The Devil's Foot

Sherlock Holmes is convalescing in Cornwall (accompanied by Dr Watson, of course) when three members of the same family are struck down with the same affliction. Brenda Tregennis is dead and her brothers Owen and George insane, found in the same room in their house. A fourth sibling, Mortimer, was also present for part of the evening and had a long-running dispute with his three siblings.

A good episode of Sherlock Holmes, though not among the best. The initial perpetrator is fairly obvious and the title of the episode gives away, to a degree, the method.

Still, it's interesting enough and gets quite intriguing once Mortimer is found dead.

Memorable episode from "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" volume in the Granada series as well as one of the better adaptations in the series overall. Holmes and Watson go to the Cornish coast to recuperate, only to face bizarre double murders. The story is unique and leads to an unexpected conclusion. One moment that really stands out in this adaptation is it's acid dream sequence when Holmes has to put himself under hallucination to find out the solution to the mystery. Also notable in the story is Holmes giving up his habit of cocaine. Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke give their best performances and the atmosphere, photography, production values, and music are superb. Definitely a must watch for fans.

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 suppose I am adding this comment as counterweight to the only other existing comment about this episode of the excellent Granada Holmes series.

While not the best of the series it certainly stands out as one of the better ones and is infinitely better than some other Holmes adaptations we have been subjected to in the past decades. An original and classic Sherlock Holmes story is not so much about a detective solving a murder case. We are not talking whodunnit here. People who are looking for that sort of thing had better look out for the odd Agatha Christie movie. A Holmes story is mostly about atmosphere, be it the foggy, nostalgic, and mysterious atmosphere of Victorian London, or, in this case, the lonesome, mystic and eerie air of the Cornish countryside.

Anyone who is slightly acquainted with the canon of Sherlock Holmes stories will know that all occurrences have a scientific and logical explanation. So there is no reason to dwell unnecessarily long on the possibility of something supernatural happening. Of course the astute viewer will have identified the criminal rather early but contrary to the plots of classic whodunnits some of the best Holmes stories feature a criminal who only appears towards the end of the story and is usually some strange and outlandish character from the victim's past. In a whodunnit we would resent such a solution but in a Holmes story which is mostly about atmosphere we do not.