As I sat in the classroom watching
Nine to Five, I thought to myself, "Self, not doubt your favorite show would pass the Bechdel test. Think about it, self. Think of all the wonderful female characters in
Sherlock and how often they- Oh. My goodness, they never talk to each other." I entered a panic. Is my whole life a lie? Yes, yes it is. I managed to pull myself together long enough to remember that just because
Sherlock doesn't pass the test, it doesn't mean that there aren't women worth looking at in the show. Let's do that right now, shall we? Let's take a look at the women of
Sherlock and why they are wonderful.
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| Ladies and gents, Molly Hooper |
Ah yes, Molly Hooper. Played by the brilliant, adorable, beautiful, and smart feminist that is Loo Brealey. Kids, if you don't follow her on Twitter you are missing out on a wonderful experience. It's hard to classify Molly, I think. Part me of wants to just call her the typical mousy assistant who can't get what (or rather who) she wants, but I know that isn't who she is. The BBC has painted Sherlock as a sociopath. He is a man who doesn't feel like the needs other people. Ah, but he trusts Molly. She offers some of the deepest insights into his character. Sure, she's shy and a bit hopeless in the area of love, but she is so much more than a mousy lab assistant. Oh and you should hear my Reichenbach theories about her...
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| The greatest landlady you'll ever meet |
It's hard to talk about the women of Sherlock without talking about Mrs. Hudson as portrayed by Una Stubbs. This woman puts up with everything and I mean everything-- eyeballs and heads in the fridge, bullet holes in her wall, Sherlock's seemingly random bouts of quietness... the list goes on. While Sherlock never really feels at liberty to discuss his feelings about most individuals in his life, we know that one does not simply mess with Mrs. Hudson. Sherlock makes is quite clear that if you hurt this woman, you will pay dearly.
Just for a moment I want to talk about a post on Tumblr that I saw recently. In the first episode, it is revealed that Sherlock ensured the execution of Mrs. Hudson's husband. While we are not 100% aware of what exactly Mr. Hudson did, one
Tumblr user speculated that spousal abuse was somewhere on his list of offenses. This amazing woman who we know went through something traumatic manages to stick it out through all of Sherlock's adventures. You go, Mrs. H.
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| Last one, I promise |
The Woman. Ms. Irene Adler (Lara Pulver). Alrighty! So at first glance it's simple-- she's a sexy dominatrix with a secret. Adler is so much more than that, though! She is sexy, but not necessarily sexual. Does that makes sense? It's very hard to explain without actually watching the episode, I'm afraid. If you've seen it, then you know what I'm talking about. So she gets paid to dominate men and women. But kids, she's lesbian! Dominating men is a professional choice, not a personal one. Her secret? She's smart. In Sherlock's opinion, she's almost impossibly smart. Almost. I will admit to not really liking this character at first, but she's grown on me. Lara did an amazing job doing what no Adler had really been able to do before. Bravo!
So you guys need to go watch this. Right now. I don't care how you get it, just go do it. Enjoy it. It might not pass the test, but I think the women in Sherlock are definitely worth taking a look at.
I enjoyed reading your analysis of the television show Sherlock in regards to the Bechdel test we had learned about in class. I hadn't even heard of the show before reading your blog so after I read this post I was inspired to check it out. Upon watching my first episode of Sherlock I was introduced to the characters you mentioned in the post. Your right, the never talk to each other! The women play large and important roles upon the main character though, not through to one another. As women characters, in general there is much to their individualistic personalities than that meets the eye. In their own way they are all brilliant, beautiful human beings and everything else under the sun that anyone would ever wanna be!
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading this blog and I also had never really heard of Sherlock Homes. After reading this blog I may actually have to see it. I felt that this piece was very interesting in the fact that you while analyzing you were also making it very interesting by using Sherlock Homes. Of course after reading your blog I had to try it out for myself. While thinking about my life I also started using the test on my favorite shows, there are NONE that pass it. Besides maybe pretty little liars, but BARELY because they too have boyfriends and talk about boys a ton! I was trying to think of one possible show that may have and the only show that I could have remember would have been the baby sitters club. That show was all about friends and the girls talked constantly. I think it’s funny that now, we notice more things after learning it. Not only with this matter, also the fact that watching Nine to Five made my eyes open up to the fact that this is still happening in real life. The fact that there are not a lot of women that are working as CEO’s. Overall, I feel that my attention has opened up, not just at this matter but multiple.
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