In the Doctor Who spinoff City of the Saved, all of humanity that ever was and will be — real and fictional — is resurrected in a city the size of a galaxy in the far future. Historical figures rub shoulders with gods, and there’s a police department made up of every iteration of Sherlock Holmes ever conceived. Suffice to say, they’ve got a lot of minds at work.
It seems like we’re constantly getting new remakes of the Great Detective’s adventures. From period dramas to modern reimaginings, hospital dramas to direct-to-video iterations with robot dinosaurs. It can feel, quite rightly, like we’re tapping out the character, or like we run the risk of “getting him wrong” the longer we go. And while no one iteration is going to appeal to everyone, there’s actually a lot more room for changes and reinterpretations than we may think.
Is this by design? Well, of course not. Doyle famously hated his creation and was unlikely to cunningly craft an archetype designed to be reinvented for decades to come. But, much to his own chagrin I’m sure, that’s exactly what he managed to do.
The Meaning Behind the Genius
In the original Sherlock Holmes stories, and in most remakes, we get our view of Holmes via John Watson. No one really understands the inner workings of Holmes’s mind entirely, but Watson is about as close as you’re going to get. That said, it’s this relative-unknown nature of Holmes that lends himself to so many varied characterizations.
In Watson’s writings, we see the result of whatever goes on inside that admirable brain: someone who’s extremely knowledgeable about some things but does still believe the sun goes ’round the Earth. A gentleman who is adept in hand-to-hand combat. Someone who earns respect but doesn’t make friends — save for Watson, of course.
We see that these things are true, but any of these traits could exist for a number of reasons. A truly creative interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, one that won’t end up superfluous or awkward, puts a new spin on the source of these traits.
Making Connections
Boiling Holmes down to “smart, weird, and kind of rude” still yields a variety of results. In a more standard read, he’s simply a genius and thus gets to do what he wants, or his mind is too taken up with the importance of his case to delve into social niceties. Classic portrayals of Holmes, like Jeremy Brett and Basil Rathbone (the latter of whom spent much of his run as a “modern” Holmes, don’t forget!) play in these areas and give us a good baseline for the character.
But now think of Peter Cushing, who played Holmes for a short time for the BBC in the 1960s. He still maintains those personality aspects, but is surprisingly jovial. His cutting words are delivered with friendliness and admiration to those around him, like a professor whose friends were once his students and still warrant a bit of a ribbing once in a while.
In more recent adaptations, we see the interpretations get increasingly more experimental. Sherlock as played by Benedict Cumberbatch depicts himself as a “high-functioning sociopath,” but it’s far more likely he’s somewhere on the spectrum and navigating the forming of emotional bonds he’d previously decided to swear off. Robert Downey Jr.’s Holmes has a brain that won’t stop analyzing, offering him no peace unless he shuts off with a fistfight. Hugh Laurie’s House fights chronic pain and his patients’ tendency to lie when he’s trying to help them. And Jonny Lee Miller is a recovering drug addict… and really seems to want to start a petting zoo.
What Makes a Holmes a Holmes?
Just because there’s a lot to work with doesn’t mean that every version of the character lands. If you’re ever feeling wacky, pick up The Asylum’s 2010 remake, featuring Gareth David-Lloyd as Dr. Watson and Dominic Keating as the previously-unknown third cyborg Holmes brother.
What makes Sherlock Sherlock is that almost alien quality of his, sandwiched between his impressive intellect and his attitude toward others. Remove those things, go too far afield, and you’ve got a different detective entirely. Not that that’s a problem — there’s room in the world for all sorts of detectives, even almost-but-not-quite Holmeses.
Think of your favorite TV or film depiction of Sherlock. Where does his intellect stem from? Why is he the way he is? You’ll likely find that there’s something about that particular interpretation that resonates with you. For me, it’s Downey’s: I’ve had insomnia thanks to a racing mind, I’ve shot my mouth off because I’m five steps ahead in a conversation and don’t realize I’m being unforgivably sarcastic, and I also crave escapism to give my brain some peace. It’s probably not a wonder he’s my favorite.
There will always be room for more well-written, well-thought-out Holmeses, because we will always be finding new reasons for him to be how he is — be it medical advances, personality types, or just the state of the world at any given time. Our era seems awash in Sherlocks, but as he’s the world’s most commonly depicted fictional character, this generation is hardly alone in that.
Besides, if House proved anything, sometimes we need a hero — even a fictional one — who’s just here to get things done. I welcome the next Sherlock Holmes, and the ones after that.
Just… hold the robot dinosaurs.
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