Falling's just like flying, except there's a more permanent destination

Well, push me off the top of a hospital, because it's been absolutely ages since Sherlock Series Two Episode Three aired, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get my act together and give a little review. My sincere apologies - I have honestly never been so busy in my life.

And what can I say? It was absolutely gobsmackingly awesome and 100% riveting. In fact, there is so much to say that I may just have to give you a long spiel of the rushed notes I made while re-watching it, otherwise I will be forever kicking myself for leaving something out. I'll put in brackets any explanations necessary because some of them I can't even understand myself. So, here goes:


Not sure I like his therapist (Aimed at John's therapist, who got his hands shaking from trauma wrong in Series 1 Ep 1, and doesn't seem to understand the enormity of SHERLOCK DYING)

Falls of the Reichenbach - the Reichenbach hero (nice touch there)

Boffin & the Bachelor

Casual hanging mannequin (some theories as to whether this has something to do with Sherlock's survival?)

I wonder where we can get Moriarty's app from? Loving the symphony conducting.

"He's back"

Conan Doyle reference on newspapers (look closely - another nice touch)

"I'll just be myself"

Trial - hilarious - "would you like to know who ate the wafer?"

Sherlock makes tea :)

"Every fairy tale needs a good old-fashioned villain"

Finger tapping - binary (I would like to take a moment to point out that I figured out it was binary before it was mentioned. Yes.)

Everyone needs a live-in ordinary person.

IOU? Apple, hospital windows. "I owe you a fall Sherlock" (Is this the last we'll hear of this?)

John taken off in a strange car AGAIN

Anderson's back! Doing a brilliant impression of an idiot. And Donavon = a bit of a cow tbh.

Molly = Moriarty's girlfriend (did anyone else other than me forget this little nugget of information?)

Screaming child - why? (Possibly left unexplained?)

Sir Boastalot cab movie - creepy as. Slowly his world falls apart around him - brilliant editing between 2 scenes + music. (A massive nod to Andrew Scott at this moment, who I must say was awesome throughout.)

I'd quite like 4 assassins to protect me. (Slight nod to the book)

So much love for John with the "no-one could fake being such a dick all the time" line.

The punch. YES JOHN.

Moriarty the storyteller ... lock up your children. Rich Brook - Reichen Bach (How do they think it all up?)

The Molly scene. Aww.

Mycroft. Tut tut tut. Smarmy git. Another awesome John moment.

Music - Beegees - staying alive's boring. (I must also take a moment to mention SH's (that's not Sherlock Holmes) musical awareness to spot the Johann Sebastian Bach references.)

Mrs Hudson's injury = nod to original (where John was called away to a supposedly dying woman). Also suicide call allowed by M (similar to the note which John finds)

M's short coat has NOTHING on Sherlock's.

Even cares about Greg - despite not knowing his first name before Ep 2 (but no Molly in friends list...)

Martin Freeman - had nearly in tears - "don't be dead" line even when you know he's not dead & didn't even believe the lie at the end - John! (I must admit, his acting was superb.)


So, that's pretty much all the notes I scribbled down and have spent the last however long trying to decipher, except for the possible theories on how Sherlock survived, but I think the plan is to save that for another post. This was a particularly amazing and clever episode, sending me through all the emotions from despair to laughter and back again (repeat process constantly for 90 mins), and credit must be shared equally between writers, directors, actors, musicians, camerapeople and in all honesty everyone who was working on it. I can't wait until Series Three!

If you have anything else you'd like to add about this episode, or theories on Sherlock's survival, or just anything Sherlocky or Benedict-related, please leave a comment.

Thanks for reading

BB :)

"Do you think you could survive for just a few minutes without showing off?" --- Judge to Sherlock

Get out your cheekbones and turn up your coat collars

Hello readers,

Sorry for the delay in posting the review for Sherlock Series 2 Episode 2, but I’ve been a tad busy this week!

So, like last week, HAN and I decided to watch the second instalment together, but at her house this time. (I would like to take a moment to point out to all readers that I did wear my Benedict Cumberbatch t-shirt for both viewings.I don't let the side down haha.)  And I think we wanted to know the same thing as the rest of the country: what were they going to do with the dog?

Well, in simple terms, something very different to what Arthur Conan Doyle did with it. I’m not sure they had hallucinogenic fog in his day. I must say, this was an extremely clever take on the many adaptations of ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ that seem convinced that the Devon moors are constantly shrouded in mist. Okay, so they may not be the tropics, but they’re not that bad. Honestly...

But let me go back to the beginning, before Sherlock and John made it to Devon. One of the biggest ‘laugh out loud’ moments has to have been the “shut up and smoke” part, involving some outlandish acting from Benedict while Martin Freeman as John tried his utmost to keep a straight face. Also worth a massive mention (skipping back to Devon again) was the Land Rover. Well, to be more precise, Sherlock driving the Land Rover. Forget the “where did they hire it from” question: when did Sherlock learn to drive?

So, there were quite a few allusions to the book littered throughout the episode: Major Barrymore with his beard, Dr Mortimor, Sir Henry Baskerville becoming Henry Knight, and, of course, Dr Stapleton, the red herring. I must say that HAN and I did pick up on the “cell phone” reference from Franklin, but I am claiming absolutely no credit for guessing that he was the man behind it all, because, quite frankly (note the pun), I didn’t. And just when we thought John had deduced something for himself with “UMQRA”, it turns out it was actually a different sort of “dogging”. Bless him.

There were an uncountable number of awesome moments, a few of my favourites being possibly the best camera shot EVER involving the lift doors, as well as Benedict trying to hold back tears, which may have produced a few “aww”s from me and HAN. Such a shame it was drug induced. This review couldn’t be complete, though, without a special mention of the mind palace scene. BEST BIT BEST BIT BEST BIT! Some gobsmackingly awesome improvisation from Benedict, coupled with incredible computer graphics and the hilarious Elvis moment just made it for me. Yes. Just yes.

So, this leaves me looking forward with mega anticipation to this Sunday’s episode – what was Moriarty doing in that cell?...

Anyway, I must wrap this post up – I need to go to my mind palace.

Thanks,

BB J

"It's not actually possible for the victim to have done it." --- John to Sherlock (an awesome Cluedo gag that deserves some recognition)

Sherlock Series Two - 1/1/12 - Don't Forget!

Hello readers,

I'm sure you will all be thrilled to know that the air date for the first episode of Sherlock Series Two, A Scandal in Belgravia, has been announced, and fortunately it's not too long to wait! The episode will air at 8:10pm on BBC One on New Year's Day, so I suggest you all put a little red cross on your calendar, or an alarm on your phone, or a reminder on the TV (etc. etc.), because I'm making an educated guess that some of you may still have headaches at 8 o'clock, and will therefore need something to tell you to plonk yourself in front of the television. DON'T FORGET!

You've also now got sufficient time to read (or re-read, in any true Holmes fan's case) 'A Scandal in Bohemia', the book upon which the episode is based. Having read many Holmes books myself, I must say that it is extremely satisfying to pick up on the slightest of details and allusions from the originals that are littered throughout the episodes. I'm not going to lie and say that I picked up on all the allusions, as I haven't read nearly all of the books, but I think that's one of the beauties of the Holmes series; there's always more to read, and once you've read them you can re-read them and still be strung along by the plot. It's also one of the wonders of the writing of Sherlock; that they are able to include so many details from the Conan Doyle books, but still come up with new, original, Sherlock Holmes adventures.

One of the main attractions of the new series will obviously be seeing the awesomely brilliant partnership between Sherlock and John, acted of course by the gobsmackingly talented Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. It should be fascinating to see how their friendship develops, as well as their interaction with both Moriarty (Andrew Scott), and new-on-the-scene Irene Adler (Lara Pulver). But first, they've got to get themselves out of a somewhat sticky situation in a swimming pool...

Thanks for reading,

BCAS x

Sherlock: "Meretricious."

Inspector Lestrade: "And a Happy New Year"

Only Benedict Cumberbatch Could Mesmerise Every Member of an Audience

Hello out there to anyone who is fortunate enough to have stumbled across the BCAS blog! And also a big hello to anyone who is only reading this because you’ve just spent the past hour/day/however long putting up with the two of us going on about it! It’s BB here, with my first blog post. Slightly apprehensive, I’ll admit – I hope it lives up to HAN’s standards! I thought I’d start with a little something Sherlocky I did last week, because it ties in with BenMaBeb very nicely.

Because I’m cool, I spent my lunchtime last Friday standing up in front of 20ish people, absolutely bricking it, about to do a history presentation. Entitled ‘A Study in Forensics: The History of the Science of Deduction’, the inspiration for what can only be described as an act of stupidity (or maybe bravery, if I want to big myself up a bit) came by reading the absolutely incredible, non-stop, on-the-go Sherlock Holmes series by the one and only genius that is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Anyone who is anyone will have read at least one of his 4 novels and 56 short stories, and must surely agree with me that no crime fiction writer could ever better his style, originality, characterisation and storylines, and I must confess that I am often found sitting in the classroom engrossed in a massive red book – my entire collection of the Sherlock Holmes stories, bought for just £15 at the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street. (Actually, it was found in the shop by HAN, my fellow lovely blogger.)

As with most things that I start, I didn’t have a clue where the presentation was headed; I just knew that somehow, I wanted to include a bit of history, a bit of forensics, a bit of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and a few DVD clips from the BBC series of Sherlock. Obviously, this is where the magnificent Benedict Cumberbatch comes into this post, in the form of the great Sherlock Holmes himself.

So, I locked myself in my room one day in the Easter holidays, laptop on my lap (which I guess is where it’s meant to sit), iPod in my ears (again, where else would I put it?), and spent the next I-don’t-know-how-long researching anything and everything to do with forensics and history. Eventually, weeks later (literally, the night before I was due to do the presentation) I came out with a completed end product. Blood spatter analysis, fingerprinting, craniology, ballistics, toxicology and psychological profiling, all just about mashed into a half-hour long sesh one lunch time in the history classroom. However, what absolutely 100% without a doubt stole the show were the 3 BEAUTIFUL clips from Sherlock; each one showing Cumberbatch in all his incredible acting abilities. (At least, they did after a slightly embarrassing moment when I couldn’t work Windows Media Player. I sincerely advise you readers to try out any technology you use BEFORE you start speaking to a room full of people.) Honestly, the number of people who came up asking to borrow my DVD afterwards! Only Benedict Cumberbatch could mesmerise pretty much every member of an audience with just 3 minutes of superbly outstanding acting, and by waving a gun around his head to demonstrate how a left hander would find it difficult to shoot themselves in the right temple. There are no words to describe it – he is BRILLIANT!

So, I’m going to sign off with plea for you to comment on and subscribe to our blog – be the first! And also, if you haven’t already, watching Sherlock is an absolute MUST!

BB :) 

"Oh hell, what does it matter?! So we go round the sun - if we went round the moon or... round and round the garden like a teddy bear, it wouldn't make any difference."

-- Sherlock

Well Slap Me Twice and Call Me Sherlock

Hello our grand total of 0 subscribers so far! Its HAN here. I thought it would be a great way to start to explain how I came to see Benedict Cumberbatch first act on screen, which it fact was quite a happy accident. It was over the summer last year and I just casually decided to plonk myself in front of the sofa and watch the telly. What started as as casual channel flicking sesh, quickly turned out to be an hour and a half of pure excitement and toe tingling joy. For what I saw - by pure chance and unfeasible good luck - was 'A Study in Pink' the first episode of the series 'Sherlock', starring his beautiful curly haired self as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. 'Sherlock' is a modernised series of stories inspired by the 'Sherlock Holmes' books by Scottish author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Well slap me twice and call me Sherlock, it was GOBSMACKING. I was riveted from the very first second to the rolling credits. The combination of Cumberbatch and Freeman's show-stopping acting and the catchy, lightning fast, witty and Einsteinianly genius script made this average Sunday night transform into a day of enlightenment.

After finding out completely by coincidence that BB had also watched the episode, we spent over an hour gassing about the plot, the quotes and whether he would have taken the pill (but anyway, we'll leave that for another blog post) whilst playing a game of table tennis - as you do, as you were, as you like it. From then until now, I have strived to watch as much BenMaBeb acting as possible - as much as a hectic teenage life will let me anyhow.
So there we go, that how I discovered my role model and number one dude, Mr Benedict Cumberbatch.
More soon,
H x
"BANG"