When I watch TV (which is rare), I like documentaries most. There are some fictional shows that I enjoy and I noticed that most of those are British mystery types. Agatha Christie (of "Ten Little Niggers" fame) created two of my favorite sleuths: Marple and Poirot and they are portrayed well by BBC productions. My all-time favorite detective though has to be Sherlock Holmes.
I grew up reading Sherlock stories, then I started finding the old movies on late-night television. Now with the internet and streaming services, I can find Sherlock anywhere. One of the best shows, in my opinion, was one that played as a short serial on one of the streaming services. I cannot at this moment remember the title but I will update later. It was featured a fictional relationship between Dr. Joseph Bell (who, along with another person I can't think of just now, helped inspire the Holmes character) and an apprentice. I hate botched brain for mangling this memory
My least favorite portrayal of Holmes was done by Robert Downey Jr. He's a good actor but he always seems to be playing some version of himself. It didn't work for me. As a kid, I really liked Jeremy Brett as Holmes, but I have to admit that the best and most entertaining Holmes is played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the 2010-2017 series "Sherlock" (currently on Netflix). And it's not just because of his portrayal but because of the supporting cast. Watson is awesome and I swear I knew someone who reminds me of the Mycroft character. I liked that Mary Watson was prominently featured but I didn't like the part that centered around her character's run-in with an old partner.
So, I say all this to reinforce how much I love the character of Sherlock Holmes and that I can watch and re-watch the 2017 version with Cumberbatch and crew. As a matter of fact, that's what I did just this past week when I was down sick for a couple of days.
Mycroft says something that I remember reading or hearing in past Sherlock books and movies. The quote is "There is an East wind coming, Sherlock." Now... if you have NOT seen the show (currently on Netflix)...
SPOILER ALERT
Here are a couple of clips featuring the quote mentioned:
Now, Mycroft says more than once in different places in this particular series that there is "an East wind coming". And each time I heard it, I thought, "How poetic!" But I didn't catch the original source - until I was doing my reading this morning in Job.
“The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.” (Job 27:21)
Now I know.
So I started thinking how much of the Bible is stolen by pop culture - much of which is so anti-God that it's horrifying. I have read the Bible and I missed this "East wind" part. I bet there are a lot of people who don't realize how pop culture producers use the Bible. And I got to thinking. How can we see the Bible and Bible concepts portrayed in Pop Culture (P.C.)?
- Wikipedia, of course, has a long list of the many ways we see the Bible in various ways in P.C.
- This shows some of the ways that biblical concepts are misconstrued.
- LED Studios on YouTube does thought-provoking pieces on how many movies and shows (especially those featuring "superheroes" and comic-book characters) steal and twist biblical concepts. This is one playlist that covers a lot of material. (Side note here: I highly disapprove of the fact that LED Studios hide their SDA denomination. This is a prevalent deception among the SDA. I have communicated with LED about this. Still, I wanted to include the playlist. Just be aware of where the information is coming from and use discernment.)
- I don't need to point out how many shows like "The Simpsons", "Family Guy", and others use characters to make fun of Bible believers. I don't mind that they mock us, but they should be afraid of mocking God.
After watching the YouTube videos about superheroes, this graphic might strike you a different kind of way:
