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The comedy seems to grow a bit as the series progresses. There's a repeated bit in Hound about oatmeal porridge that apparently has become the subject of many popular jokes. I'm not much acquainted with Russian literature, but I've read enough to suspect that this--and other things--had some literary or political origins, and went looking for an explanation. Alas, from what I can gather, the joke's on us--the British may love their porridge, but this particular Baskerville is Canadian. Naturally, that also makes him some kind of buckaroo. The cowardly & moronically comedic portrayal was repeated by the King of Bohemia. To be fair, Bohemia is only a small skit actually handled in a sort of daydream. Perhaps Hound can be forgiven with it being the most popular story, and, so, portrayed for a wider audience. Scotland Yard inspectors are also--naturally--fair game for comedy. Thankfully, they don't do this with anyone else, except perhaps Mycroft in a very different way. In fact, most of the series is quite serious. There's a bit less humor in the earlier sets, and perhaps more disappointingly, the earlier humor is often quite subtle and even sophisticated, much of it paying winking homage to earlier Holmes portrayals. It's too bad they didn't keep the humor at that higher intellectual level throughout the series.

If some of the secondary characters are handled in an offhand manner, it's quite another matter with the family at 221B Baker Street. The first set, where Watson gets acquainted with Holmes in perhaps a slight embellishment on A Study in Scarlet, is one of the most interesting perspectives on Watson I've seen. It sets up the character of Watson, and indeed even Mrs. Hudson, as just the kind of intelligent people that Holmes would take to, trust, and rely upon. Perhaps this allows Holmes to be portrayed as fallible, even human, as their strengths are played up to an extent I haven't seen elsewhere. These warm relationships come off as genuine. Even Holmes' occasional abuse of Watson and Hudson are played down to a point where Holmes never seems disingenuous in apologizing. Mrs. Hudson also gets moments of comedic quips and of brilliance, and Holmes never snaps at her, all of which gives a realistic life to the relationship among this trio. And the development of this relationship just goes from strength to strength throughout the series. If this series has something over all the others, it's in this relationship. You certainly won't look for it in the production qualities, the stoic posing at every commercial break, nor indeed the writing, though it has its moments of Russian brilliance.

Just for reference, here's the other thread: http://monsterkidclassich...38407/The-Russian-Holmes