Previous episode: A Scandal in Belgravia.
“They were the footprints of a gigantic hound.”
It’s all in the phrasing, darlings. That single thing, the choice of the archaic term ‘hound’ is what puts Sherlock on the scent. I know, nice choice of words.
This adaptation of one of the most acclaimed Sherlock Holmes stories is much further away from the original than any of the previous ones have been, simply because ghost stories just aren’t as avant-garde anymore as they once were, and because this is a modernization of the stuff, so naturally some of the patina had to go. In this day and age, genetic experimentation in a secret army base named Baskerville makes for more exciting stuff than someone savaging a dog for the purpose of getting a hold on the family fortune. A simple adaptation can be done by anyone—but taking the piece and making it contemporary while retaining all the elements of horror, now, that is the challenge. Mark Gatiss, the resident master of horror, knows how to do it. Continue reading
