Sherlock Holmes. The Great Detective. Or as some loyalists and faithful call him: “The Master”. Ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought him to life on the page in 1886, the world has loved the brilliant, self-styled “consulting detective”, and his partner, Dr. John Watson, veteran of the Afghan wars. The duo has had many incarnations since their creation, and I have lately discovered a new Holmes and Watson, updated into the 21^st century.

For years, Hollywood portrayed Holmes as immaculately clean, neat and tidy, prim and proper, right down to the deerstalker hat, cloak, and magnifying glass; with Watson as a portly companion who diligently records Holmes’s great feats. Those of us who know and love Holmes and Watson know how far this strays from Doyle’s vision. But within the last three or four years, the beloved duo has received a much-needed make-over. Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson, respectively, bring the long-vanished Victorian era to sparkling life in Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). Downey, Jr. treated us to Holmes’s characteristic disorderliness, boxing skills, and…lacking…social graces. Law refreshed our memories of a young Watson recently returned from the war, an able combatant in a fight and fully capable of keeping up with Holmes.

When I first saw these two in 2009, I fell head-over-heels. I proudly and freely boasted a badge of loyalty to them, convinced as I was that they were the perfect Holmes and Watson. The only Holmes and Watson.

I was wrong.

Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law are really good, the best Holmes and Watson to come along in a long time, but they’re not the only good ones out there.

The recommendation of a friend of mine introduced me to SHERLOCK, the smash hit series from BBC. Here in 21^st century London, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a tech- and internet-savvy, still self-styled “consulting detective” who predictably prefers to text rather than call due to its impersonality and detachedness; and John Watson (Martin Freeman) is an army doctor returning home from a long stint of service in Afghanistan, suffering from a psychosomatic knee injury. As in Doyle’s beloved books, these two meet and become friends and partners as we follow them through adventures that are nothing short of…awesome.

I was a slow comer to SHERLOCK. My friend recommended it to me quite awhile back, but as those who know me best will agree, it was my characteristic stubbornness, loyalty (which can sometimes be blind and misguided), and aversion to change that steered me away for a long time. It was curiosity that eventually won out. My mom was under the weather recently, and one evening when all the family but us were out and about, she requested me to “find something new”. By this time I was well acquainted with the names of Cumberbatch and Freeman, thanks to War Horse (2011) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Due to be released December 2012). While surfing Netflix, I stumbled across SHERLOCK and having seen War Horse quite recently, I remembered Cumberbatch’s involvement in it and his admirable—albeit short—performance. I also remembered my friend’s recommendation and her glowing praise of it [yeah, you know who you are ;-)], and it raised enough curiosity to bury my stubbornness and set aside my aversion to change and loyalty to Downey, Jr. and Law.

The very first episode, “A Study in Pink”, a clear homage to Doyle’s “A Study in Scarlet”, where we first meet Holmes and Watson—both hooked me and blew me away. An example of this is Sherlock’s long but detailed and not in the least longwinded explanation as to how at their first meeting he knew John was an army doctor recently returned from Afghanistan and looking for a place in London:

Dr. John Watson: Who are you? What do you do?
Sherlock Holmes: What do you think?
Dr. John Watson: I’d say private detective…
Sherlock Holmes: But…
Dr. John Watson: But the police don’t go to private detectives.
Sherlock Holmes: I’m a consulting detective. The only one in the world. I invented the job.
Dr. John Watson: What does that mean?
Sherlock Holmes: It means whenever the police are out of their depth – which is always – they consult me.
Dr. John Watson: [scoffs] The police don’t consult amateurs.
[Sherlock looks at him askance, then gives a sly smile]
Sherlock Holmes: When I met you for the first time yesterday, I said “Afghanistan or Iraq?” You looked surprised.
Dr. John Watson: Yes. How did you know?
Sherlock Holmes: I didn’t know, I saw. Your haircut, the way you hold yourself, says military. The conversation as you entered the room – said trained at Bart’s, so army doctor. Obvious. Your face is tanned, but no tan above the wrists – you’ve been abroad but not sunbathing. The limp’s really bad when you walk, but you don’t ask for a chair when you stand, like you’ve forgotten about it, so it’s at least partly psychosomatic. That suggests the original circumstances of the injury were probably traumatic – wounded in action, then. Wounded in action, suntan – Afghanistan or Iraq.
Dr. John Watson: You said I had a therapist.
Sherlock Holmes: You’ve got a psychosomatic limp. Of course you’ve got a therapist. Then there’s your brother. Your phone – it’s expensive, email enabled, MP3 player. But you’re looking for a flat-share, you wouldn’t waste money on this. It’s a gift, then. Scratches – not one, many over time. It’s been in the same pocket as keys and coins. The man sitting next to me wouldn’t treat his one luxury item like this, so it’s had a previous owner. The next bit’s easy, you know it already.
[indicates back of the phone, which has been engraved with the inscription “Harry Watson – from Clara XXX”]
Dr. John Watson: The engraving?
Sherlock Holmes: Harry Watson – clearly a family member who’s given you his old phone. Not your father – this is a young man’s gadget. Could be a cousin, but you’re a war hero who can’t find a place to live. Unlikely you’ve got an extended family, certainly not one you’re close to, so brother it is. Now, Clara – who’s Clara? Three kisses says romantic attachment. Expensive phone says wife, not girlfriend. Must’ve given it to him recently – this model’s only six months old. Marriage in trouble, then – six months on, and already he’s giving it away? If she’d left him, he would’ve kept it. People do, sentiment. But no, he wanted rid of it – he left her. He gave the phone to you, that says he wants you to stay in touch.
[beat]
Sherlock Holmes: You’re looking for cheap accommodation and you’re not going to your brother for help? That says you’ve got problems with him. Maybe you liked his wife, maybe you don’t like his drinking.
Dr. John Watson: How can you possibly know about the drinking?
[cuts to a close-up of the phone’s charger port, showing obvious scratches around it]
Sherlock Holmes: Shot in the dark. Good one, though. Power connection – tiny little scuff marks around the edge. Every night he goes to plug it in and charge but his hands are shaky. You never see those marks on a sober man’s phone, never see a drunk’s without them. There you go, you see? You were right.
Dr. John Watson: I was right? Right about what?
Sherlock Holmes: The police don’t consult amateurs.

See?

Cumberbatch and Freeman don’t pretend to be the old Holmes and Watson that we know from Doyle’s cherished books. They are a new Holmes and Watson for a new century, perhaps more relatable for the new generation. But they are faithful to Doyle’s creation in what really matters. They are not better or worse than Downey, Jr. and Law. Each pair is brilliant in their own field. They’re just different. You can’t compare the two pairs, because they’re not the same.

I make this appeal to those who—like me—have rejected Cumberbatch and Freeman in favor of Downey, Jr. and Law:

Don’t scorn them unless you’ve given them a chance. You just might be missing out on something amazing.

And remember this: They’re not the same.

After that, for me the rest is history. I freely admit that I was wrong [yes, feel free to celebrate and smirk as much as you like, MN ;-)], and I willingly join the ranks of those who follow the Master’s new face.

Now, where’s that remote?