Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/18075
21st Century Sherlock Masterpiece Mystery gives the detective a modern makeover TV by DEAN ROBBINS It’s hard to get excited about yet another screen version of Sherlock Holmes, but Masterpiece Mystery’s Sherlock (Sunday, 9 p.m., PBS) gives the old detective a shot of life. The series is set in present-day London, with Dr. Watson (Martin Freeman) a vet- eran of the war in Afghanistan. He reacts with astonishment when he meets Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch), as do we. This is not the fussy, reserved sleuth we remember from the Basil Rathbone movies, but a manic contemporary character, driven to fast-talking fits of deduction by a computer brain always switched to “on.” He’s so far ahead of mere mortals — including the viewing audience — that it becomes funny. “Dear God, what is it like in your funny little brains?” he asks the befud- dled police detectives. “It must be so boring.” Cumberbatch works miracles as Holmes. He’s at once formidable and silly, sexy and creepy. He has fun with the role while also giving Holmes an intensity bordering on dangerous. Indeed, the police believe he’s a psychopath. “Stay away from Sherlock Holmes,” a detective counsels Watson. He doesn’t heed her advice, and neither should you. Terriers Wednesday, 10 pm (FX) This private investigator drama is easy to overlook in the crush of noisy new fall shows. Terriers is the opposite of noisy, even though it deals with heavy sub- ject matter. Ex-cop Hank (Donal Logue) and partner Britt (Michael Raymond- Jones) work their way through cases involving prostitutes, amnesia victims and missing persons while also attending to their messy private lives. But don’t expect the usual kiss-kiss-bang-bang. Terriers dispenses with cop- show clichés in favor of authentic characters and hard-earned emotion. Hank and Britt are believably small-time and down on their luck, with only their terrier-like tenacity to keep them going. Their exchanges are effortlessly smart, funny and tender — so effortless that you might not even notice the skill involved. Actually, you haven’t noticed. Terriers has fared badly in the ratings so far. Here’s hoping FX shows terrier-like tenacity itself and keeps the show alive. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Thursday, 10 pm (Bravo) The new Real Housewives franchise is set in Beverly Hills, but so far it’s failed to distinguish itself from other versions. We get another group of catty women-of-a-certain-age with disturbingly worked-on faces, throwing their wealth around. One owns the Sacramento Kings basketball team; another is married to Kelsey Grammer. All of them cuss like gangsters when tensions rise, offering a glimpse of ugliness under the store-bought sophistication. “This is going to sound obnoxious,” says the Kelsey Grammer wife, show- ing off her mansion, “but basically I live in my own little retreat.” Hey, don’t tell us what’s obnoxious, lady. One of the few pleasures of The Real Housewives is discovering the obnoxiousness for ourselves and looking down our noses at it. You supply the bad behavior, we’ll supply the judgment. Indecision 2010 Monday, 11 pm (Comedy Central) It’s been a vicious, dishonest, depressing election season. But here’s a bright spot: Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report move their shows to D.C. for a weeklong series called “When Grizzlies Attack: The Daily Show Midterm Teapartyganza.” I envision satire so precise and powerful that its targets — sleazy media figures and politicians — abruptly retire from public life. A guy can dream. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 678-8885 822-3590 OCTOBER 20-26, 2010 UCW 37 Authentic Italian Cuisine Brick Fired NY Pizza “Thanks for the Memories” In Honor of Dr. and Mrs. M. Elton Hendricks HOMECOMING 2010 OCTOBER 22-23 For more information and schedules contact: Offi ce of Development and Alumni Affairs Methodist University 5400 Ramsey Street, Fayetteville, NC 28311 (910) 630-7200 (800) 488-7110 www.methodist.edu Voted Fayetteville’s Best Overall Restaurant