John Watson : simply irresistible !

John Watson, Holmes's rock

There is a enigma about John : what does he fear ?

We know little about John's past : he made his medical studies in London, was a military doctor -a good one, received a bullet in the left shoulder, and came back to London. He's got a sister, with whom he doesn't get along very well.

A veteran from Afghanistan, John Watson has excellent nerves; he became addicted to action and violence. He has physical courage, no doubt; but he doesn't lack of behavioural courage neither. John doesn't see compassion, friendship, kindness, laughing as weaknesses. He's cool-headed but not cold. 

We can see him frightened in rare occasions : when he is about to die (nevertheless), when Sherlock is about to die, when he is under drug effects, and when his wife is threatened by a big villain. That not so much !

But the rest of the time, whatever, whomever threatens him, he doesn't panic, he acts. Sherlock may yell, Mycroft may plot, Moriarty may build Machiavellian schemes, he does what he has to do. 

Just like Sherlock, he doesn't have plenty of friends, and his relationship with his sister is complicated too. However, he loves women and has a "normal social behaviour".

Charming, smart, funny, pragmatic and bold altogether : a dream of a man...
That's not the reason Sherlock gets so fond of him, however. Sherlock used to cope very well alone, with a skull as a companion. How comes he cares so much to John (despite his peculiar way to show it) ?
Serlock can't stand anybody but John. Probably because it's true the other way round : John is the only one who can stand him too. He proves to be useful as an assistant and patient (so much !) as a friend. Holmes & Watson provides each other with the same precious service : fighting boredom.

  

To Sherlock (chosen pieces of dialogues) :

“I know you're not [a fraud]. Nobody could fake being such an annoying dick all the time”. 

“You know, for a genius  you can be incredibly thick !”

Martin Freeman, just impeccable...

It's difficult to understand now why the production team hesitated so long before casting Martin Freeman. There had been wonderful actors for Holmes previously (although no one as good as Benedict Cumberbatch, but I am judging with modern criteria). But I had never been amazed by any Watson's performance before. Here is one who is not only a "number 2" but a character as interesting as Holmes himself.

Martin Freeman performs a wonderful Watson. It's all but easy to make his character as strong as the big Sherlock Holmes. All but easy too to confront a charismatic Cumberbatch and be as present on the screen, no less, no more. 
Watson's “domestics” with Holmes are tonic and give the funniest moments of the show. And the actor his particularly brilliant in intense scenes of confrontation to other characters: with Mycroft, when John believes he betrayed his brother; or with Irene Adler, between anger and envy (one of my most favourite scenes).