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sophiapFirst of all, before I dig into MY NEW FAVORITE MOVIE, I want to toss this one little crossover/fusiony plot bunny out there that was put into my mind by the latest episode.
A Hunger Games/Sherlock fusion. Why?
First of all, the paranoia and hallucination-inducing gas in 2.02 put me very much in mind of the tracker jacker venom from the Hunger Games. My first thoughts were along the lines of 'what if Sherlock was wrong, and the gas had continued and random effects afterwards?' That could be the basis for a good angst fic. Hell, I bet there are a few in progress out there even as I type.
Then, with Hunger Games on the brain, my thoughts naturally went to crossovers and fusions. I could very well imagine a fusion with John and Sherlock as survivors of two different games. John would have won through sheer, dogged determination (and would be so very, very haunted by his win), while Sherlock would win simply by dint of being Sherlock. (Hell, he'd have been the youngest victor ever, and he probably would have finagled his name being drawn at the Reaping because he was just. that. bored.) It's not something I'd ever want to write, but it's something I'd sure as hell like to read. I may well go and submit it as a prompt somewhere. Who knows?
I did rather like this week's episode of Sherlock. I was really wondering just how the hell that particular story would be updated for present day, and I thought it was an interesting take. What better to stand in for a ghost story than the modern-day equivalent: the conspiracy theory? To be honest, I wasn't all that taken with the actual mechanics of the mystery, but I liked the way it was solved, with Sherlock pouncing on Henry's archaic phrasing and on the use of 'cell phone.'
Nic-fitting Sherlock was utterly hilarious, and it was actually unsettling seeing him rocked by doubt and fear. Damn, but BC's a good actor--more on that below. I also enjoyed seeing how John handled his own fear, namely clapping his own hand over his mouth to keep from crying out, and thinking of a solution during the panic. It was a nice nod to the fact that he's been in rough situations before. (Also, nice job shooting a black dog in pitch darkness while under the influence of neurotoxins.)
I also would think that the people in the casting department had to have had a laugh or two about casting Russel Tovey in the episode that was purportedly about a giant, supernatural canine.
I'm still a bit boggled that the missing rabbit turned out to be a plot point. Chekhov's Bunny?
I also recently saw Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and I seriously cannot contain my flailing. It was a gutting, brilliantly told story, and every single role in it was perfectly cast and perfectly acted. It's one of those movies that still has me thinking days after seeing it.
The thing that still haunts me after watching the movie is how, rather than being glamorous, the work of being a spy or a spy-handler utterly poisons every relationship you have. Haydon was obviously (IMO, but heavily supported by canon) in love with Prideaux, but still threw him to the wolves. Yes, you could see his distress when word came when Prideaux had been shot, but nothing changed after that. Then there is Smiley, who while obviously devastated when he first learned of his wife's fidelity, also did not take it personally when he found out why Haydon had seduced his wife.
I found it intriguing that the two most 'innocent' characters, in some ways, were Tarr and Guillam, wetworks man and wetworks handler, respectively. Tarr seemed believably besotted with Irina and believably desperate to get her safe. It was heartbreaking when she was shot--and probably long before Tarr even had a chance to beg Smiley for help. Then there's Guillam... oh, dear (sniffles). I think I would have fallen for the character even if he hadn't been played by Benedict Cumberbatch. I did learn that in the original novel, Guillam had a girlfriend, not a boyfriend, and the relationship was said to be utterly casual. Giving him a boyfriend was an inspired touch, I thought. Given the mores of the time, Guillam's private life would have had to be locked down as tight as his professional life. No one must ever know... Nothing must ever be said...
I have no doubt that Smiley knew all about Guillam's life when the case got 'hot' and he told Guillam he had better 'tidy things up.' And tidy things up, Guillam does. Cleanly and professionally, but with that one moment of utterly heartbreaking grief when no one was watching. Guh. My heart still hurts.
Oddly enough, the most hopeful moment in the movie was when Prideaux (who had just found out what Haydon had done to him) cruelly told the boy who he was slowly recruiting into 'the life' to get the hell away with him and rejoin the other kids. Clearly, none of these poor bastards have any chance at a happy life.
I also have some new Sherlock headcanon thanks to the movie (and its felicitous casting). I'm rather fond of the idea that Peter Guillam is the Holmes brothers' maternal uncle, and helped Mycroft get his foot in the door with certain individuals. So, so many possibilities there... I have no doubt that someone, somewhere, will commit fic.
A Hunger Games/Sherlock fusion. Why?
First of all, the paranoia and hallucination-inducing gas in 2.02 put me very much in mind of the tracker jacker venom from the Hunger Games. My first thoughts were along the lines of 'what if Sherlock was wrong, and the gas had continued and random effects afterwards?' That could be the basis for a good angst fic. Hell, I bet there are a few in progress out there even as I type.
Then, with Hunger Games on the brain, my thoughts naturally went to crossovers and fusions. I could very well imagine a fusion with John and Sherlock as survivors of two different games. John would have won through sheer, dogged determination (and would be so very, very haunted by his win), while Sherlock would win simply by dint of being Sherlock. (Hell, he'd have been the youngest victor ever, and he probably would have finagled his name being drawn at the Reaping because he was just. that. bored.) It's not something I'd ever want to write, but it's something I'd sure as hell like to read. I may well go and submit it as a prompt somewhere. Who knows?
I did rather like this week's episode of Sherlock. I was really wondering just how the hell that particular story would be updated for present day, and I thought it was an interesting take. What better to stand in for a ghost story than the modern-day equivalent: the conspiracy theory? To be honest, I wasn't all that taken with the actual mechanics of the mystery, but I liked the way it was solved, with Sherlock pouncing on Henry's archaic phrasing and on the use of 'cell phone.'
Nic-fitting Sherlock was utterly hilarious, and it was actually unsettling seeing him rocked by doubt and fear. Damn, but BC's a good actor--more on that below. I also enjoyed seeing how John handled his own fear, namely clapping his own hand over his mouth to keep from crying out, and thinking of a solution during the panic. It was a nice nod to the fact that he's been in rough situations before. (Also, nice job shooting a black dog in pitch darkness while under the influence of neurotoxins.)
I also would think that the people in the casting department had to have had a laugh or two about casting Russel Tovey in the episode that was purportedly about a giant, supernatural canine.
I'm still a bit boggled that the missing rabbit turned out to be a plot point. Chekhov's Bunny?
I also recently saw Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and I seriously cannot contain my flailing. It was a gutting, brilliantly told story, and every single role in it was perfectly cast and perfectly acted. It's one of those movies that still has me thinking days after seeing it.
The thing that still haunts me after watching the movie is how, rather than being glamorous, the work of being a spy or a spy-handler utterly poisons every relationship you have. Haydon was obviously (IMO, but heavily supported by canon) in love with Prideaux, but still threw him to the wolves. Yes, you could see his distress when word came when Prideaux had been shot, but nothing changed after that. Then there is Smiley, who while obviously devastated when he first learned of his wife's fidelity, also did not take it personally when he found out why Haydon had seduced his wife.
I found it intriguing that the two most 'innocent' characters, in some ways, were Tarr and Guillam, wetworks man and wetworks handler, respectively. Tarr seemed believably besotted with Irina and believably desperate to get her safe. It was heartbreaking when she was shot--and probably long before Tarr even had a chance to beg Smiley for help. Then there's Guillam... oh, dear (sniffles). I think I would have fallen for the character even if he hadn't been played by Benedict Cumberbatch. I did learn that in the original novel, Guillam had a girlfriend, not a boyfriend, and the relationship was said to be utterly casual. Giving him a boyfriend was an inspired touch, I thought. Given the mores of the time, Guillam's private life would have had to be locked down as tight as his professional life. No one must ever know... Nothing must ever be said...
I have no doubt that Smiley knew all about Guillam's life when the case got 'hot' and he told Guillam he had better 'tidy things up.' And tidy things up, Guillam does. Cleanly and professionally, but with that one moment of utterly heartbreaking grief when no one was watching. Guh. My heart still hurts.
Oddly enough, the most hopeful moment in the movie was when Prideaux (who had just found out what Haydon had done to him) cruelly told the boy who he was slowly recruiting into 'the life' to get the hell away with him and rejoin the other kids. Clearly, none of these poor bastards have any chance at a happy life.
I also have some new Sherlock headcanon thanks to the movie (and its felicitous casting). I'm rather fond of the idea that Peter Guillam is the Holmes brothers' maternal uncle, and helped Mycroft get his foot in the door with certain individuals. So, so many possibilities there... I have no doubt that someone, somewhere, will commit fic.
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Date: 2012-01-11 03:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-12 11:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-12 05:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-11 04:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-12 11:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-11 07:00 am (UTC)I had a moment of bwuh?? and then mostly moved on.
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Date: 2012-01-12 11:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-11 08:02 am (UTC)God, that movie. I just... yeah. So amazing.
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Date: 2012-01-12 11:51 am (UTC)