The historical text that I will be analysing is Sherlock Holmes: The Sleeping Cardinal. The reason for choosing this text is because the creator of the Mentalist has stated that the protagonist, Patrick Jane is somewhat a modern version of the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes and Patrick Jane share similar traits as they are both quite likeable characters. They area both witty and keen and have a capacity of intelligence that is hard to match. However, the fact that the Mentalist is set in the present day shows that Patrick may be a slightly more adept individual in terms of his notice of detail in things. For example, Holmes simply uses his eye for detail combined with logical thinking to work things out whereas Jane is character that toys with the suspect before admitting to them that he knows that they have committed a crime. He puts a unique spin on this and this is one of the ways in which society has changed over the years. The audience finds things like this humorous and are more likely to watch it based on the character’s likeability rather than the look of a character.
The Sleeping Cardinal is a film that mostly focuses on a different aspect of someone’s life because it is about a man who gambles regularly and soon becomes depressed and Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson are invited to figure out the cause of this depression. Additionally, the gambling man Adair succumbs to suicide, Holmes and Watson finds trails that could suggest that the man was being forced to join a criminal enterprise who Holmes believed to be run by his old nemesis Professor Moriarty. This is the main antagonist of most of the past Sherlock Holmes and this is similar to the antagonist of the Mentalist who is Red John serial killer who murdered Jane’s wife and daughter. You are able to identify that a storyline that runs in an arc is something that audiences find entertaining and appealing as most reviews of both texts state this. They all find the plot engaging and this is also due to the characters that are portrayed who are likeable and entertaining in one form or another.
Furthermore, Sherlock Holmes was released in 1931 in which the picture is in black and white and is one of the main differences. The technological advances that have been made between that time and the present day have been revolutionary and therefore the quality of broadcast media has increased significantly and this can be easily observed through watching both texts. Sherlock Holmes is based on a more mysterious and suspenseful genre whereas although the Mentalist incorporates some of the codes and conventions of this, these are not the main themes of the television programme. The times where suspense and mystery are used are when the main antagonist is involved in some way or another. For example, when Red John is responsible for the murders of four colleagues in the CBI but the audience is not aware that it was him until Jane figures it out towards the end of the episode. This is something that captivates the audience and appeals to them due to the fact that there is a 'whodunnit' scenario involved in other episodes in the series.
Another similarity that can be seen between the two texts is that they both have an antagonist that seems to constantly avoid capture from the protagonist whereby Holmes is a character that is constantly solving crimes; Jane has an ulterior motive which is something that people can emotionally relate to. For example, Jane is personally involved with the Red John murders whereas Holmes is someone that is invited to solve crimes that are quite generic and the fact that people can understand what Jane is feeling at times can appeal to audiences even more and engage them to continue watching the series. An example of one of these feelings is frustration and revenge which is on his mind after looking to find the villain and kill him, whereas Holmes is all about justice and does not plan to kill his arch nemesis Professor Moriarty.