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Jacqueline Cuateco
Professor Haas
Writing 37
26 November 2014
Student-Teacher: Watson and Holmes
Throughout the centuries, the detective genre has been able to maintain its popularity.
This is due to the fact that the detective genre has been able to adapt to the audience of the
different centuries. The genres have to be able to adapt to the audience to keep the popularity. In
the chapter, The Different Story, George Dove states that other critics suggest the following,
Four qualities of the tale of literary detection set it apart, in the opinion of critics past and
present, from other popular fiction: the detective story is transitory, without long-range goals or
purposes; it is fundamentally an intellectual undertaking; it is recreational, intended primarily to
relax; and it is a disciplined, delimited literary form (3). One of the authors who was able to
create the combination between these four main points was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the
scholarly text Doyle Panek states that with the help of Poes ideas, Doyle was able to perfect
the detective genre into a unique structure that captivated everyones attention (10). Although
Poe was a great author, Conan Doyles detective stories were popular due to the time period that
the detective genre was introduced. It was a time where the middle-class worked a lot and it was
also a time where the police were incompetent. The rise in population caused the police to be
disorganized. In Conan Doyles fictional stories, the police did not do their job correctly so the
people learned to confide in the detectives. Due to the strenuous work, a middle-class male
needed something to take his mind off all of the stressful things in life. A detective story does a
good job because it keeps the audience engaged in the journey. One of the things that Doyle did
was that he created Watson. Holmes and Watson had a teacher and student relationship, with
Watson being the student (29). Watson has always played a key role in Conan Doyles stories.

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Throughout the years, there have been many adaptations to the classic convention invented by
Conan Doyle of Watson as a student. We have seen the classical convention of Watson as a
student in the BBC British television crime drama, Sherlock, where Steven Moffat is the showrunner and which was first broadcasted in 2010. Another example is the CBS American
television series, Elementary, where Robert Doherty is the show-runner and was first
broadcasted in 2012. One difference is that Sherlock mirrors the classic convention invented by
Conan Doyle while Elementary twists the classic conventions invented by Conan Doyle of
Watson as a student. The conventions used are mostly to adapt to the audience that is being
addressed. Each one has been able to adapt to the audience that they are trying to captivate.
Sherlock mirrors the classic conventions of Watson as a student. This can be seen in the
Sherlock episode, A Study in Pink. In a review by Lisa Bernier, she states the following,
Martin Freeman is pitch perfect as Sherlocks flatmate/partner-in-solving-crimes (Bernier).
They both work well together because they build up upon each others knowledge. A Study in
Pink is the episode where Watson and Sherlock are first introduced. Sherlock is able to deduce
several things about Watson without ever meeting him before. Later on, Watson questions
Sherlock and asks him how he deduced so many things about him. Sherlock explains by stating
the obvious and Watson is astonished. More specifically, from 27:08-30:08, Watson is able to
witness Sherlocks intelligence. Low-key lighting is used to create a suspenseful feeling due to
the fact that Sherlock is piecing all of the evidence together. Watson is watching him as he tries
to unfold the mystery. Low-key lighting also allows the viewer to see the suspense that everyone
feels as Sherlock uncovers the mystery. Extreme close-up is used to illustrate what Sherlock is
talking about. This cinematic element also allows the audience to feel as if though everything
that Sherlock says is obvious and it helps prove that Sherlock is right in what he is saying

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because of the visible evidence. As he is explaining why he made those deductions, Watson is
trying to follow along and understand the process. Along the way, he is confused but Sherlock
later explains with detail. Watsons medical background is helpful along the way because it
assists Sherlock to come up with his deductions. High-angle is used to trick us a little. It is used
on Sherlock as he is going down the stairs to try and find the pink suitcase. Low angle is used on
Watson and Lestrade as they are clueless as to where Sherlock is headed. Usually, low-angle is
used to show superiority but in this case it is not. The audience is just as clueless as Lestrade and
Watson because we do not know what Sherlock is doing. Furthermore, shot/reverse shot is also
used to show us both Lestrades and Watsons reactions to the deductions that Sherlock makes.
This creates a bit of clarity because the audience is as confused as they are but once Sherlock
explains himself, the characters, along with the audience, are able to understand. These cinematic
elements capture the audiences attention by focusing on the details that Sherlock is trying to
observe and by comparing them to those that Watson observes. This engages the audience by
forcing them to learn the methods that Sherlock uses to make his deductions. Overall, Sherlock
mirrors the classical convention invented by Conan Doyle because Watson is trying to learn how
Sherlock deduces things. An example of this classical convention is from The Hound of the
Baskervilles which is a novel written by Conan Doyle. In The Hound of the Baskervilles,
Sherlock deduces the type of person that Dr. James Mortimer is by just examining Mortimers
walking stick. Watson is there as Holmes is making these deductions and is surprised in the
accuracy of these deductions when they are finally able to meet Dr. Mortimer. Watson is trying
to absorb the things that Holmes is telling him and thus is a student to Holmes. As in Sherlock,
Watson is listening to the reasons why Holmes makes the deductions that he makes. Therefore,

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Sherlock mirrors the classical convention of Watson as a student. This convention is mirrored in
order for the audience to relate to Watson.
Elementary twists the classic convention slightly of Watson as a student. First off,
Watson is a female and she comes in as Sherlocks sober companion. She was hired by Holmes
father but she was later asked to be Sherlocks assistant. She wasnt really considered as
Sherlocks student due to her background. Also, she was a surgeon before becoming a sober
companion and therefore, she had the intelligence that it took to become a detective. The reason
why she became a sober companion was because of malpractice which ended up in a tragedy. In
a review by Zack Handlen, he states the following, Watson helped bring balance and
perspective into Holmess world, while he, in turn, offered her a glimpse of the challenges and
gratification of investigative work. Its an equal partnership that allows Watson agency and
standing without diminishing Holmes gifts (Handlen). Both Sherlock and Watson shared each
others qualities for each others benefit. Watson is as intelligent as Sherlock and we are able to
see that through the episodes. In the Elementary episode, The Pilot, during 20:00-22:08,
Sherlock is interrogating a victim who might be linked to the case that they are trying to solve.
Watson is there because she is Sherlocks sober companion and she has to be with him at all
times. Sherlock, as mean as he is, got a little out of hand with the questions that he was asking
about the case. The woman Ilene got upset and did not want to speak to him anymore. Watson
stepped in and told Sherlock to leave the house. Watson stayed with Ilene and ended up getting
the information that Sherlock wanted to get. Sherlock was not impressed because that was what
he was planning. During this scene, low angle is used to show Watsons superiority as she stands
up for Ilene. She does not like the way Sherlock is asking the woman all of those questions so
she decides to tell Sherlock to leave. This shows how she is a strong woman. She is capable of

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figuring things out without Sherlocks help. One of the reasons why Sherlock asked her to be his
assistant was because he knew she had what it took to be a detective. Another cinematic element
that is used in this scene is medium close-up. This element helps view the different reactions that
each character has. It creates suspense and makes the audience connect with how the characters
are feeling. In this case, it adds suspense because Ilene does not want to say anything about the
topic but Sherlock keeps on pushing her by telling her that she is lying. Watson is trying to
handle things in a civil manner but Sherlock does the opposite. The woman begins to cry and this
only causes Sherlock to push her even more. It finally begins to get to a boiling point and it is
where Watson steps in. Watson is not intimidated by Sherlocks actions and she does whatever
she needs to do to make sure that things are done in the correct manner. Also, shot/reverse shot is
used to build up the intensity when Sherlock is interrogating Ilene. This helps engage the
audience because it only keeps on getting interesting. These elements help show the equal power
that Sherlock and Watson share. She does whatever she believes is the right thing to do. Given
that Watson is an intelligent woman, Sherlock feels as if though she has the capacity to be a
detective. He helps teach her the basics and she quickly adapts to being able to solve a case on
her own. They both have their strengths and they build up upon each others strengths. Sherlock
is good at being a detective and Watson is good at adapting easily. The Elementary television
series is targeted at the American audience of the 21st century. More importantly, it is targeted
for females. Watson as a female helps captivate the female audience because it adds more drama
and the characters are more emotional which makes them relatable (Handlen). Adding a little
spice into the detective genre has been able to adapt well since it has been able to captivate the
attention of the female audience. The main focus is to figure out something that will catch the
audiences attention while trying to keep the integrity of the detective genre intact. Overall,

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Elementary slightly changed the classic convention of the student-teacher relationship between
Holmes and Watson and converted it into both of them being on similar levels. They slightly
changed the convention in order to appeal to the equality between males and females. That is one
reason of why Elementary slightly changed the classical convention into something that would
catch the attention of the female audience.
Conan Doyles success of the detective genre was in part due to the era that it was
introduced in. The audience changes as the years go by because of the different ways in which
technology changes. The conventions can be really good but in the end, it has to be something
that connects with the audience of that time period. Whether it be the Victorian era or the 21st
century, the detective genre has to be able to adapt in order to keep the popularity of the
detective genre. Sherlock and Elementary differ slightly from the classic convention created by
Conan Doyle because they are intended for different audiences. Even though they are intended
for different audiences, they have the similar base structure as the classical convention. Sherlock
is a British television crime drama while Elementary is an American television series. Without
these adaptations, the audience would not be as interested to watch these episodes because they
would not be able to relate to the characters. Differences between these two scholarly texts could
be controversial because they are not intended for everyone. This is what causes the debates
between which one is the better convention of the detective genre. All in all, each one of these
new conventions offers their intended audience something that they can relate to, which is what
makes it unique and popular.

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Works Cited:
"A Study in Pink." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
Dove, George N. The Different Story. The Reader and the Detective Story. Bowling Green,
OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997. PDF File.
"Exclusives | Sherlock Vs. Elementary: Who Solves It Best?" Character Grades. Lisa Bernier,
23 Jan. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
"Film Analysis Guide -- Plain HTML Version." Film Analysis Guide -- Plain HTML Version.
Film Studies Program, 27 Aug. 2002. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.f
"It's Elementary, Sherlock: How the CBS Procedural Surpassed the BBC Drama." For Our
Consideration The A.V. Club. Zack Handlen, 20 Jan. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
Panek, Leroy. Doyle. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press, 1987. PDF File.
The Pilot. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.