Doctor Watson
“Sherlock Holmes!” I shouted, as the Final Jeopardy music played. This was a few weeks ago. The clue had been: “Per Guinness, this character who debuted in 1887 is the most portrayed human literary character in film & television.” My wife and my dog didn’t seem that impressed, but I was delighted.
After the thrill wore off, I started to wonder if that piece of Sherlock trivia meant that the second-most portrayed human literary character might be Dr. Watson. Alas, poor Watson, it turned out to be Hamlet, which…sure, fine, I guess being emo is timeless.
Watson, however, is a favorite of mine. I far prefer his modest, reliable, and sensitive nature to the brilliant but conceited and aloof Holmes. And when it comes to portrayals in film and television, there’s really no question for me. Look at the casting. You can have your Cumberbatches and Downeys, Jr. Over here in the Watson column, you’ve got: Robert Duvall! Martin Freeman! Jude Law! Ben Kingsley! (in the fun and ridiculous “Without a Clue,” where Watson is actually the genius detective, and Holmes is a character he’s created; Michael Caine plays a washed-up actor hired by Watson to play the part of Holmes.)
Of all the great Watsons to appear on screen, my favorite by far is Joan Watson, Lucy Liu’s version of the character from the CBS series Elementary.
Joan Watson is a surgeon who leaves medicine behind to become a sober companion, which is how she first meets Sherlock, a recovering addict. Over the seven seasons of the show, she evolves into a detective herself, with an increasingly chic wardrobe that evolves to match.
Lucy Liu’s portrayal of her was perfect. Her performance was so nuanced and understated that it felt at odds, sometimes, with some of the clunky, less elegant mystery-of-the-week plots.
I loved Elementary deeply. What kept me hooked on the show were the four main characters – Watson, Holmes, and the two members of the NYPD they work with – and the relationships between them. Just as Watson evolved individually, we got to see the four of them go from wary acquaintances, to trusted comrades, to a kind of chosen family. And Joan Watson is the empathetic, complicated, compassionate center of those relationships.
Those friendships are what make Elementary a comfort watch for me. Comfort television is an important part of my media diet. I watch and enjoy a lot of prestige television, but so many of those shows are like Sherlock Holmes: they’re brilliant, they’re sharp, and they don’t need you to like them in order to be impressed by them. But if I were forced to choose, I’d like to spend my time watching a show that lets its characters discover how deep their friendship runs, and how those friendships could be better described as love.
I started watching Elementary in 2016, as it was halfway through its run. A year later, my wife and I adopted a four-year-old grey poodle. We saw immediately that he was smart, sensitive, inquisitive, and affectionate. We knew exactly what his name would be.
Earlier this summer, Watson got to meet his namesake.
Some music news: I’m going to be on tour in the midwest this October, with my own trusted comrade, Jenny Owen Youngs. We’ll be playing our songs and telling stories. Come see us:
Wednesday, October 26 - Chicago, IL - Sleeping Village - tickets
Thursday, October 27 - Iowa City, IA - Englert Theatre - tickets
Friday, October 28 - St. Paul, MN - Amsterdam Bar and Hall - tickets
Some podcast news: the first episode of Book Exploder is out now! Susan Orlean discusses her best-seller, The Library Book, in conversation with me. Listen here. She breaks down how she wrote the passage detailing a devastating fire’s journey through the Los Angeles Central Library. After this episode, Susan takes over as the interviewer for the series. Our second episode, with Min Jin Lee discussing a passage from Pachinko, will be out on August 17.
Some dog-adoption-related-comfort-television news: There’s now a third season of The Dog House, the British show where abandoned dogs are matched with potential new homes. I wrote about the series in the first installment of this newsletter. If you missed it, you can read that one here.
— Hrishikesh
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