will show I am wrong but then I want an explanation for the Mary-Mycroft connection as well.

I agree with you about the first plane scene; it was clearly part of the dream.  But I'm convinced that the second plane scene, the one near the end of the episode, was real.
 

Last edited by kgreen20 (October 29, 2016 5:28 pm)

 

October 29, 2016 11:08 pm  #11


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

kgreen20 wrote:

SusiGo wrote:

Well, I am very careful with my opinions about TAB since I still do not believe the first plane scene to be true. Maybe January will show I am wrong but then I want an explanation for the Mary-Mycroft connection as well.

I agree with you about the first plane scene; it was clearly part of the dream.  But I'm convinced that the second plane scene, the one near the end of the episode, was real.
 

I think this is hardly possible since in the last plane scene the drugs list is shown. So IMO either both scenes are real or both are MP. 
 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

November 5, 2016 6:50 am  #12


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

I agree with everyone else! Great observations. I enjoyed reading them! Especially because it never occurred to me to approach it like that.

As to the part about TAB, there are three plane scenes. The first seems believable, sort of. Until the first scene continues in the second plane interlude, which cannot be real because of the supernatural bent to the exhumation scene. If the second plane scene is fake, then the scene before it, which set it up, can't be real either.

I think the only real one is the third scene at the very end.


"What do we say about coincidences?"
"The universe is rarely so lazy."
 

November 5, 2016 4:23 pm  #13


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

I agree.  The plane scene right near the very end is the only one that is real.  The others are part of Sherlock's mind palace.

 

 

November 7, 2016 7:50 am  #14


Re: Benedict about Sherlock

But this does not work. IMO it is not possible that only plane scene 3 is real because it is a continuation of plane scene 1. There is the list, the OD is mentioned. Scene 3 does not make any sense without scene 1. So I think either both must be true or none. 

But actually this thread was not about discussing the reality or unreality of TAB but about the way Benedict perceives Sherlock. I like how he uses this opportunity to tells us things about Sherlock he usually does not mention. Most of all his wish of not being alone, that he needs other people and most of all John. Because John is the person in the passenger seat and in his flat. 
 

Last edited by SusiGo (November 7, 2016 7:52 am)


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

Board footera

 

Powered by Boardhost. Create a Free Forum