Sherlock 2.01 A Scandal in Belgravia

You know, last year I had a double Sherlock Holmes problem, in that the Ritchie movie amused and entertained me but I really could have done without the bloody slow mo freeze frame thing, plus I thought Robert Downey Jr. did a variation of his persona rather than a performance of Sherlock Holmes, though Jude Law was fabulous as Watson. Also, I really liked Mary and cheered for her all the way. So I couldn't quite join the squee there, and as for the Moffat-Gatiss Sherlock, there my problem was that the two susbsequent episodes didn't live up to the pilot (and one was indeed utterly dreadful), and the pilot itself made me wish the show was about Lestrade's team with Sherlock as the occasional morally ambiguous guest star rather than one of the two main characters. (Not least because I outright disliked Sherlock, and if you can't stand Sherlock Holmes in a show about Sherlock Holmes, you're in trouble.) So I couldn't join the squee there, either. I was going to and thro whether I would watch the second season, but in the end, the curiosity as to how they'd play Irene Adler, who is one of my favourite characters in SH canon (but so rarely done well on screen), was too great and I gave in. And I'm glad I did, because lo and behold, this was the first BBC Sherlock episode where I liked Sherlock, which enhanced the enjoyment of the show to no end for me, and while I can and shall quibble about a few things, overall I think that's the best thing the Moff wrote in a good long while. (Sorry, but I was not too impressed by his own episodes in season 6 of Doctor Who. (Except for LKH, oddly enough.) Or, in fact, by much of season 6, but that is my problem.) This was clever without being self-admiringly so, nor was there "zomg let's throw in some nifty scenarios more!" syndrome, and everyone's relationships with everyone else, with one exception, were of interest and emotional investment to me. Thank you, Mr. Moffat. Pray continue in the same vein.

( Cell phones are the new photographs )