221B Recs

Title: Soldier, a tribute to Captain John Watson M.D.
Music Title & Artist: "Soldier" by Fleurie
Vidder: i-am-adlocked (on tumblr), a.k.a. OneAllysa (on YouTube)
Pairing or Character: John Watson
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Link: Soldier vid post on tumblr

And here is the YouTube link, if you have trouble viewing the vid on tumblr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjQsp8TAy9w

Reccer's Comments: *deep breath* So, this is a BBC John Watson character study through all four seasons but with emphasis, I would say, on the later seasons. It offers a careful, insightful, and emotional exploration of the John Watson that angered many fans both of the BBC show and of the original Doyle stories, myself included: the angry and sometimes violent man who is, in important ways, 'not okay' and who knows that about himself. The vid touches on a host of issues - trauma, PTSD, alcohol dependency, trust and anger issues, violence, loss, addiction to danger. The vid highlights many of John's worst moments - both as a person suffering and as a man lashing out - but it also remembers his strength, his desire to heal and protect, and the hellish experiences he has been through that have shaped his emotional landscape. This tribute refuses to minimize his flaws, but nonetheless approaches his character arc with respect and empathy.

As in many well-edited vids, I was struck by a number of the vidder's visual storytelling choices. With a keen eye for parallels and a confident touch in the layering of song lyrics, dialogue, and imagery, it's a powerful work. Sometimes I find that fanvids, by condensing a narrative and developing tone, mood, and emotion with greater immediacy than a fully mounted episode, can succeed in making certain characterization or story choices work better than they do in the source material. For me, this vid does that for John.

EDITING TO ADD WARNING: The editing style includes cuts that flash briefly through a white screen. There's no strobe effect, but if you are sensitive to white flashes then you may want to avoid this one, or try it out carefully.