Season 2 has just aired on television in England (and thanks to the marvels of the internet, it's now available for download and enjoy wherever you are). As I have found both seasons to be some of the best television I've ever watched, I figured that It it would be a good idea to write up a quick review. I'm not going to cover the details of any specific episode, in order to avoid spoilers.
The first season of the show introduces us to the two heroes, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman). The two have an almost instant rapport, despite Sherlock being a rather peculiar individual. Anyone who has read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works will know that the stories center around the relationship between Holmes and Watson, and that their relationship is what bring a sense of realism to the work.
Despite some initial misgivings when seeing Cumberbatch (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1212722/) as Sherlock for the first time, I must say that his casting was absolutely spot on. His somewhat unusual physical appearance I first thought would be distracting, but actually suit the vision of a high functioning sociopath (how Sherlock is described early on).
Martin Freeman (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0293509/) is the perfect counterpart. He often portrays the English everyman (Arthur Dent in 'The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy', Tim in 'The Office'), and in Sherlock, he plays the straight man to Cumberbatch's Holmes to perfection. You can see the depth of caring that he has for Holmes, and how their relationship develops over time. I've been a fan of Freeman's for many years now, and am looking forward to seeing him play the title role in 'The Hobbit' when it releases later this year.
Each of the episodes is based upon one of the Sherlock Holmes adventures, although they do not adhere rigidly to the plots described in the books. The stories have been very well modernised, and if you didn't know the source material you could easily believe that the books were written recently, so well are the stories adapted to a current day setting.
The genius of Holmes is undiminished in the new setting, his astounding power of observation amazes every time you see it unleashed. They have used some interesting techniques to illustrate his mental faculties at work, most notably using text overlaying the character that Holmes is observing, showing all of the insights that Holmes is gaining. It's a methodology that I think works very well, as it give the opportunity to see firstly what Holmes sees, but also how quickly he is able to make his deductions. It also does away with him having to explain every time how he knows intimate details about people, although the times that he does explain are some of the most enjoyable in the show and allow him to unleash a particularly cutting wit, and almost inhuman sense of humour.
But what would a great detective be without a great villain? Or in Sherlock's case, Moriarty. Moriarty doesn't appear until the end of the first season, but his arrival in the show ups the ante, and makes the subsequent episodes immensely more enjoyable. I won't go into details so as to avoid spoilers, but the episodes that involve him are amongst the best of the two seasons so far.
A note for people who hate not knowing endings, both seasons of the show end with pretty agonising cliff-hangers. As someone who likes each season of a show to wrap up neatly, I find this infuriating (the thought of waiting a year to see what happens next is not appealing), however this is the only fault that i can find in this otherwise superb show.
If you enjoyed the two recent Sherlock Holmes movies, then you really should take a look at this TV series. It's very different in a lot of ways (the movies are a lot more action focused than the series, and the series shows a lot more of Holmes 'doing his deduction thing'), and should provide a very decent alternative perspective on the characters. If you're a fan of the books, I probably don't need to recommend this show as you'll most likely have watched it already.
In conclusion, this is one of the very best television adaptations that I've ever seen. I don't know anyone that has seen it that hasn't raved about how good it is. Get it, watch it, and enjoy it.
(Available from me if you want it. Both seasons in HD)
