Young Sherlock: Silas Holmes' Shepherd's Pie 🥁🥁🥁🥁1/2

Year Released: 2025
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Dónal Finn, Zine Tseng, Max Irons, Natascha McElhone, Joseph Fiennes
PG, 8 Episodes slightly under an hour each
Genre: Mystery and Adventure, Spy Thriller

Holmes and Moriarty

“The game is afoot.” –William Shakespeare (the game’s afoot), then Sherlock Holmes, and in this film James Moriarty

An epic adventure that mixes all the Holmes tales into a great mash-up.  It draws you in from the first moment.

A 19-year-old Sherlock Holmes finds himself entangled in a murder at Oxford that jeopardizes his freedom. His first case, tackled recklessly, leads him to uncover a far-reaching conspiracy that alters his path forever.

Witness the legendary origin story of Sherlock Holmes in this irreverent, action laden mystery that follows the iconic detective’s early adventures. 

***

It’s a little like those cooking contests where each chef is given a set of ingredients and then must use them to invent his or her own recipe.

Guy Ritchie takes our known characters – Sherlock Holmes, his older brother (not necessarily smarter or lazy as in the cannon by Conan Doyle), Lestrade, Moriarty – and then introduces a few new ones.

But none of them behave as we might expect.  And instead of a young Watson (as in 1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes), we have arch rival Moriarty as his friend and colleague.

And then there is a sister { Beatrice (Holly Cattle) } – never mentioned by Conan  Doyle – but not the feisty Enola.  Instead, one who has drowned when Holmes was but a lad but still haunts his dreams.  And Holmes’ beautiful mother Cordelia (Natascha McElhone), also undone by the death, is ensconced in a beautiful gilded cage, making her life in an asylum luxurious but a cage nonetheless.

We also have Holmes’ father, Silas, played by Joseph Fiennes (title character’s real life uncle), who is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”  as Churchill said of Russia.  He is a scientist, long absent and well loved by Cordelia, at least.

Now comes the spice in the form of Chinese Princess Shou’an (Zine Tseng) journeying to Oxford to bestow an original scroll from Sun Tzu’s Art of War as a special gift to that venerable institution.

But truth or illusion, we don’t know the difference, and it will take all 8 episodes to sort things out, sort of, since the series is clearly a set up for a second series, for which we will have to wait impatiently.

I will not try to unravel the plot, almost hopelessly complex but terribly intriguing too. So we will hardly touch upon Colin Firth as a Bucephalus Hodge, a dean at Oxford, nor the team of four scientists called the four apostles, who to this Holmes aficionado are reminiscent of some characters from Holmes’ 2nd novel The Sign of the Four or four others featured in 1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes. At any rate you will hardly recognize Firth in this role, all bearded and fussy as all get out.

Two issues compel me to recommend this series, which seems to run straight and true even with its many twists and turns.  You see, Different Drummer can be cunningly complex too.

One is the very slow unveiling and hints of why Moriarty eventually becomes what Holmes calls “the Napoleon of crime” and how the early friendship will slowly curdle.  So much is psychological here, with the Chinese Princess observing that Holmes is the genius and Moriarty merely his shadow. Holmes is willful, impetuous, and arrogant in his cold logic, trying to be a pickpocket after reading Oliver Twist, but nonplussed when his victims press charges as he tries to return their goods. Since it was only the art of picking their pockets and not any monetary gain that was his purpose.  And neither does the trial judge appreciate Holmes enlightening him on the intricacies of the law, which ups his prison sentence to 6 months.

But Moriarty loves to break rules for the sheer joy of it and seems completely unrestrained by any ethics.

"It's the unconscious desire of every thief to be caught. It's the fear of incarceration that gives freedom its currency. The fundamental fault of man is to think the enemy is external, not internal. Prison is in here, not out there." – James Moriarty

But there is an initial playfulness, too, with Moriarty being the superior in both logic and other physical skills, at least at first.

And second issue is the character of Holmes himself; he evolves from the rebellious prankster to one truly seeking justice.  He takes bold action when needed, such as believing his mother, dismissed by all as balmy, bonkers, and batty.  He is loyal, and reluctant to believe ill of others, but the logic slowly seeps in, and he will act on it. 

And Holmes is addicted to the truth.  He denies that he is a lowly porter at Oxford (a gatekeeper and receptionist, kind of like an American RA, resident assistant) but is something even lowlier – just a scout (more like a janitor) under the supervision of the porter. A point demonstrated by the Porter’s first words to Holmes: “Clean the “shitters. ”  (Excuse my French)

Tune into this Amazon Prime Original, a new addition to the Holmes films.  After all, Holmes is such a fascinating character that no one can seem to leave him alone and must fantasize about Conan Doyle’s creation.  This new addition is clever, witty, and did not turn me away as some of the more edgy and too clever by half innovations have.

And I guarantee you will love it, even if you are not a Holmes obsessive like Different Drummer.

–Kathy Borich
🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 ½

Film-Loving Foodie

Holmes’s Father Silas returns home when he finds his wife is now back at the family estate. He asks questions and Sherlock has a few for him as well, but Cordelia wants nothing else than to have the family eat dinner together as they have not for 12 years.

 Silas responds with enthusiasm, enlisting Homes and Moriarty in helping him make Shepherd’s Pie.  Use our recipe below or try a few others Different Drummer has posted.

The Lady in the Van: Shepherd’s Pie

Serenity: Shepherd’s Pie 

·       2 lbs ground beef (or lamb for traditional shepherd's pie)

·       Mushrooms, chopped

·       Carrots, diced

·       Onion, diced

·       Garlic, minced

·       Tomato paste

·       Beef broth

·       Potatoes (mashed)

·       Cheddar cheese

·       Chives 

·       Prepare the Base: Sauté onions, garlic, carrots, and mushrooms in a skillet until tender, then add the ground beef, browning it thoroughly.

·       Make the Gravy: Stir in tomato paste, herbs, and broth, allowing the mixture to simmer into a thick gravy.

·       Mash the Potatoes: Boil potatoes until tender, then mash with butter and cream.

·       Assemble and Bake: Transfer the meat mixture to a skillet or baking dish, cover with a thick layer of mashed potatoes, and top with cheddar cheese.

·       Finish: Bake at 400°F until the top is bubbly and golden. Top with fresh chives before serving.

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