I know you don't like Sherlock and I'm not setting out to argue about that, because there's no point in arguing about matters of taste. But it is worth arguing about points of fact.


Irene in A Scandal in Belgravia ISN'T Moriarty's tool. She says that she "consulted" him and the storyline bears that out. Now, Moriarty is set up as Sherlock's polar opposite - Sherlock's the "consulting detective" and Moriarty is "the consulting criminal". He does have henchpeople, but he also has clients. Irene's a client, not a henchperson.

The reason I think it matters is that there's a narrative both in real life and in fiction that it's a sign of weakness for a woman to seek a support network or buy in expertise in areas where she doesn't have it, but when a man does it it's taken as proof of his superior judgement and ability to delegate.

I do think charactising Irene as a catspaw of Moriarty in Sherlock is in large measure people superimposing an expectation of female roles which the text doesn't support.