Okay. That aside:
This show is exceptional. Not only would it stand alone quite well without Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes ever having been written (which to some insults their ideas and affinities for SACD's work), but also adds societal context, modernity, and depth to Sherlock Holmes (something no one can say is easy, much less executable in such an artistic and subtle way as this series).
First, let us look at trying to place such a genius intellect and deductionist in today's cynical, apathetic, passive, low resolve and high civil retaliation context of modern London. This is where we must put a modern day Holmes, from his infancy up to his (SPOILER ALERT) inevitable heroine addiction. In the early London of Sir Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, there was this resolve, this popular tenacity in London, not to mention a clear cut notion of right and wrong, that permeated it's core culture and drive. A young man with Sherlock Holmes' gifts would have found quite a station and calling as he grew up in the higher learning institutions and accepting fields of forensics, police work, and medicine with their backdrop of solid morality and unwavering credos. He would have undoubtably arisen as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's main man as written. Logic trumps superstition and evil manipulation.
Now let us compare that same intellect, growing up in the morally empty, cynical, awkward avoiding culture of today's London. He, like many who dare to cling to what is right and shun what is wrong, end up shunned themselves; usually living alone with their non-utilized giftings, or moving somewhere where they may be exercised. Sherlock grows up cynical, brash, and arrogant (increasingly popular in London these days as potential and drive is squandered, replaced by entertainment and erased morals/sense of station). In this context, Sherlock Holmes arises as a frustrated genius young man who finds his only shelter lay in his crime foiling deductions and in the arms of a young woman whom he finds he can love-Irene.
SPOILER: Irene is murdred by "M". A serial killer eventually known as Moriarty.
Holmes then turns to Heroine and then loses His other shelter-Scotland Yard.
In the opening episode of ELEMENTARY, Sherlock has moved from London to New York, where he has just begun consulting for the NYPD. He had a destructive addiction to injecting heroine while working for Scotland Yard and was eventually forced to retire. His father now pays for him to live in an apartment called the Brownstone (in New York) where his sober companion, Joan Watson, lives with him in a non romantic professional relationship. Watson and Holmes sharpen each other. Watson keeps Holmes accountable. Holmes begins truing Watson in the art of Deduction.
Elementary's Sherlock Holmes feels out of place and alone in a world where he sees more than anyone else. Appropriate for a man like this in these modern times. A genius in the middle of a new breed of culture that shuns excellence for the comfort of mediocrity, and he knows it. This is revisited many times throughout the first 20 episodes.
This Sherlock Holmes lives a balance of escaping the tensions of this reality through debauchery (Prostitutes) and hyperkinetic medicating through constant activity (learning to pick locks and handcuffs, single stick fighting, watching 6 televisions at once, etc.) and his using his gifts of observation and deduction for good (good being very real and constant for him as so many shows today seem to despise).
This Sherlock is daily confronted with reality, both in the horrors he must do his best to prevent from happening again (Putting murderers out of the public domain), and in his addictive tendencies in dealing with pain. Sherlock does not run from his pain. He instead operates in the other two self destructive ways of handling pain. He shuts off emotionally and he medicates. The writers do an exceptional job in having Holmes respond to pain like a normal, albeit a genius of dynamic proportions, human being and Watson is the perfect counterpart to His medicating and shutting off emotionally. She keeps him focused on the only healing way to deal with pain. Feel it.
Aside from these things, Elementary also stands as one of the best "whodunnit" shows ever. The crimes are complex, the clues are given in a way as to have your own deductionist skills sharpened, and the plot twists are more often than not unexpected.
Overall:
1) Great writing.
2) Great characters that can be related to.
3) Great job articulating a modern Sherlock.
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