Blog Post #2: The Semiotics of Sherlock

I'll be honest- I've seen the pilot episode of Sherlock more than once. A lot more than once, actually. There was a time where A Study in Pink was something I ritualistically watched while falling asleep. However, I had not watched the show with much analyses until this past Tuesday. I was surprised to find subtleties that I might have seen before, but had never gone out of my way to notice.

One of the things about this particular reinvention of Sherlock that I think has lent itself heavily to the overall success of the show is the constant presence of intertextuality- more specifically, its references to the original stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. While A Study in Pink is a direct homage to the story A Study in Scarlet, the episode is also peppered with references to other elements of the canonical world of Holmes, such as Holmes' drug addiction and the address of 221b Baker Street. There are also modernized references, such as the journals kept separately by both Watson and Holmes that take the form of separate blogs chronicling their adventures. The case of the green ladder killer appears solely on Sherlock's blog, but is mentioned briefly via text from Sherlock to John.

While the evolution of John Watson's psychosomatic limp and subsequent cane use is very significant, I found myself more intrigued by the parallels between some of the more major characters presented in the episode. Sherlock and his brother, Mycroft, are both self-isolated people who look down on their intellectual inferiors- Mycroft from the pedestal of the British government, and Sherlock from his apartment where he outwits Scotland Yard for his amusement. However, it is primarily through their vocalized speculations that we learn details about John's life. On the other hand, there are a great many similarities between John Watson and Inspector Greg Lestrade, both of whom are the only people who are both amazed by Sherlock's deductive reasoning and ability to solve murders, but also both are convinced of Sherlock's inherent goodness.

I highly recommend watching your old favorite shows with an analytical eye, because you become decidedly more aware of elements used to tell a familiar story.