Ying and Yang -Blog 2

The modern Netflix series of Sherlock Holmes defines curiosity, eccentricity, energy and intellect. The pilot for the modern version of Sherlock Holmes merges extremely well with any version from the past. The expectation of delivering an adventurous ride through the criminal investigation in “A Study in Pink” is immediately confirmed after the character of Sherlock, played by  Benedict Cumberbatch is introduced. The series is world renowned and is know for a dynamic partnership between Sherlock Holmes, a British consulting detective  and fellow countryman assistant John Watson.  In this commentary, I will address how I see the perfect magnetic attraction between Holmes and Watson.

The character development for John Watson begins immediately with the opening scene. The camera close-up shots during the dream sequence signify a personal and intimate value of insight into Watson’s past. Watson is dreaming about a military battle that he himself is in.  His facial gestures are of angst and fear. He is tossing and turning signifying discomfort with that sequence of events in the dream.  John Watson wakes up from his uneasy sleep. The uneasiness is clearly depicted by his facial expressions caught by the camera, the tossing and turning signify that he is plagued by these memories.  As he wakes, the camera angle changes to a wider view allowing  the audience is to see how he lives alone, hanging on to personal items such as his weapon and coffee mug with what looks to be a military insignia upon it and a cane, a signifier that he has been wounded in battle and is either healing from an injury or permanently handicapped. He seems lonely depressed, and utterly bored to me.  Later he actually says the words to his psychologist(another signifier in the movie), “Nothing happens to me.”  Allowing the audience another clue that he is bored and possibly depressed.

In contrast Sherlock Holmes is depicted with as a vibrant astute tall fellow, full of energy and curiosity and attentive to detail. When Watson arrives and is introduced by a mutual acquaintance (who also had interesting facial gestures signifying to me that introducing Watson to Sherlock was purposeful). Sherlock is attracted to Watson. He interacts with him immediately  and asks  him only a few personal question alluding to already sizing up his new acquaintance.  The camera angle is busy giving the audience wide angle  and close-ups perhaps to let us know that is how fast Sherlock processes his thoughts.  Sherlock reads Watson like a book! His hyper state of speaking and revealing what he thus far understands about Watson, to me, signified a childlike quality in Sherlock. His verbiage affected my  cognitive abilities and required full attention to be able to understand the process of thought he was literally vocally downloading within 60 seconds.  Watson is dumfounded, amazed and intrigued. Ahhh, there it was, the magnetism needed for the start to a perfect relationship, ying and yang. The perfect connection between Sherlock and Watson!

Works Cited:

Berger, Arthur Asa. Media Analysis Techniques. 5th ed. N.p.: Sage Publications, 2014. Print.

"Sherlock Quotes from A Study in Pink (1.1)." Planet Claire Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June

      2015.

Elementary, My Dear Semiotics!

            Sherlock consistently conveys senses of mystery, dread, excitement, and humor with more the just the series’ superb dialogue and acting. The creators took their time with each scene that make an in-depth semiotic analysis quite interesting.

            Throughout the episode A Study in Pink, London streets face cloudy skies and downpour after downpour, with most of the shots taking place during the night. The weather fits the mood of the mystery and crime that the episode deals with – gloomy and dreadful. The camera work also goes to great lengths to add to the mood of the characters, shaking ever so slightly in times of intensity and rush, as in the taxi chase scene or Baker Street debate scene between the police and Sherlock, and calming down to more focused and revealing scenes. Sherlock’s own apartment signifies his own characters, filled with many social oddities which serve a detective and logical purpose to him. Finally, architecture conveys senses of protection or lack thereof during the case, a prime example being when Watson finds himself in the empty yet large damp warehouse face to face with a mysterious figure (Mycroft). While Watson may have a calm hand, the sense of unfamiliarity and eeriness the warehouse gives off make the viewer uneasy.

            Watson’s own struggles develop through clever metaphors and symbols. His cane almost acts as a character in its own way, leading into many of Watson’s early shots and being shown left behind as Watson makes the seemingly unaware decision of leaving it behind for a foot chase. The street signs shown as Watson then attempts to make a long jump across a roof – turning to a green WALK sign as he does – cleverly symbolize his accomplishment over his past.

            A paradigmatic analysis shows the fight between the police and Sherlock. Whereas the police go by conventional methods, Sherlock’s more aggressive and involved approaches lead to more correct and fast results, albeit at a dangerous cost.

            Sherlock brings the classic novels into a gritty, modern world wrought with busy streets, technology, and distrust. A close semiotic approach to the episode reveals the cleverness of the creators in twisting the original works into something new and powerful.

Concepts/Applications Chart for “A Study in Pink”
Semiotic Concepts	Applications to “A Study in Pink”
Signifier/signified	Weather – Gloom/Dread Baker Street Apt. – Organized Chaos Camera Work – Frantic or focused Mycroft’s Vast Warehouse – Mystery
Metaphor	Watson’s cane representing his past struggles to break free from
Symbols	The don’t walk/walk street icons which flash during the taxi chase scene symbolizing Watson’s leap forward in his life.
Intertextuality	Sherlock is based on the novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with a modernized twist.
Code	One major code in this episode is finding the truth no matter the cost. Another concerns how modern technology affects human interaction. Finally a sense of mystery around every corner.

Paradigmatic Analysis

The Police	Sherlock
Conventional	Unconventional
Safety	Danger
Slow	Fast
Wrong	Right