Sherlock 2.01 A Scandal in Belgravia

[selenak]

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.



The exception was, of course, Watson's poor post-Sarah girlfriend, who was a paper thin character without being given the dignity of even sketched characterisation and who was only there for one more "the real couple are John and Sherlock" joke, in case the audience hadn't gotten it already. Bad form, Moff.

Otherwise: they sold me on Mycroft and Sherlock as dysfunctional brothers in a way they didn't last season, or rather, this time I cared and was interested. (Dysfunctional siblings often do it for me, but not if I don't care for either of them.) Alternatingly amused and touched, too, from the "I'll be mother" to the cigarette. Similarly, John's snark about how Mycroft could just as well summon him to a cozy café instead of a windy deserted building (tm), and Mycroft in the end actually meeting him at a café, was great. Mrs. Hudson having progressed to mutual adoption with John and Sherlock ("boys" indeed) worked well, and while Lestrade had only brief screentime, the "try not to punch him" line made up for it. But of course, any adaption of A Scandal in Bohemia stands and falls of how they deal with THE Woman.

I must admit, when Irene first got introduced as a dominatrix I raised my eyebrows and said, "really, Moff?" Then again, A Scandal in Bohemia's photograph would be harmless in our time, the dominatrix element made the royality-in-fear-of-potential-blackmail nod to the orignal plausible, and it was a side issue/red herring anyway since the true macguffin in Irene's possession wasn't about sex at all, and the episode did present her as believably able to match wits with Sherlock Holmes. (Oh, and I was amused that in her first scenes with her hair back they had her look as much as a female version of Benedict Cumberbatch as possible.) The modern version of Holmes-tricks-Irene-who-knows-and-tricks-him in the initial recover-the-macguffin scenario was cleverly done, and this time the texting was integral part of the storytelling and developing relationship instead of feeling like a glib special effect. (Yes, I stopped the frame to read the text messages.) I am a bit torn over the fact they let Sherlock win the battle of wits in the grand climax because part of the charm of A Scandal in Bohemia is that Irene does win (and hardly anyone else does, ever), but they made it clear she had fooled him until then and they had both been getting to each other in equal measure, so I'm good with that. The ending (not the reveal that Irene is alive, which was expected, but that Sherlock had saved her) is one which in theory could have annoyed me (holy rescue operation, Holmes!) but instead made me smile and approve because that balanced her earlier admission of emotional via pass word. Basically, I was thoroughly charmed.

Lastly: the whole sequence early on through various classically titled Holmes cases with John blogging away and ribbing Sherlock about the greater popularity of his blog was adorable. I conclusion, I'm basking in fannish enjoyment and am only afraid that the next episode which is either Gatiss or what's his name who wrote the horrible pirate episode in New Who's s6 will make me cranky again, but hey, I'm my optimistic self today and am choosing to believe it won't. For a week.

Comments

[elz]

I had the same experience last year, where I didn't really like Sherlock and sometimes didn't even like John very much, which definitely impeded my enjoyment of the show. And I loved this episode - I thought they struck a great balance with everybody, and I particularly enjoyed Sherlock and John scolding Mycroft for telling Mrs. Hudson to shut up and then their later protectiveness of her. The mutual adoption was sweet, and I loved both Mycroft and Irene in this.

[selenak]

It's the fact that it's a mutual adaption that makes it sweet - their protectiveness and indignation when Mycroft was being, well, Mycroft-ish towards her really helped me warming up to them both!

[legionseagle]

It was the bit where Sherlock mentally started enumerating body parts when looking at the CIA goon who'd kidnapped her in a "what shall I break first?" way that I was really impressed by.

[jesuswasbatman]

I really loved the in-joke where Sherlock saves Irene with the Second Doctor's famous catchphrase ("When I say run, run"). But mostly agree with this, except that I watched the whole show in a state of pre-emptive disgust that they were going to villainise/humiliate/kill Irene and even though they didn't I feel like they were manipulatively aiming for that effect.

[liviapenn]

Hah, I felt the same way. I was CRINGING through the final scene with Irene, Sherlock and Mycroft, where Sherlock was being all "emotions are weak, you weak womany weakling!" but in retrospect, obviously, he isn't indifferent to Irene's fate-- he's just pretending to be, in order to make her inevitable faked death more convincing. Because in order to get her off Mycroft's radar, Mycroft has to believe that he wouldn't cross the street to save her life. But I felt so sick during the final scene, because I absolutely believed that they WOULD kill Irene off in a sick snuff scene like that, just for the shock value, and leave her as this pathetic figure that Sherlock bested and forgot about even though she begged for his help... I found it really oddly hard to pull out of that and go "Hurrah, Sherlock to the rescue! Of course! How clever!" just because it could so easily have gone the other way...

[watervole]

This episode really grabbed me as well. I thought everyone was well done, and admired the way Irene stripped so as to give Sherlock minimal information to work on. (and to try and throw him off balance as well)

Loved Mrs Hudson and the way she overdid the crying to get hold of the phone and sneak it out.