The Speckled Band

In one of the best Holmes short stories, this TV episode hold true to most of the writing as Holmes and Dr Watson find a sinister scheme that could save the life of their beautiful woman client. But they will need to act fast because time is of the essence in this wonderful episode.

The story centers around Julia Stoner who is living with an eccentric step-father, Doctor Roylott, in a manor needing repair outside of London. Just recently Julia's sister had died an unusual death after a few nights of hearing strange whistling noises in her room. Now with repairs being made on the manor, Roylott tells Julia that she will have to move into her sister's old room. The first night in the room she hears the whistling noise that scared her sister. Julia seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes will get to the house and notice things that only he is capable of understanding. Add the background of Dr Roylott while in India and Holmes will know that the beautiful young woman is in extreme danger. All we can do is hope that Holmes, along with Dr Watson, is able to prevent another death.

One of the better stories and one of the better acting episode of the collection. Jeremy Brett is again wonderful as he plays Holmes, with all his facial tics, to near perfection. Entertaining episode to watch.

This is the first Sherlock Holmes story I ever read (I guess, I was about ten). As strange as it is, it has a tremendous place in my heart. The Jeremy Brett/David Burke version is the best I've seen. It does justice to the canon. This is the story of two sisters who have an inheritance and who live with their father, a violent, explosive man. One of the sisters succumbs to some weird attack. It is our hero's task to figure out what is going on. These young women have been living in the oddest situation. For example, their beds are fastened to the floor, immovable. Strange sounds are heard in the night. Wild animals pervade the property around the house. The motivations are not that unusual as we watch things unfold, but the methods are really bizarre. I think it's the circus like atmosphere of this poor young woman's world that is the attraction. As a previous commentator, I also enjoyed the evil father's confrontation with Holmes, who is really unflappable, no matter what. Conan-Doyle frequently took liberties with the natural reality (despite being a medical man himself) and often assumed his readers would take things at face value. I know I did. This is a really fun story with sad implications and heartbreak. Sometimes we forget how the first girl died and what a loss this was for her surviving sibling. Watch this, ignore your scientific hesitation, and just enjoy it.

The Speckled Band is considered one of the best of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I know that if for no other reason that way back in the day when I was in high school it was this short story that was used in one of my English classes as an example of creating an enduring character in literature. In this one the character is the most celebrated detective in the history of fiction.

Jeremy Brett as Holmes and David Burke as Watson get involved in the murder of Denise Armon when they're hired by her twin sister Rosalyn Landor who feels quite certain she's next. She lives with her stepfather Jeremy Kemp who is a doctor and who served in the Indian army as did Dr. Watson back in the day.

In this particular short story Arthur Conan Doyle does give you a nice group of suspects though he does lean in his writing towards the culprit. The dying words of Armon are the title of this mystery and once Holmes figures it out, he'll also know how the homicide was committed and inevitably who the perpetrator is.

Forensics is always important in Sherlock Holmes stories and probably more so in The Speckled Band than others. If you choose to view this episode, you'll see what I mean.

This was certainly one the better episodes; containing a beautiful and modest damsel in direst need of male protection from an extraordinary eccentric overbearing brutal villain who is faced up to by Holmes (Jeremy Brett) at his coolest and most urbane. The damsel is, by a mere hair, saved and the villain receives not a hair less than his just desserts. A thrilling, chilling full-blooded and most satisfying rendering of Conan Doyle's story.

But of all the Watsons there have been, from the elderly duffer and comic buffoon (Nigel Bruce in the 1940s' film versions) to younger and smarter ones, I can never reconcile myself to David Burke. A respected actor but as Watson he always gives - or perhaps was asked to give - too broad a performance with an absolute absence of nuance, rather as if in a boistrous stage farce. Holmes was of course a consummate judge of character and that, we must presume, included the person he wished to have as his close companion both at times of highest challenge and at times when he was at his lowest ebb. Holmes was an obsessive and a loner who struggled with his demons. So outstanding were his intellectual powers that he had no need of lesser brains - there were very few indeed he considered his equal - Moriarty, "The Woman" and perhaps in a different way, his brother Mycroft. Foreign royalty, the Prime Minister came to him on questions of ultimate importance. Holmes is under no misapprehension about his own abilities. That is the point of Holmes - at what he does he is the best. David Burke's quirky Watson sometimes tries to outguess Holmes. I do think that Holmes would have found such a Watson both extremely irritating and a liability. Edward Hardwicke in contrast is all those things that Holmes needed: completely predictable, utterly dedicated and loyal, never ever challenging but tactfully doing the decent thing when Holmes' manners and sensitivity to others feelings were lacking. It is in fact a portrayal of a successful marriage where one is brilliant, difficult, histrionic and uncompromising and the other is quiet supportive and understanding. It is the only kind of relationship Holmes would have needed or wanted.

It does not get better than this dark tale of sinister designs & plans, with Jeremy Kemp 1st rate as Dr Grimesby Roylott of Stoke Moran, as formidable an opponent as Holmes is sharp, succinct, graceful & mellow.. One of the best episodes, Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes, is attentive, precise & tender towards Miss Stoner who presents him with one of his most fascinating, deadly & outrageous cases..10/10.