I am, therefore, almost completely unsurprisingly, a House fanatic. That's Dr House, Gregory, who lives in Princeton. I idolise and wish I could be like said diagnostic genius.
What makes good thinkers such dickheads? What makes us like them so much even though they are? Is being a genius and having an amazing mind that fuels their arrogance and peculiar personalities such a redeeming quality?
I ask this because no matter what Messrs House and Holmes do, their counterparts and their readers/ viewers love them. They can try to sabotage their friends' relationships, or insult everyone they meet, even cause completely tragic circumstances that occur and apparently not bat an eyelid.
Then again, perhaps that's the difference between House and Holmes, and the two of them to us. House is shown to care, because we need that these days. Conan Doyle hardly ever let Holmes care about people. Occasionally, Holmes will let a tragedy go unreported for a few days after he has discovered it was a tragedy, and makes a judgement to get an outcome favourable to those who have suffered (as in The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place- the TV adaptation of which, in a wierd twist, had Jude Law in before his turn as Watson 20 odd years later).
I can't help but wonder if the Moffat and Gatiss vehicle Sherlock, the first episode of which airs soon, will approach the famous Holmes' inapproachable character head on. The trailer certainly makes Benedict Cumberpatch and Martin Freeman (curiously sans-limp for the invalided Afghan serviceman Watson) look as chummy as the duo ever were, but the people around them seem to take Holmes kindly too.
It'll be interesting to see if their Lestrade thinks he's a dick as he always did.
Thoughts, anyone?
EDIT: This post coincided with the discovery that, somehow, several members of the uni newspaper I work on own identical Complete Sherlock Holmes'. We're obviously cultured and incredibly tasteful people.
No comments:
Post a Comment