"Elementary"
There are rarely network or cable television programs that a point is made to see here. "Elementary" is now the one that fits that criteria. We will not change our schedule or forego some important event to see it, but that is rarely an issue for us. For those not familiar, "Elementary" is a Sherlock Holmes mystery program of sorts with Lucy Liu playing a female Watson and someone British named Johny Lee Miller as Holmes.
The writing and plots are well done, Lucy Liu is exceptional in her role, Miller is fine but we have no idea of comparison to his prior work. Rarely do I watch commercial television due to the proliferation of advertisements, but due to this being the opening season of this program they are more limited.
Simple summary --- a modern day Holmes is the usual genius of observation but just out of extensive period of rehab for heroin addicition. Watson has been hired by Holmes's father as his sober companion, a full time job of observation to prevent a relapse. She also becomes an insightful partner in solving the crimes that he is uniquely hired to investigate. There is no romantic relationship involved, more just a fragile state of mutual respect. Other than the well done production, the thematic differences in this version of a Holmes story are first, a female Watson which has never been done or anticipated and second, the approach to Holmes drug use that was always part of the Conan Doyle series but in those and in all follow up productions has been treated as curious affectation rather than a real problem with both physical and reputational repercussions.
It's on at 10pm on CBS on Thursday nights, and must be approaching the end of its first season because we have seen mulitple episodes.
As an aside I wonder about a handful of sixth grade students at St. Francis School in Goshen, Kentucky that I used the Sherlock Holmes book with, short stories mainly. Sounds almost silly now that a teacher would choose to use these somewhat dense English style detailed books with students of that age. I worked at what was then called an "alternative school" and it was an exceptional place for my first four years there. I taught fifth and sixth grade English mainly, and some history, with rotating classes. The building had no discrete classrooms, just elevated pods, and space areas divided by the pod structures and modest railings. With about 70 students in fifth and sixth grade taught by four teachers, we had a reading program for a month or more, don't remember exactly the amount of time, that divided the students by ability into reading projects. The largest number read C.S. Lewis, there were two other groups with the need for more experience, and as the newest teacher in my first year I was assigned the eight or nine best readers and chose the Sherlock Holmes titles to teach. The admin let me make the choice. Sort of audacious in hindsight, but it worked. These were the brightest of the brightest in a school that attracted students from educated families(I should note that the school had a policy of providing scholarships to almost 25% of the students, many less fortunate, to promote the experience of diversity).
To teach Sherlock Holmes I made big posters and taped them to the concrete walls all around my area, some just one word clues that they would come upon if they did their reading --- an intuitive idea that really worked. With all of the many Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes films and television programs that have continued almost uninterrupted over the, believe it or not myself, 40 years since I put those students through their course, I sometimes wonder if they have followed all of the iterations to this day. I can think of a few who certainly have, and must have "Elementary" on whatever device they choose to use these days that sometimes confound me. PBS also has an ongoing new series of Holmes stories, and they had a different one last year. They live on.
I think about my students of those days, now maybe 50 years old, and wonder whether they have had a long term ongoing interest.
The writing and plots are well done, Lucy Liu is exceptional in her role, Miller is fine but we have no idea of comparison to his prior work. Rarely do I watch commercial television due to the proliferation of advertisements, but due to this being the opening season of this program they are more limited.
Simple summary --- a modern day Holmes is the usual genius of observation but just out of extensive period of rehab for heroin addicition. Watson has been hired by Holmes's father as his sober companion, a full time job of observation to prevent a relapse. She also becomes an insightful partner in solving the crimes that he is uniquely hired to investigate. There is no romantic relationship involved, more just a fragile state of mutual respect. Other than the well done production, the thematic differences in this version of a Holmes story are first, a female Watson which has never been done or anticipated and second, the approach to Holmes drug use that was always part of the Conan Doyle series but in those and in all follow up productions has been treated as curious affectation rather than a real problem with both physical and reputational repercussions.
It's on at 10pm on CBS on Thursday nights, and must be approaching the end of its first season because we have seen mulitple episodes.
As an aside I wonder about a handful of sixth grade students at St. Francis School in Goshen, Kentucky that I used the Sherlock Holmes book with, short stories mainly. Sounds almost silly now that a teacher would choose to use these somewhat dense English style detailed books with students of that age. I worked at what was then called an "alternative school" and it was an exceptional place for my first four years there. I taught fifth and sixth grade English mainly, and some history, with rotating classes. The building had no discrete classrooms, just elevated pods, and space areas divided by the pod structures and modest railings. With about 70 students in fifth and sixth grade taught by four teachers, we had a reading program for a month or more, don't remember exactly the amount of time, that divided the students by ability into reading projects. The largest number read C.S. Lewis, there were two other groups with the need for more experience, and as the newest teacher in my first year I was assigned the eight or nine best readers and chose the Sherlock Holmes titles to teach. The admin let me make the choice. Sort of audacious in hindsight, but it worked. These were the brightest of the brightest in a school that attracted students from educated families(I should note that the school had a policy of providing scholarships to almost 25% of the students, many less fortunate, to promote the experience of diversity).
To teach Sherlock Holmes I made big posters and taped them to the concrete walls all around my area, some just one word clues that they would come upon if they did their reading --- an intuitive idea that really worked. With all of the many Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes films and television programs that have continued almost uninterrupted over the, believe it or not myself, 40 years since I put those students through their course, I sometimes wonder if they have followed all of the iterations to this day. I can think of a few who certainly have, and must have "Elementary" on whatever device they choose to use these days that sometimes confound me. PBS also has an ongoing new series of Holmes stories, and they had a different one last year. They live on.
I think about my students of those days, now maybe 50 years old, and wonder whether they have had a long term ongoing interest.
posted by John Borden at 6:19 PM
1 Comments:
I like it and I am a former student of yours.
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