I rewatched Elementary 1x09 and realized how hilarious this scene here is:

Bell trys to communicate with a group of men who are exclusivly speaking Mandarin. Sherlock and Joan are standing at the side, only watching how he desperately tries to find a way to communicate.

The thing is, later in the season it is revealed that both Sherlock and Joan speak Mandarin. Which means the scene goes basically:

Joan: “Shouldn’t we help him?”

Sherlock: “Nah.”

absolutely normal ways to wake up your roommate #23719

Lol, *In the voice of the kids from The Magic School Bus cartoon*: A normal way to wake up his roommate? With Sherlock? No way!

Elementary - Why It's So Great

Elementary was just another Sherlock Holmes piece of media during the early 2010s, with the RDJ movies and the BBC show with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman (Don't get me wrong I love the show dearly) was coming out, and so for many it was overshadowed, except for one prominent detail: Watson is a woman.

This is likely the reason it's sparked a lot of hate. I've seen many Sherlockians upset about this, but what I think is that the people that complain about it so often probably haven't even seen the show. What they're probably worried about is the creators giving Holmes and Watson a romantic relationship where there's none. And if this is the case, sorry to burst your bubble, but the BBC version has way more implications of a romantic relationship than Elementary ever does. Yes, obviously with them living together there's going to be a couple assumptions about them, but that's all there is.

Joan and Sherlock do love each other, but not in a romantic sense at all. They have a completely different love relationship that's still beautiful. Joan feels a sense of purpose for the first time since she failed as a surgeon, and Sherlock finally finds someone he can care for that doesn't mind his eccentricities.

Johnny Lee Miller has an excellent portrayal of the character, and Lucy Liu is amazing as Watson as well. The story writing is superb and adds different things than other versions, as each new adaptation does. It maintains a flow of plot while also being a procedural, Sherlock's past lurking in the background for most of the first season until you find out the truth about Moriarty, which is also an original twist.

The show shows immediately in the first episodes that the petty concerns about gernderswapping her are completely unfounded, even though it does touch on the societal expectations for their relationship. However, Sherlock (being the aspec icon that he is) doesn't show romantic feeling towards Joan and Joan struggles with her being conditioned to believe that being as devoted as she is to Sherlock isn't acceptable unless it's romantic, but she just doesn't feel that way like she does about some of her boyfriends in the earlier seasons.

She, too, struggles to find romance at all, also possibly being on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum. Their relationship is fuelled by love, they're devoted to one another and they call themselves partners, but they have a deep relationship without it being romantic or sexual, which is part of what makes the show's writing so great -- it redefines relationships between men and women.

art by @brumous

Elementary!Sherlock is superior because when he was angry and had to make several phone calls he dug out a rotary phone from his storage closet to be able to hang up on people with more emphasis