Staff Writer
 |
| Poster locations, clockwise: Sign hanging in the window of Room 203; Pro-Sherlock poster graffitied by a Moriarty sympathizer Junior Yacob Malik shows his pride; Sign slipped into gym lobby trophy case. |
BBC’s television miniseries Sherlock puts a modern twist on a timeless story: the tale of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, played in this version by British actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, respectively. Margaret Nordt, an English teacher who intends to show an episode of the series to her creative writing class, counts herself among the show’s fans. “This is the best adaption,” Nordt said, “Sherlock is warmer than in the books, but he still has that distance that’s so integral to his character. I always found Watson to be rather weak in the stories, but this Watson is a more capable person, more heroic in his own way.” In the end, Nordt said that “This is Sherlock Holmes.”
The series has just finished running its second season, bringing in the infamous James Moriarty (portrayed by Andrew Scott) as the main antagonist and Sherlock’s nemesis. In reaction to the events of the season finale, where Moriarty attempts to frame Holmes as a fraud, a real world-wide campaign has sprung up to expose the truth and clear Holmes’ name. Pictures, posters, and writing aimed at showing support for the famous detective have appeared in not only the UK (the home of its fan base and production), but in places as far away as Venice, Italy; Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, Canada; Moscow, Russia, and across the United States.
Now, posters and notes bearing slogans such as “Sherlock Holmes is Innocent,” “Moriarty was real,” and “Watson’s Warriors” have begun to show up at Apex as well. Sophomore Amanda Bizeune, a dedicated fan since the show’s start in 2010, remembers seeing posts about the movement online and thinking, “I wish they’d do that at our school.” Bizeune says she was “extremely excited” when she saw the posters and notes appearing.
However, while
the crusade to clear Holmes’ name is astounding in its size, an equally large faction
of opposition exists, working to further Moriarty’s plan and continue to disparage
the detective. Some posters are now showing graffiti that claims Sherlock
really was a fraud. When asked about the apparent hostility between the sides,
freshman Niko Smith said, “There is no actual rivalry. It just adds to the fun
of fans communicating with other fans.” Smith remarked that, “it’s a love/hate
relationship between the sides, kind of like between Sherlock and Moriarty
themselves.
In the end, fans of the show say that they’re promoting the cause for fun, spreading the word about the show. When asked about the posters and the show itself, both students and teachers alike have expressed interest and enthusiasm towards it. With such a widely spread campaign, one has to wonder how it will affect the writers of the show itself, and what that means for the third season of the show, which is aimed at being released late 2012-early 2013. The hopes are that it will show the writers just how much everyone appreciates their work. Freshman Alex Shafer, another Holmes fan said, “we are not a fan base; we are a movement.”
In the end, fans of the show say that they’re promoting the cause for fun, spreading the word about the show. When asked about the posters and the show itself, both students and teachers alike have expressed interest and enthusiasm towards it. With such a widely spread campaign, one has to wonder how it will affect the writers of the show itself, and what that means for the third season of the show, which is aimed at being released late 2012-early 2013. The hopes are that it will show the writers just how much everyone appreciates their work. Freshman Alex Shafer, another Holmes fan said, “we are not a fan base; we are a movement.”
For more information on BBC’s Sherlock, visit www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk or www.thescienceofdeduction.co.uk
