Woman of the Month: Joan Watson

Joan Watson from Elementary

I was on one of my internet walkabouts (which basically involves me scrolling through random pages, reading about obscure fandom lore) when I came across a post on the demise of Superwholock. It makes for a fascinating read, and brought back memories of 2012 when an American based Sherlock Holmes procedural was announced starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu.

To say that the reaction was over-the-top is an understatement. The creators and cast of the BBC's Sherlock treated it like a personal affront, and the fandom was in full-blown hysterics. You'd think the CBS had announced the culling of two hundred puppies the way they carried on, and there was a lot of embarrassing behaviour from all involved. 

If you follow the above link, there are some that believe this had an effect on Superwholock's abrupt disappearance, given the ugly underlying racism and misogyny that was inherent in the criticism. Because of course, Lucy Liu was cast as a gender-flipped Watson, and the fandom that coined the "screw writing strong women; write interesting women, write well-rounded women, write complicated women" meme just couldn't get their heads around it. 

But now, eight years later, it's clear that Elementary got the last laugh. Sherlock crossed the finish line as a crippled shadow of its former self, while Elementary actually delivered on its narrative promise and has since enjoyed seven full seasons of Holmes and Watson adventures. 

Lucy’s take on Joan Watson is that of a disgraced surgeon turned sober companion turned private detective. In many ways, the initial thrust of the show’s story was based entirely around her – Sherlock was HER client, it was HER decision to stay with him after their tenure came to an end, and it’s clear that despite all that she’s learnt from him, SHE’S the one who is of maximum importance to him. You don’t need me to tell you that in a world obsessed with white dude bromances, watching a show in which a man holds a woman of colour in the highest esteem and to the exclusion of all else is truly unique and revolutionary.

But thankfully the show never becomes just about Sherlock’s reliance on Watson. She’s a fully formed character in her own right, who struggles with doing the right thing, doesn’t put up with crap from anyone, embraces her newfound love of solving mysteries, forges relationships with other people in her new profession, utilizes her surgical skills when necessary, and (my personal favourite) is hilariously nonchalant about Moriarty’s obsession with her.

And that fashion sense! I’d leap at the chance to raid this woman’s wardrobe.

All that hand-wringing and boo-hooing about a woman (and a woman of colour, at that) taking over a role that would have otherwise been filled by yet another white guy was both hilariously stupid and gratifyingly unfounded. Schadenfreude may not be the most noble of human emotions, but you can’t say it didn’t feel good when Elementary ended up being a hit.