Sherlock Holmes In The 22nd Century!

This late 90's Sherlock Holmes in The 22nd Century cartoon series is not that bad actually given the nature of animation at the time. It's evidence that Sherlock Holmes can work in many different environments and eras, just assuming the creators are savvy enough to keep the essence of the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories in some kind of recognizable form. This show is successful in this area to a great extent but also falls down in some basic ways which are largely due to the perceived nature of the medium. 

For one thing as an animated feature there is a perceived need for action and movement, so our characters are in nigh constant motion. The fighting in the most acrobatic ways against foes which attack with brawn more often than with brain. A Sherlock Holmes story certainly has action, but it is subservient to the thought process which is often expressed in periods of inaction and quiet. None of that here. 

On the plus side the creators cleave close to the original stories by using those classics as the basis for their own high-tech variations. Seeing how they make these changes is intriguing and keeps the show interesting even when it descends into 90's cartoon cliches. 

Holmes finds himself in the 22nd Century thanks to having been preserved in honey and revived by the police when they are confronted by a baffling case which seems just his cup of tea. Watson is a robot who after a few episodes, assumes the face of the detective's great biographer. Lestrade is a woman, a police officer who is prone to taking action and is not necessarily comfortable playing by the rules. Even the arch-foe Moriarty is revived thanks to clone technology to become the main villain of the series appearing many times, often as the mastermind of a crime and is revealed at the end. Holmes is often assisted by a version of his "Irregulars", street-smart kids named Wiggins, Diedre, and Tennyson. 

But what I admire most about this series is the setting or more specifically the design of the setting. The makers seem to have been influenced heavily by Syd Mead's designs for Bladerunner with many sequences evoking that classic sci-fi flicker. There are a number of stories set on the Moon and the installation there seems clearly to me to evoke the wonderful painting of Vincent Di Fate who did so many wonderful covers for many a science. fiction magazine. 

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