Why be Watson?

I want to be Watson. Like, really. And no one understands (except perhaps my mother and how pathetic is that). So here's my logic.

The Short Answer:

1. He can shoot anything, anywhere. It's a fact--shooting stuff is just cool.
2. He gets to go on dozens of adventures without the stress of everything (or oftentimes anything) depending on him.
3. He still gets family and friends of which Sherlock has neither (outside of Watson).
4. He has his own distinguished medical career, so if he shoots someone accidentally he can just fix them up. 
5. He gets to be the writer.

Shooting, adventure, friends, family, doctor-ness, and writing. What's not to love about being Watson? Honestly.

The Long Answer:

I don't know when I first read The Hound of the Baskervilles but I will admit to being disappointed. Severely disappointed.

I also remember reading it again some years later, because surely I must have missed something. I was so bored, I'm not even sure I finished it that second time.

And now let me just complete my humiliation by revealing that I don't even remember a thing about the book itself,  just a few of my thoughts.

Now be nice, I was an arrogant teen at the time:

"Why, exactly am I reading a novel from a supporting character's point of view?  And he's a wimp. And he has weird Sherlock hero-worship issues. And Sherlock's kind of a jerk. I'll just go listen to Duran Duran some more."

Yes, I know. I'm hanging my head in shame right here at my keyboard.

THEN that Sherlock Holmes movie came out. Previews looked...interesting. And a little shocking. But I didn't see it.

THEN my friend sent me a BBC production called Sherlock. Out of loyalty and love for her I watched. And I have to say, I liked it, although I had the **SPOILERS** cabby thing figured out waaaaaaay before Sherlock. Still...he was interesting. Watson, not so much.

THEN I somehow found myself at the second Sherlock Holmes movie. And I liked. Really, really liked. And Watson was kind of cool with the shooting and all but the awesomeness was all Sherlock's.

THEN I read a young adult book on the young Sherlock Holmes, from Sherlock's point of view which was tolerable. Even enjoyable on occasion.

And I started to wonder what all the fuss has been about. I didn't even bother to retain in memory one sentence, scene or plot point from The Hound of the Baskervilles yet Hollywood, the BBC and at least one modern publishing house are forking over money to make more stories about Sherlock Holmes. And people everywhere are paying them even more money to be entertained by it.

I really missed something way back when.

So, knowing better than to read The Hound again, I found The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on Kindle. Each chapter is its own complete case narrated by Watson, of course.  Maybe it's that I appreciate his writing voice now or that visions of Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. make the book all the more entertaining, but I decided that being Watson would be a pretty cool thing (see above).

So there you have it. But honestly, if I could MEET any character from a book, I'd want it to be Sherlock.

SEE!! Sherlock hero-worship issues. I'm on my way.