My ONLY issue with the casting of a woman (not the woman, because god Lucy Liu is amazing) is that I really don’t trust CBS at all, or any major network TV channel, to portray a (presumably) straight male and (presumably) straight female character in an initially platonic relationship that stays that way.
I’m taking this from previously established patterns in crime-drama/drama TV shows.
- Bones: Booth has had relationships with both Bones and Cameron. The one with Cameron was obviously a vehicle for tension and jealousy with the obviously endgame Booth/Bones relationship. It was clear from the beginning that we were supposed to ship the two together because of the subtle sexual tension.
- CSI: I don’t watch New York or Miami but from Las Vegas we had Grissom and Sara as well as Catherine and Warrick. Grissom and Sara’s relationship was painfully obvious and all the angsty drama about her parents just provided enough weird friction (not to mention all the innuendo between them) that allowed for a huge “ah-hah!” when they got married and skipped off into the sunset or something. Warrick and Catherine were more of a slow burn but it was kind of obvious from their flirtatious interplay that something was there. If they hadn’t killed off Warrick they probably would have ended up having some angst-filled relationship that ended because she was destroying her daughter’s emotional stability or whatever.
- Castle: Castle is in its fourth season and every fan is still holding their breath in regards to Caskett happening. Everyone knows it’s going to happen. They both know they have feelings for each other. It’s just this big question mark as to when. Again, everyone knew they were endgame by the end of season one.
Now, there are shows that portray platonic male/female partnerships or relationships. From what I’ve seen of CSI: NY, Mac and Stella remained platonic the entire time. Benson and Stabler on SVU have been totally platonic, even though there was a moment there when it felt like OMG are they going to? but they didn’t. So that was cool. Also, Goren and Eames on CI remained platonic.
So, Law & Order has a decent track record behind it. But that doesn’t lift my pessimism regarding the portrayal of a platonic relationship between Sherlock and Watson should one of them be of the opposite gender. There are a million variations they can take that will keep them from falling helplessly into each others arms at the end of season one but, I remain apprehensive.
Also, don’t you dare say that there is nothing to support romantic feelings between the two characters. Two of the most recent examples, BBC’s Sherlock and Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies, take what is written by Doyle and put it into flesh. John Fucking Watson was basically mesmerised by, annoyed with, and enamoured of Sherlock Holmes the entire time and Sherlock loved him in the way that he could, too. Read the books. Or, read With Love, S.H.
So, do I think they’re casting a woman as Watson to make it okay for Sherlock and Watson to be in a relationship? Yes. Completely. I don’t trust them at all and think this is exactly how it’s going to end up. I think Lucy Liu will be amazing and I’m sure the show will be entertaining and addictive. I’m definitely going to watch. And no, the relationship between John and Sherlock is not exclusively male or exclusively gay. It’s exclusively human. It could be between a man and a woman or two women, as well. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a little harrumphed about what seems to be an obvious erasure of something too gay.
WAIT
WHAT IF SHERLOCK IS A WOMAN?
OHHHH!
