BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Find the original & post other nods to the canon (merged topic)

Wolfhound · December 31, 2012 6:17 pm

Well, I have already posted something about it but I guess this is the right thread. The Czech elements in The Great Game represent a nod to the canon. The Czech republic is no more called Bohemia, but its western part still is known as Bohemia in western Europe -mostly. There are some Czech/Bohemian elements in ACD work, like the future Bohemian king affair in The Scandal in Bohemia. Prague, the capital, is mentioned as a source of a specific drug in the Adventure of The Creeping Man. So the provenience of the paper and the name of the lady (Mrs. Wenceslas) seem to be a nod to the canon to me.

holmes23 · January 7, 2013 3:21 am

Well done Swanpride. Looking forward to your findings

Those who have not the patience to reread the stories I recommend this site to locate the hints

http://mrmoon.com/moonfind/holmes/

Last edited by holmes23 (January 7, 2013 8:57 am)

holmes23 · January 7, 2013 3:37 am

The expression of sherlock when he saw the title 'The Spekled Blonde' on John's blog, in ASiB is a nod to Canon Holmes' criticising of Watson's writing as sensational, something which is recurrent in many of the stories.

In Abbay Grange, Holmes remarks:

"...Your fatal habit of looking at everything from the point of view of a story instead of as a scientific exercise has ruined what might have been an instructive and even classical series of demonstrations. You slur over work of the utmost finesse and delicacy, in order to dwell upon sensational details which may excite, but cannot possibly instruct, the reader."

In The Sign of Four, he depreciates Watson's narrative of their first case together:

"You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism... "

Ben's Sherlock conveyed all these in that single gesture (It's one of my favourite scenes).

Last edited by holmes23 (January 7, 2013 9:20 am)

Davina · January 7, 2013 4:40 pm

Those thumbs in the fridge...The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb.

SusiGo · January 7, 2013 4:56 pm

Just came upon this quote from "The Illustrious Client":

"I am accustomed to have mystery at one end of my cases, but to have it at both ends is too confusing."

In ASiB this becomes:

"Mycroft, I don't do anonymous clients. I'm used to mystery at one end of my cases. Both ends is too much work."

holmes23 · January 10, 2013 3:21 am

Sherlock Holmes' dressing gowns have been described as being blue, purple and mouse colored. Sherlock's is blue too. But I'm tempted to quote this from The Blue Carbuncle:

"He was lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing-gown"

Last edited by holmes23 (January 10, 2013 3:22 am)

kazza474 · January 10, 2013 3:35 am

holmes23 wrote:
The expression of sherlock when he saw the title 'The Spekled Blonde' on John's blog, in ASiB is a nod to Canon Holmes' criticising of Watson's writing as sensational, something which is recurrent in many of the stories.

In Abbay Grange, Holmes remarks:

"...Your fatal habit of looking at everything from the point of view of a story instead of as a scientific exercise has ruined what might have been an instructive and even classical series of demonstrations. You slur over work of the utmost finesse and delicacy, in order to dwell upon sensational details which may excite, but cannot possibly instruct, the reader."

In The Sign of Four, he depreciates Watson's narrative of their first case together:

"You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism... "

Ben's Sherlock conveyed all these in that single gesture (It's one of my favourite scenes).

I don't really think that look conveyed all that; after all he only saw the title; it was a stupid title really .. but of course nods to the canon original story in the title.

holmes23 · January 10, 2013 5:32 pm

kazza474 wrote:
.................................................................................
I don't really think that look conveyed all that; after all he only saw the title; it was a stupid title really .. but of course nods to the canon original story in the title.

I thought 'Speckled Blonde' is that kind of the title which would whip up readers' interest (in my native language, its translation would have such effects) and since Sherlock already knew what the case was about, he would quickly deduce from the very title itself that John was going to "dwell upon sensational details which may excite, but cannot possibly instruct, the reader."

Wolfhound · January 13, 2013 5:53 pm

Swanpride wrote:
Ha, I found another one I have never seen mentioned before: At the beginning of the Thor bridge case, Watson mentiones a couple of cases which most likely will never be cleared up. one of them is the case of "James Fillamore, who stepped into his house to fetch an umbrella and was never seen again" - that is also the name of the second victim in ASiP, the teen who goes back for his umbrella.

Brilliant, Swanpride!

kazza474 · January 25, 2013 11:14 pm

At the end of "The dying Detective" :

WATSON : "But why would you not let me near you, since there was in truth no infection?"

"HOLMES :Can you ask, my dear Watson? Do you imagine that I have no respect for your medical talents? Could I fancy that your astute judgment would pass a dying man who, however weak, had no rise of pulse or temperature? At four yards, I could deceive you. "

Very reminiscent of the scene after the fall in Reichenbach.

horserider99 · January 27, 2013 11:00 pm

Again, I have NO idea if it's been previously mentioned, but in The Adventure of Black Peter, Sherlock walks into the room with a "huge barbed-headed spear tucked under his arm like an umbrella", which we all know what is paralleled to in Sherlock.

besleybean · January 28, 2013 7:05 am

Only that Mark said it's the only part of that story he would use. He said he needed a dramatic start for HOUND.

holmes23 · February 6, 2013 3:04 pm

Not any threatening with Knighthood as in TGG, nonetheless, in the Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, Mycroft did say,

"No, you are the one man who can clear the matter up. If you have a fancy to see your name in the next honours list– –”

By the way can anyone clarify what this 'honours list' exactly means?

Davina · February 6, 2013 5:59 pm

This is a good introduction to the British Honours system:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11990088

holmes23 · February 6, 2013 6:38 pm

Thanks Davina. So, Knighthood is there in the list and on top too : )
Considering Mycrioft being 'The British Government', he must have offered it after the solution of the case, just as mentioned in the show. Holmes' declining of this honour in Three Garridebs underlines how he would take this offer.

holmes23 · February 8, 2013 3:40 pm

WARNING....... found on tumblr a Johnlock interpretation of the show by twisting canon words.

http://the-lokalizer.tumblr.com/post/26439510871/i-am-not-a-whole-souled-admirer-of-womankind-as

Last edited by holmes23 (November 2, 2013 7:46 am)

Myraya · May 20, 2013 7:14 am

Hi, I just have a general question: In which stories does Moriarty appear? Is it just the final problem or are there more?

Davina · May 20, 2013 7:24 am

He actually appears only in The Final Problem. He is mentioned several times in The Valley of Fear and The Empty House and has one brief mention in His Last Bow.

Myraya · May 20, 2013 7:39 am

Thanks!

May 23, 2013 1:59 pm

In TRF on the roof Moriarty points out that Sherlock's weakness is that he wants everything to be clever.
Found this quote in The Sign of the Four. Watson wonders whether Holmes can be wrong:

Was it not possible that his nimble and speculative mind had built up this wild theory upon faulty premises? I had never known him to be wrong; and yet the keenest reasoner may occasionally be deceived. He was likely, I thought, to fall into error through the over-refinement of his logic,—his preference for a subtle and bizarre explanation when a plainer and more commonplace one lay ready to his hand. Yet, on the other hand, I had myself seen the evidence, and I had heard the reasons for his deductions. When I looked back on the long chain of curious circumstances, many of them trivial in themselves, but all tending in the same direction, I could not disguise from myself that even if Holmes's explanation were incorrect the true theory must be equally outre and startling.

John driving to the trial to Sherlock: Remember, don’t try to be clever. Just keep it simple and brief.
Sherlock to John after his appearance in court: I can’t turn it on and off like a tab.

Moriarty points out a problem that occurs when analyzing evidence. Especially if you are a person like Sherlock who can easily see through everything and everyone in seconds but who is also ignorant to some everyday knowledge, social behavior and sentiment. Being too clever can be a serious problem.
Because:
Sometimes a dead person is just that. People die. That’s what people do.
A dead man and a gun can mean: Murder, suicide, accident, murder disguised to look like suicide, suicide to look like murder to accuse somebody else.
The task of an investigator/profiler/detective is to find out what really happened to provide this exact kind of evidence. Footprints can be footprints of the murderer or footprints of an innocent person’s shoes made by the murderer. It’s a matter of the right perspective.

The Connie Prince case has an investigator who trys to be too clever (John). He thinks the poison was on the cat’s claws.
Sherlock: Too random and too clever for the brother.
Sherlock solves the Connie Prince case. No weakness there.

Last edited by Be (May 23, 2013 2:03 pm)