And he really thwacked Sherlock when he asked him to punch him! Remember he killed people!

And he chinned the Chief Superintendant.

Well I guess there's a big difference between the Dr Watsons on BBC Sherlock and the American versions and that would be for a very good reason which I shall not harp on about.

Watson is the calming influence on Holmes, the 'ordinary' one who balances out the 'extraordinary'. But both the canon Watson and the BBC Watson are capable of producing rage, violence or whatever is needed WHEN it is needed. He has far more common sense than Sherlock, which is why this combination has worked far better over the decades than having a 'spiced up' Watson.

The stories of Holmes & Watson's adventures/cases are not action movie material, they are thought provoking mysteries and puzzles.
Why do people want to change the beauty and simplicity of these stories?

Oh he is certainly more physical, but by no means an 'action man'.
He does what he has to do when he has to do it, but we won't be seeing him blowing things up etc anytime soon, lol.

I love the scene in The Hounds (I think) where John yells at Sherlock "No, it's not alright" or something similar when Sherlock goes too far. It's effective because it is unexpected. John usually lets Sherlock gets away with just about anything, which is generally funny what with all the cups of tea he has to make him so when he reacts it is a beautiful thing. BAMF!John rules.

Re Elementary, I don't have high expectations but will give it a look out of sheer curiosity. Who knows, it might actually work.

Last edited by hepzibah (June 1, 2012 4:22 pm)

What I'm wondering, is, where is Dr Watson's Medical bag?   Has anyone seen it in these episodes?  I  haven't.

I've known my doctor for 30 years, he's done house calls once or twice during that time. I've never seen him with a medical bag.
Furthermore he is described as an Army Surgeon at one stage. If that means he performed surgery, you'd hardly carry a bag with you would you?

I think Martin Freeman isn't getting all the credit he deserves precisely because he does come off seeming like "a normal guy" when playing Watson.  But that's in contrast to Sherlock, who clearly isn't normal.  But if Watson didn't seem to be an everyday type of guy, then I think it'd be a lot more difficult to appreciate just how different Sherlock really is, because there wouldn't be a regular foil for him to play off of.  It's much more subtle than just pairing two actors who are opposite in a physical way, such as in hair color or height or gender.

And it's a credit to Martin's acting that, although he appears to be "just like us," when he does explode--whether by shooting the cabbie dead, not stopping once he got started hitting Sherlock, or whatever--it seems completely plausible and in character for him to behave that way.  In fact, in his interactions with Mycroft, John shows his disdain and contempt with cutting sarcasm and softly-spoken words instead of lashing out physically.  Which, to me, makes him seem much more dangerous than if he merely ranted and raved at Mycroft because you just know, if John ever did blow up, the explosion would be epic.  But he doesn't need to do that because the dangerousness that is within him--as a soldier, as a loyal friend--is kept under tight control and only released when and if absolutely necessary.  And then it has a much greater effect.

Last edited by Sherli Bakerst (June 8, 2012 11:22 pm)

I find "pacifist" an interesting choice of words for an ex-army doctor. I don't think he is too easy going, quite the contrary. I rather get the impression that he frequently has to fight an urge to boil over with rage, or even punch people, which is why he feels so comfortable around Sherlock, who always speaks his mind.
His figure is quiet, yes, but that makes it even more effective when he does strike out (verbally or literally).

Last edited by hypergreenfrog (June 16, 2012 1:02 pm)