Sherlock’s Sidekick Reimagined
Lucy Liu on both
television and film is no stranger to strong female personas. From private
investigator Alex Nuncy in Charlie’s Angels to Yakuza boss O-Ren Ishii in
Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, the Asian-American star showed that she has the
versatility to take on a wide range of unforgettable roles.
Over the years,
the award-winning actress-director moved further and further away from
stereotypes often linked to actresses of Asian descent. Of all the roles she
played, no departure is as striking as her character in the procedural drama Elementary,
a modern reimagining of the world’s most famous fictional detective—Arthur
Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.
The series,
which is now on its fifth season, shifts the setting of Holmes’ adventures from
Victorian London to the concrete jungle of modern-day Manhattan. What makes the
adaptation more memorable is how the creators transformed Holmes’ assistant,
Dr. John Watson, into a woman.
Many fans of the
detective story were first skeptical about Liu’s casting. As the series
unfolded, however, audiences were quick in their praise. One review even said that
her character was the best portrayal of the world-renowned sidekick, which
added a new dimension not just to the role, but also to Watson’s relationship
with Holmes.
A
mastery of methods
Like Conan
Doyle’s original character, Elementary’s Watson started her career as a
surgeon. But while the original Dr. Watson was the detective’s roommate before
they became a crime-solving tandem, Liu’s Watson was forced by her father to
play the role of a sober companion to a Sherlock Holmes recovering from drug
addiction.
Holmes eventually took Dr.
Joan Watson as her apprentice, who showed a quickness of wit that proved useful
in their missions together. As she became more absorbed in the world of
crime-solving, she later developed her own skills that made her a detective in
her own right. She soon stepped outside her role as apprentice to become Holmes’
equal.
As the original Holmes would
have put it, she developed and showed an extraordinary mastery of the
detective’s methods.
Liu’s Watson also displayed
more than great prowess in solving crime. Even in the fashion department, she
too showed sophistication and taste. Crime-solving might be tedious work, but
for Dr. Joan Watson at least, it can be done in style.
Dangerous games afoot
The series’ fifth season is
well underway, and the crime-fighting duo has pretty much gone through a lot of
unexpected twists and dangerous turns, from explosions and smuggling, to murder
and kidnapping.
The clues and the mysteries
keep coming along in Elementary’s fifth season, but while there can be no doubt
that the two can solve even the toughest of challenges, what remains to be seen
is how far Dr. Watson can take her strength and wit as she embarks on what could
be her most dangerous mission yet.
A thrilling chase continues
in Elementary, but Lucy Liu can already count Dr. Watson as among the
unforgettable heroines she brought to life with a masterful combination of grit
and grace.
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