sherlock holmes: the musgrave ritual (14 caps)

[cimorene]

the musgrave ritual is a pretty cool story in print canon because of the problem itself, not to mention the solution. but it's really cute on film. in the first scene, for instance, when holmes mentions cataloguing his case notes from before watson appeared, watson immediately whips out his notebook and sits there, twitching nervously and clearly wanting to get his hands on them. holmes lists several airily (including 'the singular affair of the aluminum crutch') and puts his feet on the trunk with a theatrical thump. the guy playing the doomed butler is pretty neat, the details of the puzzle are well-done, and there's some beautiful showmanship and one gorgeous added scene where watson knocks but comes in without being asked, and while holmes is in the washroom, accidentally sees an open case with a bottle of cocaine and a syringe in it. (clearly h. was not expecting w. to see it.) the reenactment of the crime--priceless. the deciphering of the ritual also.

high points: while deciphering the ritual and tracing the steps in its directions. highly dramatic--perfect for holmes. also the introductory scene. also brumpton's dismissal.
low points: the Other Woman.



holmes teases watson with mention of his earlier cases.


arrival at musgrave hall.

musgrave's flashback to the dismissal of brumpton. (that's brumpton. the butler.)


investigating trees on the grounds, looking for the ones mentioned in the ritual.



i honestly can't remember what he's looking at.

they found the oak AND the elm!

watson consults the map.

re enactment of the crime. miss rachel walks away.

holmes in the hole where the chest was buried.

holding a piece of the crown.

Comments

What about the other MAN?

[quasar273.livejournal.com]

I actually thought the beginning of this ep had a LOT of slashiness between Holmes and Brumpton. Not what I wanted to see, but I saw it. Holmes seemed to be trying to provoke Watson a lot, with the trunkful of old cases, then the cocaine (and his bizarre behavior after dinner), and I thought the glaring tension between Holmes and Brumpton was part of the provocation. Then the next day, after Brumpton disappears, Holmes falls asleep on the guy's bed and sort of nuzzles into the pillow. Were they doing it, or what? Maybe they were even doing it last time Holmes visited.

I LOVE your Bruce-Partington missing-scene fic, and I'd love to see something similar for this ep that builds on it. Maybe Holmes does manage to squeeze in a little dalliance with Brumpton after dinner and before Brumpton gets caught in the library by Musgrave. Maybe Watson finds out or suspects, and has to do his usual hurt forbearance routine. Maybe Holmes is actually bothered by the fact that the guy he uses to try to get a reaction out of Watson ends up horribly dead (at the hand of a jealous lover, no less!) Maybe this spurs Holmes to make it up to Watson somehow, although (of course) without an outright apology.

It could be done as a standalone story, of course, but I think having it follow your story on the B-P Plans would make it stronger. That was so cheerful and uncomplicated, and this . . . isn't.

Re: What about the other MAN?

[cimness.livejournal.com]

i haven't watched any for a long time and i don't even remember the filmed details of the episode, but i can say i never saw in any canon, written or filmed, a sufficient basis for slash between holmes and any other man.

the kind of plot you describe isn't the kind of thing i write. i can't imagine it carried off believably by... anyone, for a wide variety of reasons.