In this episode of Sherlock, “A Study in Pink” some metaphors
were the cane and Watson's blog page. The
cane signified the past war Watson was holding on to. Throughout the episode, he clings to the cane
as if he can’t move on without it. Once
the barrier is broken between leaving the past and moving on with Sherlock, the
cane gets left behind and is no longer needed.
The episode is almost split into two different Watsons. “Cane” Watson was grasping on to his past. Watson leaves the cane in the heat of the
moment and “new” Watson emerges. Watson’s
unused blog page was another metaphor.
It signified his emotions. The
pages of the blog were as empty as he felt.
What is very interesting about the Sherlock series is the
particular order the story is in. It
first introduces Watson to the audience. He’s a broken man looking for a
purpose apart from his past life. They
kept the lighting dark and panned the camera down onto Watson keeping the tone
sober with a hint of troubled darkness. Then the random deaths are shown, keeping the
audience connected by creating mystery.
Later on in the episode, the main character (Sherlock) is shown. It was all in such a particular order to
create mystery with a strong development of the two main characters
relationship.
The relationship between Sherlock and Watson is like putting
safe and spontaneous together. Watson
was hesitant to express his thoughts whereas Sherlock never held back. Sherlock was bold and not afraid to insult
someone, whereas Watson apologized to people as they were running through the
streets. One thing that was very noticeable throughout the entire episode was
the lighting. It was never “bright”. Even with the mood to be dark, there was
comedy sprinkled in to lighten the story up.
As the episode progressed, Watson and Sherlock seem to be a perfect fit
for each other.
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Characteristics
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Sherlock
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Watson
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Spontaneous
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Reserved
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Daring
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Disciplined
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Speaks his mind
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Apologetic
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Metaphors
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Cane
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Holding onto the past
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Watson’s blank blog
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His blank blog is a representation of his emptiness in his life
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Table 1. Abbreviated Sample Concepts/Applications Chart for "Sherlock"
This is a good post. I agree with your comments about Watson and Sherlock. This is a real "opposites attract" scenario. I think though, as the story progresses it shows how similar they are in other ways. For example, boredom appears to be a key driver for both of their personalities.
ReplyDeleteWow! good observations of the cane and blog that I didn't notice. Good gob!
ReplyDeleteGreat observation of the empty blog. I didn't notice that. I think it could also symbolize a "clean slate". He's writing his new great adventure!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the split persona's of Watson, great observation. I didn't think of it that way, I just focused on his transformation over the course of the show. I also took notice of the fact that Sherlock himself isn't introduced until 10 or 15 minutes into the show. It was an exciting build up to the reveal.
ReplyDelete