“A Study in the Pink” is the opening episode of the TV series referred to as Sherlock, which was broadcasted on BBC, and aimed at introducing the main characters and solving a murder mystery. The episode is closely related to the Sherlock Holmes book referred to as the “Study in Scarlet” that was written in 1886, the first story to have used magnifying glass as a crime detection tool. This paper will review the TV series by analysing it plot and the main characters with the other section comparing and contrasting it to the book, “Study in Scarlet.”
The series begins with the return of Dr. Watson from London where he had been serving as a military doctor in the war torn country of Afghanistan, sustaining an injury, and now requires the use of the cane. He is directed to attend therapy sessions on regular basis on order to help him overcome his post-traumatic stress disorder. He soon begins looking for a person to share a flat with and the search leads him to his old friend Mike who introduces him to Sherlock, a police detective that is also in search of a flatmate. The introduction session is short-lived considering that Sherlock walked off as soon as they exchanged pleasantries, prompting John to initiate an investigation on Sherlock. In the course of the search, John comes across Sherlock’s websites that intrigues him after which he went to join Sherlock in the flat owned by Mrs. Hudson who warns then of the mysterious deaths.
The police, in the past few weeks, have been perplexed by the odd series of killings that can only be described as serial suicides, a turn of events that forced the DI, Lestrade, to approach Sherlock to seek his assistance in solving the cases. Sherlock does not turn down the request and he asks John to tag along as he goes to view the crime scene of the last victim. At the crime scene of the latest victim, Sally reluctantly allows Sherlock in to assess, a sign that the two do not tag along well. Sherlock ignores the directive of dressing in the right attire in order to enter a crime scene, and assess the scene closely after, which he comes to a conclusion that the victim is from Cardiff. He also adds that the victim is an adulterers woman who must have had a briefcase with her, but the police at the scene claim to have not seen any briefcase.
After leaving the scene, John is approached by a man asking him to spy on Sherlock at a fee, a proposal that he turns down and later informs Sherlock of the incidence. However, Sherlok does not appear much concerned and asks John to send a txt message to Jennifer’s phone, a trick that helped to lure the killer to the scene, but it turned out that he was only a tourist. As Sherlock progressed with his investigations into the crime, a cab pulls up in front of the apartment, which he boards (Doyle 88). Sherlock concluded that he was the killer as he later admitted to have been involved with the killings and that he was being sponsored by “Moriarty” who gave him cash for every death for his children upkeep.
A number of similarities and differences are noted between the “Study in Scarlet” and “Study in the Pink” with the first being the identity of the last victim where the TV series, “Study in the Pink” portrays the victim as woman. On the other hand, the book portrays the last victim as male and in both the scenarios, they were all murdered by a cab driver, who in both stories suffered from aneurisms. However, the difference that is noted between the two can drivers is that while in “Study in Pink,” the cab’s brain was the one affected, in “Study in Scarlet,” it was the cab driver’s heart that was affected. The other difference in the two stories is seen in the way the cab drivers meet their death at the end even the staging is equally similar. In the “Study in Pink,” the cab driver is shot by Dr. Watson just as Sherlock was about to swallow the drivers poisonous pill, but in the book “Study in Pink,” the cab driver is arrested after which he dies of aneurism while locked out in prison. Other big difference that is noted in both the stories is the assumption that the police arrive at concerning the writing Rache on the ring. Anderson, who is a police officer, thinks suggests that the victim is associated with revenge because the words Rache means revenge in Germany. However, in “Study in Scarlet,” all the investigators were in agreement that the victim intended to write Rachel but could not complete the writing after being disturbed before he could complete . Additionally, the writings on the last victim’s ring cause a disagreement in the “Study in Pink” as Anderson related it to revenge, but Sherlock could not agree while in “Study in Scarlet,” they all agreed that it was meant to be Rachel. When comparing Downey Jr. and Cumberbatch who both play the role of Sherlock, the latter is appears to be using brains brawns equally in his detective role while the former going for a little more reserved, cerebral Holmes. Additionally, Downey junior has brought about more zeal and vigour with quirkiness to the detective role of Sherlock while Cumberbatch appears to be excelling at playing periods types.
In conclusion, the “Study in the Pink” is a first episode of a TV series that was aired by BBC and resembles the “Study in Scarlet”, a book that was written in 1886 considering both plots begin with the introduction of Sherlock and Dr. Watson in addition to the killings being orchestrated by a cab driver. However, one difference is noted in the manner in which the cab driver meets his demise considering that he is shot to death in “study in the pink” while he dies in prison in the “Study in Scarlet”. Additionally, there is a difference in the assumption made by the detective concerning the last victims ring as they agree on the name Rachel in “Study in Pink” but Sherlock disagrees with the idea of revenge in the “Study of Scarlet.”
Works Cited
Doyle, Arthur. A Study in Scarlet: Read it and Know it Edition, 2013. Massachusetts. Higher Read LLC. Print.
LibriVox. A Study in Scarlet. 2008. Internet Resource. 14 April 2016.
