The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes-The Blue Carbuncle

I am going to deviate from reviewing a film to reviewing something else that has been on my mind since Sunday, and that is an episode, a Christmas episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes called The Blue Carbuncle. It was developed by Granada Television, released in 1984. The episode was directed by David Carson. It is based upon the written work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It stars Jeremy Brett and David Burke. The story concerns a “blue carbuncle”, basically a large blue gemstone, which has bad luck attached to it as anyone who comes in contact with it inexplicably dies. It comes into the hands of Countess of Morcar. From the looks of it though, it has taken her husband and she is a husk of the woman she once was. It gets stolen and stashed in a goose that a commissionaire named Peterson brings to Sherlock, played by Jeremy Brett and Watson, played by David Burke. The only other evidence is the carbuncle itself that comes from the goose and a hat. Naturally, Holmes solves the case but that is all I’ll tell you. No spoilers here.
I had happened upon Jeremy Brett’s portrayal as kid but didn’t know all that at the time. Then, with the recent movie adaptations of Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. and the even more recent concurrent shows Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman from BBC and Elementary with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu on CBS, my curiosity has been rekindled toward adaptations and the stories themselves as I have a deductive/researching philosophical mind. Certainly not on par with Sherlock but I do use some of his methods. This story is one that has a few red herrings and really throws you for a loop as to how Sherlock and John figure it out. It is also interesting that it is a Christmas episode and really brings you into how the Greatest Detective would even celebrate such a holiday since he is above natural convention. Jeremy Brett is exceptional as Holmes, some have said the definitive actor who has portrayed  the character most accurately. Having only seen 4 adaptations and only read some of the stories, I will say that his is pretty spot on though each actor brings their spin on the character which makes Holmes so amusing to play for an actor, I would think. Essentially, all the things you want to say and do, superheroic but flawed. David Burke is the best Watson to Brett’s Holmes. Burke plays is cool and doesn’t overshadow Brett’s performance; compliments it in fact with a wit and stride that a normal person would being exposed to such a great mind.
If you can find it, I suggest looking at it because it might bring in to this world of Sherlock Holmes.