As school let out for the summer, a seemingly unlimited amount of free time thrust itself upon me as the stress of AP exams and final projects waved their goodbyes. Sitting on my couch, the most obvious course of action was to begin a new TV show, of course! If you know me, you know I’m an avid consumer of television. From Jeopardy! and Dancing With The Stars to Abbott Elementary and Avatar: The Last Airbender, most of my breaks are spent keeping up with new plot lines and characters.
This summer, the Hulu recommendations brought BBC’s Sherlock to me, a more modern take on the classic Victorian tales of Sherlock Holmes and his assistant John Watson written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Filled with witty banter and heartracing adventures, this show certainly kept me hooked for all four of its nerve-wracking seasons.
However, I also remembered that original books are typically better than their film adaptations. Thus, upon completing the British mystery show, I took a trip to Saratoga Library and borrowed Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four to get a feel of just how much the initial plot was changed. In the 2010 adaptation, these short stories became “A Study in Pink” and “The Sign of Three.” I admit that I am a little rusty on the details of both the show and the books, but I will do my best to highlight the more distinct differences between the two. Also, it is important to remember that BBC’s version is adapted to have a modern take on the very old story, thus discrepancies are bound to happen.
Anyways, back to the point of the article. First, I noted that Sherlock seems a lot more walled off in the shows. His hostility to Molly Hooper and his addiction to hard drugs threw me off a bit. On the other hand, Doyle’s detective is slightly more friendly, especially when he explains his thought process to Watson. He has less of a tendency to call everyone a moron before getting to his deductions. Sherlock highlights the adrenaline junky side of Holmes, and only briefly mentions his scientific research (like knowing how to differentiate 140 types of tobacco ash!). Alternatively, the book balances between his nerdiness and genius, which made getting to know his character more enjoyable. Next, the mystery of A Study in Scarlet is much more complex than “A Study in Pink.” Doyle’s version includes Mormons and an international goose chase. The conclusion is also way less scary than BBC’s version (I won’t spoil it but I was on the edge of my seat watching). Next, Mary Morstan is introduced in Season 3 of Sherlock whereas John gets engaged to her in the second installment of Doyle’s writing. I thought we might have more buildup to Watson’s marriage/relationship but I think there’s a timeskip between A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four in which they get to know each other (or I’m just unfamiliar with the courting standards of Victorian England).
That’s most of what I can remember, but as I continue my journey reading through the entire series, I’m sure there will be more variations. I would definitely recommend both reading the original and watching the many adaptations. While it’s easy to spot the differences, finding similarities and slight tweaks is fun as well.