The Greek Interpreter

Dr Watson is surprised to discover that Sherlock has a brother, Mycroft, and gets to meet him. At this meeting Mycroft introduces a Greek interpreter, Mr Melas, who is anxious that Sherlock take on his case. He was hired to interpret for a shadowy individual who it appears to be holding a man and his sister hostage.

A reasonably interesting Sherlock Holmes case. We get to meet Mycroft Holmes for the first time and have a decent mystery on our hands.

Not entirely satisfactory though. Little is explained in the end in terms of why this kidnapping took place. Also I found it implausible that a man willing to kidnap and potentially murder two people would allow a witness, the Greek interpreter, to go free.

Still, it's interesting enough and, as always, Jeremy Brett is fantastic as Sherlock Holmes. His performances are a highlight of the series.

The story while interesting and well paced and constructed is a somewhat weird one this time around. Not in the story itself but in some scenes such the interrogation scene. However, The Greek Interpreter is fascinating, and worth seeing for the introduction of Mycroft, who is a shrewd and very intelligent character and just seeing him with Holmes is what makes the episode well worth watching. The acting is very good as is expected, Jeremy Brett and David Burke are both brilliant, and Charles Gray is also excellent. There is also George Costigan and Nicholas Field, who make a sinister pair. The production values are wonderful, the music is at its most beautiful and haunting and there is some strong writing throughout. All in all, fascinating episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox

In The Greek Interpreter Sherlock Holmes finds his next client at the Diogenes Club where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduces the character of Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's older brother. As played by Charles Gray, Mycroft has every bit of Sherlock's deductive reasoning powers, but has chosen to use that in a different though honest field of endeavor. He's a career civil servant, but THE civil servant in the United Kingdom, much like Nigel Hawthorne a century later in Yes Minister.

Much like the other tales that Conan Doyle has written, Jeremy Brett as Holmes gets a client with an unusual tale. A very mysterious man played by George Costigan with a unique foreign accent kidnaps Alkis Kritikos and brings him to a house where his talents as an interpreter are needed. Costigan and Nicholas Field are holding Anton Alexander captive and are torturing him. But since he only speaks Greek they need an interpreter to convey to him to sign some important document so that they will stop. Alexander's sister Victoria Harwood is also involved, but I can't say more than that.

Since the villains are identified right away this particular Conan Doyle story is not any kind of whodunit, but rather almost an action adventure as the brothers Holmes and David Burke as Dr. Watson race against time to affect a rescue. Their efforts are considerably hampered by Scotland Yard Inspector Oliver Maguire and their own respect for due process UK style.

George Costigan was extremely interesting as the villain. Since I'm not familiar with him over on this side of the pond, I was wondering whether he was imitating Peter Lorre or that was his natural voice. Either way he was one sinister dude.

Not too bad an entry in the Conan Doyle catalog of Sherlock Holmes stories.

Having recently rediscovered the Holmes stories, I had forgotten how much foreign intrigue was involved in the stories. I guess colonial England had its share of spies and dissenters. There were also powers such as Germany and Russia that were always knocking on the door of the world's greatest empire. This has to do with an effort to make use of a Greek interpreter to coerce someone into signing something. The language barrier is at the center of it all. Holmes is intrigued by the fact that there is all this carting around of people to mysterious locations, threats, and violence. The joy is in the questioning and the acting on clues. This was never my favorite story but it makes for good television, and, of course, the two leads do a masterful job.

However something does not quiet feel right with the adaptation because it might had departed some ways from the original story.

Mycroft calls for Sherlock at the Diogenes Club. Dr Watson is surprised that Sherlock has a brother.

The subject is Mr Melas who has an extraordinary tale to tell. A Greek interpreter who was well rewarded but taken blindfolded to a house where another Greek man was held captive and beaten. The sinister men wanted the man to sign something but he kept refusing. At one point his sister was bought in to see him.

Mr Melas is concerned with what he saw and used some subterfuge in his interpreting to find out more about the man.

Sherlock is fascinated with the story and feels both the Greek man and Mr Melas are in danger. Holmes manages to find out where Melas might have been taken to.

Although time is of the essence, getting a warrant causes interminable delays.

I did think it needed to be spelt out more why the man was being held captive and what was he supposed to have signed over. It was rather speculative in the episode.

The actress playing the sister seemed to have a rather blank stare, a bit of a letdown in comparison to George Costigan oozing evil as menacing Mr Kemp. Then there is the masterful Charles Gray. I could not wait for him to appear again as Mycroft.