Brett, as Holmes, is as good as ever, though his features were thickening because of the medicines he was taking for the congestive heart failure that finally led to his early demise. Hardwicke is at least as good as Burke was in the earlier episodes.
But the Casebook was a gallimaufry of stories published late in Conan-Doyle's career, when he was losing interest in Sherlock Holmes, partly because of divided interests.
The lack of imagination sometimes shows up. No surprising new characters are introduced -- no Mycrofts. "The Illustrious Client" shows us none of Holmes genius. "The Creeping Man" seems like a slapdash horror story that could have been put together by Hammer Films.
"Boscombe Valley", however, is up to earlier standards and the production of "Shoscombe Old Place" revives a familiar theme and infuses it with some humor that was absent in the story as written.
By the time of its publication, 1927, Watson was no longer sharing digs with Holmes and his life and practice had to be interrupted from time to time in order for him to participate in Holmes' cases. So, less often does Watson sit around the breakfast table observing his companion with casually curious eyes. The easy camaraderie of the early stories is missed.
All is not lost, of course. "The Problem of Thor Bridge" is as good as anything else. And, for better or worse, Holmes seems to have settled down to a somewhat less quirky existence. No more seven-percent solutions.
But the Casebook was a gallimaufry of stories published late in Conan-Doyle's career, when he was losing interest in Sherlock Holmes, partly because of divided interests.
The lack of imagination sometimes shows up. No surprising new characters are introduced -- no Mycrofts. "The Illustrious Client" shows us none of Holmes genius. "The Creeping Man" seems like a slapdash horror story that could have been put together by Hammer Films.
"Boscombe Valley", however, is up to earlier standards and the production of "Shoscombe Old Place" revives a familiar theme and infuses it with some humor that was absent in the story as written.
By the time of its publication, 1927, Watson was no longer sharing digs with Holmes and his life and practice had to be interrupted from time to time in order for him to participate in Holmes' cases. So, less often does Watson sit around the breakfast table observing his companion with casually curious eyes. The easy camaraderie of the early stories is missed.
All is not lost, of course. "The Problem of Thor Bridge" is as good as anything else. And, for better or worse, Holmes seems to have settled down to a somewhat less quirky existence. No more seven-percent solutions.