And so it begins. Watched episode 1 raw, so obviously I will have missed things. :D
The first episode kind of already confirms the impression I got from the press releases and character descriptions: that many elements of Os are very obvious nods in the direction of past Riders. To be fair, Kamen Rider is a franchise that relies on a specific, limited set of tropes; but what I’m talking about isn’t that exactly. A trope is an archtype basically, something honed down to its basic elements; what I’m talking about is the specific ways in which those archtypes are explored. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, particularly if one liked what is referenced, and it’s all revisited in a way that revamps the ideas.
Been watching Fortysomething, because I was looking for more Cumberbatch, and it’s got him and Hugh Laurie, so how could I refuse? :D
So the first thing I have to say is that much as I love what House can be at its best, watching this I realize Hugh Laurie has such amazing comedic timing that he’s kind of almost wasted on a drama. I mean, yes, House’s snark is funny, but seeing him in Fortysomething you realize that’s just a fraction of what he can do. Because Fortysomething is ridiculous and hilarious, and although it’s got a great cast, Hugh Laurie is a huge part of why it’s so funny.
Well, Hugh Laurie, and his Proud Banana, and the front lawn decorated with blowup dolls, and “My wife… is in a park with a lesbian. And ducks!” and Stephen Fry as a disapproving fishmonger, and just all of the hysterical situations these characters are put in.
As for the great cast, I love Paul (Hugh)’s relationship with his wife Estelle (Anna Chancellor). It’s funny, and he’s ridiculous, but they also have great chemistry, and the sense that there is affection there, and yes, also love in spite of the whole “Paul Slippery can’t remember the last time he had sex with his wife” thing. Ultimately, for all the ridiculous antics of the series, this marriage comes across as very real.
The youngest son, Edwin is hilariously evil, the middle son Daniel is a bastard, but an amusing bastard, and the eldest son Rory is Benedict Cumberbatch, and given my current obsession with Sherlock, that should be enough, shouldn’t it? And it is, but I’m still going to say it: Rory is adorable. Long-suffering, the “nice” one while his brother Daniel is the “hot one” (debatable, personally I think Benedict is much better looking) who steals his girlfriend, possesses a certain self-effacing humor. Sure, we might go for the “bad boy” when we’re young and stupid, but in the long run I think most women will pick Rory over Daniel (that’s kind of a tangent, the series’ handling of that particular situation is just spectacularly funny, though). And seeing Sherlock playing House’s son is really amusing, for obvious reasons.
Anyway. Screencaps of Benedict as Rory, because that is the reason I wanted to check out the series. :D
This post will be periodically updated with new recs. Last updated: 10/30
It has been a long long time since a show has grabbed my attention the way Sherlock has, to the point that I’ve been completely neglecting, well, pretty much anything that is not Sherlock related. So I thought I’d just rec links related to this awesome little show that has pretty much just eaten my brain the past few weeks.
Sherlock blogs/communities Probably anyone that is into Sherlock fandom knows these, but oh well…
SherlockBBC – extremely active, very awesome LJ comm for Sherlock. Obviously, there’s a ton of fanfic (slash, gen, cracky crossovers, what have you), but it’s also a great place for actual discussion and meta.
CumberbatchFans – if in the past 3 or 4 weeks you have developed, like I have, the most ridiculous crush on Benedict Cumberbatch, then check out this comm.
his name is better than yours – Tumblr dedicated to Benedict Cumberbatch. Because there can never be too much Cumberbatch.
(I should maybe mention that as far as I’m concerned, Sherlock is canonically asexual. This doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy slash, though).
The Thermodynamis series – by [ljuser]entangled_now[/ljuser]. This series is hands down my favorite Sherlock fic(s). It’s cute in exactly the way Sherlock fic should be cute: with a bit of awkwardness, matter of fact, very amusing; and also sexy in exactly the way Sherlock should be sexy, which includes acknowledges the fact that he’s most likely asexual, and works organically with that, and it ends up being integral to how delicious the whole thing is.
The Rules – In which there are rules, and John breaks them.
Other fic:
You’re a difficult equation – by [ljuser]folkhore[/ljuser]. Pre-slash. Short, and just really beautifully written. John’s honing his own skills of observation; they’re all practiced watching Sherlock…watching Sherlock too closely.
We. – by [ljuser]footshooter[/ljuser]. Post The Great Game, Sherlock POV.
Wasted Daylight – by [ljuser]skuldydrabble[/ljuser]. Slash. Morning after fic, nothing graphic, but hints at what happened subtly and beautifully.
Drowning Man – Some walk into the fire; others drown. Harbor – Recovery doesn’t necessarily begin when they stitch you up. by [ljuser]irisbleufic[/ljuser]. Slash. Post The Great Game.
#3patchproblem – by [ljuser]nartthefart[/ljuser]. Sherlock discovers Twitter. The result is unholy.
Pedestrian – by [ljuser]vegarin[/ljuser]. “Either he will waver at the sight of you, or he won’t. Which do you think it will be, John?” John. Moriarty. A missing scene for The Great Game.
So Clear in Retrospect – anonymous fill for the prompt “Sherlock is great and figuring out other people… not so good at knowing himself”.
From Irene – with love and E-numbers – by [ljuser]elapsedspiral[/ljuser] “She’s an ex-girlfriend?” “Oh no,” Sherlock said with evidence distaste, “Far better than that. An adversary.”
Other stuff
untouchable; john & sherlock – by starbrights90. I don’t anticipate embedding very many videos in here (and will put them behind a cut if I do embed any more!), but this one in particular is just beautiful.
This is an extremely belated post about A Study In Pink, which means that it’s actually more about the episode in the context to the rest of the series.
Really, if you start thinking about the fact that there will be more Sherlock in the future, then it’s easy to guess that eventually we’ll look back on these episodes and that primarily all three, not just the first one, are about how Sherlock and John’s very unique relationship began and started to develop. It’s actually so obvious that it might not even merit mentioning, except for how in the course of just three it begins, grows, changes, starts to crack around the edges, and ultimately deepens so much.
So I went and decided to just do a quick check to see what there was in the way of Sherlock fanfic, and four days later I’ve neglected this blog in favor of reading MOAR FIC.
To make up for it… screencaps from A Study In Pink! By which I mostly mean lots of Benedict Cumberbatch, because, well, yes.
I turned the TV on and found a rerun of House on. It’s the episode with the dad that used “male enhancement” cream and the hormones wrecked havoc on his kids.
More importantly (to me), it’s the episode where House gives Wilson theater tickets that a patient gave him, Wilson takes Cuddy to said play, and when House finds out he coms to the conclusion that Wilson is trying to “see Cuddy naked”. Wilson decides to mess with House. House decides to mess with Wilson. Hilarity ensues! \:D/