Sherlock Holmes Screen Spotlight: Benedict Cumberbatch’s Debut as Holmes in TV Premiere ‘A Study in Pink’
For a certain generation of fans, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are the definitive Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, and that began in debut ‘Sherlock’ episode ‘A Study in Pink.’
For a certain generation of Extremely Online fans, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are the definitive Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Their playful, knowingly homoerotic dynamic in the BBC TV series Sherlock inspired a whole community of memes, fan art and fan fiction during the heyday of Tumblr. While the intense fandom may have subsided, plenty of viewers are still discovering the pleasures of the reimagined Holmes and Watson adventures. The more famous that Cumberbatch and Freeman get, the more people look back at their early breakout roles in the cheeky series created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.
The stars’ chemistry is instantly apparent in the 2010 premiere episode “A Study in Pink,” loosely based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1887 debut Sherlock Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet. Moffat and Gatiss move the show’s setting to the present day and give both Holmes and Watson background details and character traits that fit the modern time period, but the essence of the characters remains intact. That combination of updated elements and classic essence is what makes Sherlock so appealing, and it’s easy to see why it attracted such a fervent following.
The episode begins by focusing on Watson, and like most of Conan Doyle’s stories, it’s told from his perspective. Freeman’s Watson is now a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, and he’s suffering from PTSD and experiencing difficulty readjusting to civilian life. Freeman plays him as serious and somewhat standoffish, and he’s far from the bumbler that some versions of Watson have been. Thanks to a chance encounter with an old friend, Watson meets up with Cumberbatch’s Holmes, who’s looking for a flatmate to share the high cost of living in London.
Two single men living together in 2010 means something different than it did in 1887, so plenty of people make assumptions about Holmes and Watson, but they take it in stride. As intense as the fan speculation about sexual tension may have gotten, what’s most appealing about the connection between Holmes and Watson is their genuine friendship and their enthusiasm for each other’s skills.
Holmes calls himself a “high-functioning sociopath,” and he’s quick to belittle the intelligence of nearly everyone around him. But he takes an immediate liking to Watson, and Watson in turn is dazzled by Holmes’ ability to discern intricate personal details about people immediately upon meeting them — something that others mostly find annoying. They’ve barely met when Holmes enlists Watson to accompany him to a crime scene, but Watson doesn’t experience a moment of hesitation.
The mystery in “A Study in Pink” has little in common with A Study in Scarlet, but Moffat presents a complicated case that is worthy of the Holmes legacy. A series of three apparent suicides seem connected, and when a fourth victim is found, Holmes is convinced that the deaths are the work of a serial killer. He practically leaps with glee when he makes that deduction, and Cumberbatch plays up Holmes’ detachment from normal human reactions. He’s arrogant and condescending, but he isn’t emotionless, and by the end of the episode, he and Watson are warmly sharing inside jokes.
“A Study in Pink” also introduces Gatiss as Holmes’ government-agent brother Mycroft, as well as Rupert Graves as the exasperated DI Lestrade, the London police detective who reluctantly consults Holmes on the most confounding cases. Lestrade is the only member of the police force who seems to have any tolerance for Holmes at all, and Moffat mines comedy from Holmes’ mutual antagonism with law enforcement.
The resolution of the case is slightly frustrating, but it also sets in motion Holmes’ ongoing battle with the sinister James Moriarty, who’s played by Andrew Scott in later episodes. “A Study in Pink” offers a remarkably assured debut for what would become one of the most popular takes on Holmes. Cumberbatch’s black wool trench coat and dark scarf have gained the same iconic status as Holmes’ familiar deerstalker cap, and his distinctive mannerisms are what many people now think of when they imagine Holmes.
That’s an impressive feat for a character who’d already been portrayed dozens of times across multiple decades, and “A Study in Pink” makes Holmes seem just as fresh and intriguing as when Conan Doyle first created him.
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Josh Bell is a freelance writer and movie/TV critic based in Las Vegas. He has written about movies, TV, and pop culture for Vulture, IndieWire, Tom’s Guide, Inverse, Crooked Marquee, and more. With comedian Jason Harris, he co-hosts the podcast Awesome Movie Year.