Blog Post #2: semiotic analysis of Sherlock Holmes

The BBC show Sherlock Holmes provides many details that allow an in-depth semiotic analysis. The first episode, “A Study in Pink,” tells a story about serial killings disguised as suicides and is an epic introduction to the characterization of Sherlock Holmes. The most important key themes in the show are references to Dr. John Watson’s struggle to adapt to civilian life, as well as understanding Sherlock as a very complex main character.

Throughout the show, Watson’s cane and the topic of the limp in his leg are brought up frequently as a metaphor and symbol for his vulnerability and the fact that he is unable to accept missing the battlefield. Among Vladimir Propp’s functions, Watson is best described with transfiguration as he evolves from weak and insignificant at the beginning of the show to strong and confident towards the end.

Sherlock’s characterization is referenced with great depth via subtle details. His overcoat and scarf signify that he is a detective. In the show, you see the way his living space is set up, and the police even end up going through it. The way in which his possessions and his environment are set up in a way that is organized to him but messy to everyone else is a metaphor for his mind and his thought process -- seemingly random and scattered to others but structured and organized to him. It’s also important to note that the purpose Sherlock holds of assisting the police as a “consulting detective” is not as one would expect because of good morals and putting criminals to justice but rather because he gets a thrill out of the drama and is interested in why bad guys do the things they do and think the way they think.

Other details are important to consider because they all contribute to the storytelling as a whole. In the beginning, Mike was an index that introduced Watson to Sherlock, which began their relationship. The way the scene revealing the killer was shot had him coming out of the shadows, which signifies suspense. Whereas almost everyone else wore dark or monochrome colors, two females in particular wore bright colors: the first, the victim in bright pink because she was the victim who allowed Sherlock to discover that the deaths were murders not suicides, and the second, Mrs. Hudson in bright purple because she kept repeating “There’s a cab for you” to Sherlock in the moments leading up to the killer revealing himself. The bright colors represent cracking the case open, clues that stick out among the darkness. Intertexuality is shown by quotes that referred to similar corresponding quotes from the novel series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.