#screen spy

Why SHERLOCK Should Embrace Its Ship of Dreams

By The Screen Spy Team on January 10, 2017 By Chris B. 

Modern television has more “ships” than the Pacific Ocean. Virtually every character on the airwaves has been matched with another, fancied relationships dreamed up by eager fans, either to generate laughs or to satisfy personal passions.  Every fandom has its favorite pairs, but if you’re a follower of the BBC’s Sherlock, the most discussed coupling by far is that John and Sherlock, or Johnlock.  The desire to see these two together in more than a simple platonic friendship is one that is played out in blogs and fan fiction regularly, but is this something fans will ever see developed on screen? There are many factors to consider here.  Sadly, in 2017, there is still a certain amount of controversy about showing a gay couple in an everyday relationship, one that is not present for purposes of comic relief or sideline plot support.  Would the network and affiliates allow it?  How conservative are its politics and those of its advertisers?  Given the overwhelming popularity of the show on an international scale, I would wager their wallets would easily trump any qualms that might exist.  It is amazing how capitalism can solve all manner of perceived ills. Regardless, do Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat even want this to be the dynamic of their characters?  According to them, the answer is no.  In an interview with Valerie Parker in July of last year, Gatiss claimed, “…we’ve explicitly said this is not going to happen – there is no game plan – no matter how much we lie about other things, that this show is going to culminate in Martin and Benedict going off into the sunset together. They are not going to do it.” That sounds pretty final.  Maybe. Since these two have made the most of The X-Files philosophy that a lie is most conveniently hidden between two truths, there is always room for doubt.  (Really, how likely is it that a seasoned professional like Gatiss suddenly mistook the names of his characters for those of the men who portray them?) In any case, I think an openly romantic relationship between John and Sherlock would be well worth it.  Consider the following points and determine for yourself if this match is a just a forgettable fantasy, or if it could be an ultimate destiny.   

5. The characters are already tightly bonded No one would argue with the idea that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original characters of Holmes and Watson are best friends; through each of the numerous variations presented over the intervening century plus, this is one of the few facets has remained consistent.  They are a team. Individually, though, each member of the team is lacking.  At one point, Sherlock confesses in “The Great Game” that he’s been “reliably informed” that he has no heart, going so far as to declare several different times that he is a high-functioning sociopath.  John, on the other hand, is “abnormally attracted to dangerous situations and people”; he misses the war that left him behind.  Both have a hole that they need to fill, and that is exactly what the other satisfies. In Sherlock, this is reinforced repeatedly.  John and Sherlock are clearly presented as two halves of the same whole, each needing the other to be a complete version of himself—John, the heart and inspiration; Sherlock, the excitement and intellectual challenge.  When Sherlock is baffled why a woman would be upset about her child’s death after fourteen years or when he too gleefully investigates a child kidnapping, John is there to mediate his reactions.  Then, when Sherlock returns in “The Empty Hearse,” he insists correctly of John, “You have missed this…the thrill of the chase, the blood pumping through your veins, the two of us against the rest of the world.”  Later, in “The Abominable Bride,” John quips to Moriarty, “There are always two of us.”  There must be.  Inevitably, all roads they take lead to Baker Street, back to their roots together.   

4. There is already plenty of precedent for it Sherlock has never shied away from the suggestion that Sherlock and John are more than friends.  From the outset, John is mistaken for Sherlock’s date, and the man who will “outlive God trying to have the last word” makes no correction, nor does he when a reporter in “The Reichenbach Fall” asks for a quote about whether he and Dr. Watson are “strictly platonic.”  Further, the two gay owners of The Cross Keys Inn from “The Hounds of Baskerville” assess John and Sherlock as a pair; and Mrs. Hudson, who lives just a floor below them and knows them very well, refers to one of their arguments as “a little domestic” and is shocked when John is ready to move on (to marry a woman?) a full two years after Sherlock’s supposed death.  Then, Irene Adler, who sizes people up as adeptly as Sherlock, calls out John’s jealousy about the 57 unanswered texts that she’s sent (yes, John kept track) and flatly counters John’s insistence that he and Sherlock are a couple:  “Yes, you are.”  Finally, in “The Abominable Bride,” when John saves his other half from the precipice and Sherlock gushes about John’s intelligence, Moriarty himself rolls his eyes and scoffs, “Oh, why don’t you two just elope, for God’s sake!” There are innumerable instances of extreme devotion shown to us as well.  In “His Last Vow” Sherlock literally restarts his own heart because John is in danger, then commits murder to protect John from the thumb of Magnussen’s extortion.  In “The Great Game” John throws himself on Moriarty to allow Sherlock to escape the bomb he wears, and in “A Scandal in Belgravia,” he dumps his girlfriend and their holiday plans to stay home and look after Sherlock, a choice he makes easily after she demands, “Don’t make me compete with Sherlock Holmes!”  (Oh, he won’t, dear; there’s no contest.)  Further, images abound of the intense and meaningful stares shared by these two, traded like stocks on internet forums and social media, all screaming of something bubbling beneath the surface.  Thus, to transition to an official couple would not be much of a stretch.   

3. It fits the transformational model of the show Gatiss and Moffat have shown a penchant for pushing the envelope with their version of Doyle’s characters.  Would Doyle have raised his eyebrows over John’s sibling being a divorced lesbian who’s taken to drink?  I doubt the original author could have imagined Mrs. Hudson as a former exotic dancer who had been married to the head of a drug cartel.  And certainly no one anticipated that the lovable Mary Morstan would turn out to be a former intelligence agent and ruthless trained assassin. The creators have not been afraid to add their own special spice to these characters.  In a 2014 interview with Phil Ittner, Gatiss and Moffat asserted, “Most of [the series] is actually completely new, so there’s not a drying-up of the source…we’re slightly broadening out the world a bit and being slightly more heretical than we probably would have been at the beginning. But then that’s good, it feels like this is our version…”   To go all-in and apex this concept with the core pair would allow them to make a truly indelible mark on the enormous canon of Sherlock Holmes iterations. After all, side characters are only so revealing; in this universe, John and Sherlock are the only ones who matter.  The series has been proposed as the story of the development of a genius, hence its very specific title, so building Sherlock Holmes to the point where he can freely give and receive love, achieving true intimacy, would be the greatest development possible.  Gatiss and Moffat could provide that humanity for him, to create their own warm center to the notoriously melancholy sphere of the private life of the world’s only consulting detective.   

2. Proper representation matters All segments of society can and should have a right to see themselves recognized unabashedly by the media they consume, whether it is fiction or non-fiction.  In the twenty-first century, this should not still be the struggle that it is, yet any in the LBGTQ community know how resistant this practice is to change in the machine of social institutions.  Too often, gay characters are used as statue pieces or comic relief, sidelines or after thoughts; they are not permitted to be real and valuable human beings, but are stock characters and stereotypes, extras who inevitably get the axe if the Grim Reaper comes calling. Steven Moffat has been most emphatic on the issue that the showing of gay or bisexual characters in popular culture should not be approached with triviality, that it is a serious issue that should be offered (particularly to young people) in a way that denotes true acceptance.  In his Parker interview, he asserted, “You don’t want to essentially tell children that [being gay is] something to campaign about. You want to say this is absolutely fine and normal. There is no question to answer. You want to walk right past it, in a way. You don’t want to…say, as sometimes other kinds of literature or movies might, we forgive you for being gay. You’re just saying you’re gay and it doesn’t matter. There’s no issue.” Essentially, one’s sexuality is just an average, marginally interesting, non-personality-defining, run-of-the-mill reality.  Thus, no matter what your sexual bent, it is not odd; it is not special or different, wonderful or terrible.  It just is, as mundane to one’s whole character as eye color or shoe size.  Indeed, until this matter does not flutter pulses with its rakish novelty, true acceptance has not yet occurred.  Having Sherlock and John integrate their sexuality seamlessly into the roster of the other attributes that the audience has witnessed, to roll it into the entire picture of who they are, we would be granted a relaxed and genuine portrayal of a devoted couple that happens to be gay, one from which we could all ultimately benefit.   

1. It would count Sherlock is a global phenomenon.  According to the Radio Times, it is shown in 224 countries and territories around the world, making it the most watched of any of the BBC’s programs, surpassing even Dr. Who, which has decades of history.  It has spawned blogs and merchandise and a number of Sherlocked fan events, which are major affairs to rival the most popular comic cons, where every artifact, set detail, and image from the show is cherished and applauded. The series’ leads, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, are beloved international stars.  Thanks in no small part to this show, they are in constant demand and headline massive studio projects, like The Hobbit series of films and Marvel’s Dr. Strange.  Each has a immense following of fans, and rightly so—they are award-winning craftsmen, extremely versatile talents who deserve every bit of success they’ve acquired. This degree of influence and appeal leverages a lot of power. What this show brings to the table, the world eats; what it points to as its guides, people would notice, and what’s more, follow.  What, then, could be accomplished in social terms if Sherlock were to subtly demystify gay relationships?   What might result if a stellar product and the highly popular individuals involved indicate that a homosexual relationship is every bit as complicated and trying and boring and wonderful as every other kind? 

Respect.  And with luck, progress. 

Screen Spy V1.92. The penultimate update. I have added a key logger, file viewer, image save limit, global store class, and an overwrite check. I failed in four features that I wanted to add, can you rise to the challenge?

Screen Spy Update V1.92

This program is for informational purposes and just a fun programming exercise. Please only use on your own computer, and maybe you won’t end up in jail.

Since the last screen spy update I have been really busy trying to add the features that I had  mentioned in that post, whilst also trying to keep the code multi-platform.

Key Logger Added

First of all I wanted to…

Ella (Aimee Garcia) turns to Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) for help in tonight’s episode of Lucifer when her responsible, respected, by-the-book, older brother is accused of murder. However “My Brother’s Keeper” quickly expands on that initial theme of brotherhood, and the hour sees some interesting developments for fraught brothers Lucifer (Tom Ellis) and Amenadiel (DB Woodside), and even a smidge of backstory on Cain and Abel.

While Maze and Ellen(!?!) — it’s hard for our favorite demon to keep track of names when she’s bored — make for an unusual duo, their adventure mirrors that of Lucifer’s, who also reaches out for help this week after he finds himself with an unsolvable puzzle: how to put an end to Lt. Pierce (Tom Welling).

But while Ella’s journey is more about keeping faith in her family alive, Lucifer quickly discovers his unhelpful big brother is not at all what he thought. And yes, predictably, but no less enjoyably, the discovery will cause all sorts of ’emotional leakage’ as he and Decker (Lauren German) work to solve the murder from an official angle, he while openly disparages the trustworthiness of brothers in general. Older brothers are all very well, he complains to Chloe and Ella at one point, “Except when you need them to help you kill someone. Where are they then?” Indeed. But Lucifer is not the only one struggling with trust issues this week.

Dr Linda (Rachael Harris) will find herself experiencing a moment of PTSD when she is unexpectedly approached by the therapy-seeking Charlotte Richards (Tricia Helfer). As you may recall, when these two last crossed paths, Charlotte — then Lucifer’s mother — almost killed her, and Linda is not one to forget a face, or a near death experience at the hands of a desperate, psychotic, celestial being. Is there hope for a meeting of minds here, or is it better for these two to never speak of Charlotte’s ‘missing time’ again? Watch to see how this one unfolds.

Cosa accadrà nei restanti episodi di #Bones11 e le novità di #Bones12: parla @surfwriter23

Dopo mesi e mesi di silenzio durante la pausa invernale, Bones torna finalmente questa sera sugli schermi americani e per questo motivo, le notizie relative ai prossimi episodi non hanno tardato ad arrivare. In questi giorni sono state infatti rilasciate molte interviste e dichiarazioni sugli episodi che andranno in onda nelle prossime settimane. Abbiamo pertanto deciso di riassumere i punti…

5 importanti anticipazioni sul finale di metà stagione si #Bones

Questa notte negli Usa andranno in onda i due episodi che segneranno il finale di metà stagione di Bones, nonché gli ultimi episodi del 2015. I due episodi in questione sono, facendo eccezione per alcuni riferimenti, del tutto indipendenti l’uno dall’altro e serviranno (se più o meno intenzionalmente, questo è da capire) a contrapporre al solito humor della serie, un tocco di drammaticità ed…

Trouble in Paradise

The Jeffersonian’s latest case directly impinges on Booth’s upcoming interview with the Congressional Sub Committee. Poised for a new life in Germany as head of the Berlin field office, the last thing Booth needs now is to be associated with a case that causes his assessors to look upon him unfavourably. However those pesky little case details just won’t seem to go away, and the more Booth and Brennan dig, the uglier it all becomes. And speaking of ugly, get ready to see our favorite TV couple trading some very angry words about the rights and wrongs of this one. Would a passionate “I hate you!” surprise you?

RELATED |  Bones Stars David Boreanaz & Emily Deschanel Tease “Game-Changing” Finale

A Shoe In … For a Public Shaming

Booth’s a shoe in for this gig in Berlin. He’s even learning the lingo over breakfast. However his hearing with the Congressional Sub committee may bring up more than his achievements and plans for the future. Leaked classified documents concerning a particular incendiary incident from Booth’s past, for example. Careful boys, Booth can air dirty laundry with the best of them, when provoked.

Action Hero

You caught that bit above about “part action movie” right? The latter half of this episode plays out like it was intended for the big screen as Booth leans on his Ranger skills to take on not one but three Delta Force assassins sent to murder him in his own home. How attached are you to Brennan and Booth’s beautiful house? Not very, we hope. When we spoke to David Boreanaz about directing this episode, he described the process as “exhausting.” Now we understand why.

Where to From Here?

Talk about a cliffhanger ending! We hope you saved some kleenex for this one. Fans wondering where the series might go in season 10 will have all the answers they need from these final five minutes. We can’t wait to see what happens next.