I’m a bit shocked that this is being taken so casually by the cognoscenti and that you seem to be the only observer pointing a finger at this. Kudos to you!

Thanks very much. You’re absolutely right; it is important to point out that the episode was written by Thompson – authorship was something I couldn’t get into in as much detail as I would have liked.

Of course, the series was explicitly promoted (and subsequently received) via the figures of Gatiss and (especially) Moffat, and I wonder why they didn’t pick up on these blatant cliches; or if they did, why the cliches remained. Surely, they have enough experience in comedy to have been able to do something about what’s going on in this episode? I am honestly baffled about the episode’s noticeable drop in textual sophistication. Can’t wait to see what the second season will bring!

Simone

Thanks – and your comment that ‘somebody had to say this’ is particularly interesting to me, in light of my reference to feeling compelled to ‘spoiling the sport’. I’m quite intrigued by my own initial hesitation to articulate the problematic politics of representation in what is otherwise a show that I much enjoy – but the more I engaged with the episode, the more I couldn’t not address these problems. Why is it that not ‘more bodies are saying this’? (and here i include the national press, which made no single mention of any of this, as far as I can tell) – what do you think?

Simone

Whilst episodes one and three of ‘Sherlock’ updated the notion of Holmes and his world in an extremely convincing fashion, this episode’s attitude to Chinese characters and blatant embracing of cultural clichés seemed stuck way back in the era of Boys Own adventures and inscrutable Oriental fiends.

It’s worth pointing out however, that the episode in question was written not by Mark Gatiss or series co-creator Stephen Moffat, but by Stephen Thompson.

Same old story, innit! White people remain dismissive—and willfully ignorant—of other people’s cultures. For one example, I am fairly sure origami is a Japanese art, not Chinese! Thirty seconds spent on Wikipedia could have told them that.

I suppose the professionals in the television industry—who should know better and probably do—feel they must pander to the lumpenproletariat’s ignorance using such cheap shots. As you observed, these are essentialist and subtly demeaning stereotypes that usually imply that “they” are not as smart as “we” are.

Ironically, “we” are nowhere near as smart as “we” think we are! It’s just pathetic, really!