How the Relationship between Fraser and Vecchio mirrors that of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

Mar 31, 2008 22:18


I was recently watching a documentary on Sherlock Holmes and it talked about how he and Doctor Watson were the basis for all partnership shows which have come after and I began thinking that possibly Due South comes the closest to matching the characteristics of the Holmes/Watson partnership. 
In this slight essay, I will be referring to the Sir ( Read more... )

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Comments 36

aingeal8c March 31 2008, 22:28:59 UTC
Just saw this as I was going to bed but in an amazing co-incidence I have had the very thought same thought recently.

I'll comment more on this in the morning. I am intrigued.

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sharon28 April 1 2008, 16:45:47 UTC
I'll comment more on this in the morning. I am intrigued.

I'll be interested in reading what you have to say:)

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part 1 reply aingeal8c April 1 2008, 17:50:47 UTC
And now I have enough comment to comment in detail :-)

I think the character of Fraser is a fairly close match to the character of Holmes (though without the rudeness). Firstly, he is brilliant at solving crimes, he picks up clues missed by others, etc. His method is often questioned, as is Holmes’s.

Yes he is a polite version of Holmes in a lot of ways. One thing that stands out to me deduction-wise is the first scene in Ida's apartment where Fraser deduces Barry's drinking habits:
Fraser: You’re worried about someone. A man. A man who smokes too much.
Ida: How did you know that?
Fraser: Well, you don’t smoke, and yet you have ashtrays stationed everywhere in your apartment. He also drinks rather more than you would like. The indentation on the lacquer of this chest suggests that there was a decanter on it until recently. And then you became concerned and you removed the liquor so there’d be less temptation, but it didn’t work, did it?A very Holmes like deduction. And of course Fraser mentions that he notices things that other ( ... )

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Re: part 1 reply sharon28 April 1 2008, 19:29:15 UTC
One thing that stands out to me deduction-wise is the first scene in Ida's apartment where Fraser deduces Barry's drinking habits:

I'd forgotten about that one actually. They are also both in the habit of flinging themselves down on the ground to examine it, which I'd also forgotten to mention, as well as there superior senses. They both have a good sense of smell, I'm not sure whether Holmes has a developed sense of hearing like Fraser does.

And like Holmes Fraser has dressed up on occassion when going undercover - like he does in SLIR.

Holmes disguises was one of the things I was going to mention but the only similar situation I could remember for Fraser was his bad job at disguising himself as a used car salesmen, I never thought of SLIR where he does successfully disguise himself as a female teacher.

I sometimes think Irene Adler has things in common with Victoria and both of them escape.But then Watson is careful to note that "it was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler", which I take to mean that he didn ( ... )

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sharon28 April 1 2008, 16:43:50 UTC
Awesomeness!

Thank you:)

Can I memory?

Yes if you want to.

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nakeisha April 3 2008, 11:45:45 UTC
This is a very interesting essay, you make some very good points.

I'd never considered these two pairings to have anything in common before, but you do draw some interesting comparisons.

It's great to see someone else saying how pre-Granada films/series showed Watson as being unintelligent, I've always said the same thing, and as you so rightly point out - he was a doctor, he couldn't be the buffoon as portrayed by so many producers.

Oh, and I also love the fact that you write Holmes's violin :-) I've always done that as it was how I was taught and have recently had it confirmed from a grammar comm which led me to check various books, etc. that in fact it is correct for names. It's a rare thing to see people writing it this way these days, so thank you :-)

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sharon28 April 4 2008, 20:02:07 UTC
This is a very interesting essay, you make some very good points.

Thank you:) I seem to have missed a number of important points, but we seem to have covered a lot of them in the comments*G*

It's great to see someone else saying how pre-Granada films/series showed Watson as being unintelligent, I've always said the same thing, and as you so rightly point out - he was a doctor

I for one wouldn't be happy about being treated by Nigel Bruce's Dr Watson, though I'd be happily treated by David Burke or Edward Hardwicke's version of Watson. There was a tendency I think to make Holmes look more intelligent by having him surrounded by idiots, though it doesn't exactly have that effect really. He would come off more intelligent if his fellow characters were competent.

I've always done that as it was how I was taught and have recently had it confirmed from a grammar comm which led me to check various booksI've never been keen on grammar. I think I was off most of the times they did it at school. If I did do something correct then it was ( ... )

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