The Devil's Foot

The other comments for Devil's Foot are about how bad it is.I do not know anything about dramatization and technical details.What I know is, that for me this episode is about the great friendship between Holmes and Watson.You can see it in every episode, but generally the investigations are more important than friendship. In Devil's Foot the situation is reversed, the emphasis is on the Holmes-Watson relationship. Edward Hardwicke gives one of his best performances as the caring and worried, loyal doctor. Jeremy Brett portrays a very contemplative Holmes, who overcomes his cocaine addiction - it is symbolized by the scene where he buries his syringe on the coast.The filming location, Cornwall suits well the atmosphere of the story.I like this episode very much, it is one of the best from the Return series.

I was surprised when Granada announced the second series of The Return of Sherlock Holmes. I did not expect to see it.

I remember the tabloid headlines at the time. Jeremy Brett had a mental breakdown after the death of his wife in 1985 and he was committed to a psychiatric hospital.

I later found out that not only was Brett sectioned, his physical health had suffered. Journalists would pretend to be doctors to try to gain access to his medical records or just get near him and ask if he had Aids. Brett was bisexual.

The producers of the show got Granada to move him to a private hospital and pay for it. With help from friends such as Edward Hardwicke, Brett did get better but the medication bloated him.

In The Devil's Foot, you see that Brett has put on weight and he has short hair. The story actually sees him going to Cornwall to convalesce.

However very soon he comes across the tragedy of the Tregennis family. Two brothers are driven mad, their sister dead. Holmes needs to find out what caused this horror.

Later the estranged brother Mortimer Tregennis is also found dead.

The episode makes good use of the Cornish coastline. It even sees Holmes go on a bad trip and we see a symbolic burial of a syringe, Holmes finally gives up his habit. I was not really convinced by part of the mystery but it was effectively portrayed on the screen.

I love the Granada Sherlock Holmes adaptations, and this adaptation of The Devil's Foot epitomises why. In fact, it is a contender for my favourite episode of the series, that is how good it is. It is relatively faithful to the source material, and while the story is still a fine read, this adaptation in some ways improves on it.

As always, the production values are superb. The sets and costumes are meticulous, the photography is skillful and the atmosphere is resolutely creepy and mysterious. Coupled with one of the most haunting music scores of the series(gives The Red Circle a run for its money), fine sophisticated writing, good pacing, great direction and a classic story told in such an adept way you have a superb episode.

And I cannot not mention the acting. Jeremy Brett is a perfect Holmes with a gritty baritone and commanding presence and Edward Hardwicke is more than an ideal contrast as a thoughtful and composed Watson.

Overall, a wonderful episode and adaptation. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I was just about to abandon watching this series as too shouty and manic, and because of the drab-looking Sherlock jumping around like an ageing hipster in the previous few stories. Then came the Devil's foot and made all my grouses go away. Sherlock is convalescing hence not jumping up and down, thankfully. He is also sporting a dashing haircut which makes him look 10 years younger. Instead of the charming but by now slightly tired and claustrophobic Baker Street digs we are treated to sweeping Cornish vistas - and a good old "murder at the vicarage" mystery. If you're an Anglophile in the classical mould, you may well find yourself shuddering with delight.

Holmes is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and needs his fix: a really interesting case. It comes when a trio of people, playing cards are suddenly stricken with catalepsy. One, the woman, dies and there is no explanation for it. This leads to a big game hunter who appears on the scene. He has had experiences in parts of Africa. A logical candidate for what has happened. We know that a writer or director doesn't throw this in if there isn't some significance. The key to it all is motive. If someone is responsible, who and why? This is well done. Brett is at his best in putting together the critical issues of time and opportunity and the conclusion is valid. Once again Holmes is faced with a moral dilemma, one which he has faced many times.