Since last Saturday night there has been little room in my head for anything else than BBC's new, brilliant Sherlock. I fell in love with the series right from the start, in fact right after seeing this scene:
Now, all of you who haven't seen this series yet, but are perhaps planning to do so, stop reading and go do something else - preferably, of course, go and order it from Amazon! Spoilers ahead.
The scene above says it all. Sherlock, the master detective, reads the situation, and John, like an open book. He hears and sees things accurately and makes his own conclusions. He trusts his ability completely and is not afraid to use it or let it show. John, sweet John, looks like he's been struck by lightning. Just look at his face and posture after Sherlock's grand exit: he doesn't have a clue what hit him. He is confused and stunned, and perhaps a little hurt, by this stranger who blasts out truths about him. The spectacled guy, who introduced John and Sherlock to each other, seemingly fully aware that they're a match made in heaven, looks at him with a tiny, knowing smile on his face. "Yep, he's always like that."
Sherlock is "not a psychopath, but a fully functional sociopath", as he himself says. He grew up in an emotionally cold home with his big brother Mycroft. I don't know what their mother was like, but I assume very little nurturing was offered, feelings were not expressed and no intimacy experienced. To compensate for this lack Sherlock developed an excellent, brutally sharp intellect. He has probably had to read from other people all the things that have been left unsaid, and thereby developed this ability to excellence. I can only imagine, what a dreary home the poor, little, lonely boy Sherlock has had.
Sherlock has never had any friends and he doesn't understand emotions, he seems to be lacking empathy. He loves solving crimes because of the intellectual challenge they offer, he's not interested in helping people. A chance to excel in reading people turns him on, and he ends up hurting others by his merciless analyses. He is childishly moody, has poor tolerance for disappointments, bosses others around and boldly expects them to do as told. In social situations he doesn't know how to behave as is expected of him, and he doesn't even understand why he should do it. Whether he is liked or not seems of little concern to him. He is alone, and his loneliness keeps him safe, and it doesn't occur to him to miss any other kind of life.
When John and Sherlock first meet, a change starts to happen in both of their lives. John, also lonely, an army doctor just back from the war in Afghanistan, his body and soul wounded, is completely lost and doesn't know what to do with his life. Sherlock's personality leaves him thunderstruck and he doesn't see any reason why he should have anything more to do with him, but he still finds himself turning up on 221 B Baker Street to meet Sherlock. Sherlock's landlady, Mrs Hudson, makes the assumption that John is more the sitting-down type, which makes him squirm. When Sherlock suggests that John follow him to the crime scene it becomes clear how unhappy John has been, as he bursts out a relieved "Oh God, yes."
John acts different from what people usually do when confronted with Sherlock's analyses: he gives him praise and doesn't tell him to piss off. John also seems to understand Sherlock in an uncanny way. Not logically, but intuitively. He follows Sherlock when he realizes he is with the taxi driver-turned-murderer and could be in mortal danger, and ends up shooting the murderer through a window. The episode ends in a delicious and touching scene: Sherlock, who can't understand why people keep giving him a blanket - "I'm not in a shock!" - describes the shooter's profile to the police, sees John standing nearby and suddenly realizes the truth. Sherlock and John walk away together and look at each other. A connection has been made.
And it is this connection that is the most interesting and touching element of the entire series. The characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and their relationship have been subject to a lot of speculation for decades. Were they in fact lovers, and was John's marriage just a facade, because people's attitudes in that era were strictly against a love relationship between two men? As the series progresses Sherlock and John learn to know each other in such a way that no words are needed. They understand each other on soul level. They look at each other and laugh in a way that is possible only for two people who are on the exact same wavelength. In the beginning of the series John, in particular, points out several times that he hardly knows Sherlock, and both deny being friends or needing each other in any way. Everybody else, tv audience included, sees how these two are made for each other. They are regarded as a couple; even Mycroft inquires whether a happy announcement is due by the end of the week. It is usually John who tries to correct people's perceptions about them as a couple; Sherlock doesn't really react. John has always been heterosexual and in the beginning of the series he has several short-term relationships that always fail. Finally, one of his girlfriends tells him he is the perfect boyfriend - for Sherlock. Sherlock, being asexual, has never had a relationship, doesn't understand his feelings and can't name them. In Season 2 not even John bothers to explain any more.
Are they lovers then? Nothing romantic has happened, and they're not having sex. But they love each other very much. The love they share is of an unexplainable quality and it transcends love between good friends, brothers or even romantic couples. It cannot be intellectually defined. They complement each other. Theirs is the perfect soul mate relationship and they share a deep intimacy where both men see the other one and is seen and accepted exactly as who they are, without demands. It is unconditional love that exists because the other person exists. There are conflicts but they are always resolved and as a result, both learn to understand and respect the other more. They look at each other like two people very much in love. The chemistry between them is very visible and it has an undeniable sexual vibe. Little by little it becomes obvious that the well-being of the other is their number one priority and in the last episode it is finally crystal-clear: they are the world's most important and most loved persons for each other. The tears rolling down Sherlock's pale face, as he stands on the edge of the rooftop, and John's disbelief and despair as he kneels beside his dead friend's body, leave nothing ambiguous. Watching the very last scene, where John says goodbye to Sherlock by his grave, I was in tears. This oh so British, seen-it-all soldier who has learned to hide his feelings finally tells his friend just how much he means to him. "Don't... be... dead." Further away at the graveyard, in the shadows, stands Sherlock, very much alive, and watches quietly as his friend leaves. Sooooooooooob.
I sincerely hope that the writers of this series have the courage to bring Sherlock and John's story to the 21st century on more than material and societal levels. I truly hope that they have the courage to not just leave the quality of Sherlock and John's relationship heavily implied, but let them be lovers. Saying this I don't necessarily mean having a physical relationship, I'm talking about soul mates. In any case, I shall be incredibly disappointed if John ends up marrying some woman... it would feel so wrong. Sherlock and John are made for each other.
"Sherlock" has been made - and perfected - with the unique, impeccable professionalism of the Brits. Visually I have never seen anything quite so stunning. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Martin Freeman (John) don't just act, they ARE Sherlock and John. They are masters in conveying emotions by their postures and the tiniest flashes of expressions in their faces and eyes. Nothing needs to be underlined, everything becomes perfectly obvious in the subtext. I very much enjoy how the series allows us to have our own insights and, despite of it being a story about solving crime, violence is hardly seen at all. It also contains a lot of quiet, enjoyable humour, which does demand quite a lot of concentration from the viewer. The Finnish subtitles are, sadly, too simple and general, and many of the hidden linguistic treasures and nuances are lost in translation.
Sherlock and John, come back soon! I heard Season 3 will go into production in January 2013. I can wait, I can wait..............
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