As the new year begins, it is time to resume our Weekly Forum and to continue generating interesting joint articles for the journal, as well as have some fun whilst speculating on the unending mysteries of the Canon.
Based on the evidence of both Watson and Holmes, which do you believe The Agency prefers: Capital crimes or non-capital crimes? In which cases do we find our two partners experiencing the most zest, passion and determination?
My first thought on this is that it really doesn’t matter if it is a capital crime or not. Holmes, IMHO, seems to be more motivated by the challenge and/or uniqueness of a case–no matter what the underlying question actually is. Watson seems to be motivated by his desire to help coupled with his desire to be involved. When we talk about zest and passion in a case, I’m always reminded of Watson’s excitement when he is hiding in Milverton’s room: “I nodded, and stood by the door. My first feeling of fear had passed away, and I thrilled now with a keener zest than I had ever enjoyed when we were the defenders of the law instead of its defiers”.
I agree with Margie that the seriousness of the crime matters far less to Holmes than the degree to which there is interest in finding the solution. He loves the outre (please add the accent) and the out of the ordinary. If a case should involve one of his special loves, such as codes or chemical analysis, all the better. Best of all, I think, is the case that someone else couldn’t solve or the situation no one else could clear up.
For Watson, it’s simple. If it’s a case where he can go along with Holmes and be of use, it’s a good case.