Thoughts on Sherlock...
So, spoilery spoilerness. Also this is a comment I posted on soupytwist's post about the same thing so some of my talking points are specific responses to points she raised in her own post. I was going to expand it but didn't have much to add. Would like to discuss though!
I have been largely baffled by the negative responses to this episode. I have no qualms with an asexual interpretation of this version of Sherlock, but I think we did see, not really a sexual attraction to Irene, but definitely a curiosity about it. And John, ohmigod. This was straight John? I saw a guy in the midst of a massive identity crisis. John is a guy who absolutely thinks he's straight, hence the string of girlfriends, but his absolutely seething jealousy was absolutely about sexual attraction. John hasn't really had to worry about his sexual identity with regard to Sherlock since Sherlock has seemed completely asexual. He could be in love with Sherlock and still be straight with no conflict. But the instant Sherlock allowed someone else into his personal space in a potentially sexual context he starts to melt down.
The biggest complaint I've seen has been about the ending and people feeling like it turned Irene into a damsel in distress. I would also find that annoying except that the very first thing that happens in the episode is that Irene saves Sherlock and John at the pool. Whether it was intentional or not, he owes her. I would have liked it better if they had played it like she had known he was there all along, but even so she's not really surprised to see him. As for who "won" the game they were playing, to me it seemed like a draw. So Irene was physically attracted to Sherlock. I'm not sure what that's supposed to prove. To me it's more indicative of a lack of understanding about the complexity of human sexuality on Sherlock's part than any sort of concession on Irene's. The password was too hilarious and to me was sort of a wry self-aware admission by Irene that she is fonder of Sherlock than she should be (and indicative of a love of terrible puns), but I didn't see it as proof that she's in love with him or that she's questioning her previously self-assured sexuality or anything. Besides, I do think Irene was successful in getting Sherlock to question his own sexual identity (or lack thereof). What he ultimately decides is beside the point.
I do think the writing on the show with regard to sexuality could certainly do with a little more finesse, and man I was pissed when they fridged Irene in the movie. I would have been more so if they hadn't made her so lame in the first movie. And the manpain barely makes any sense anyway since most of Holmes's actual emotional arc in the movie is all about Watson's marriage.
I also dislike the weird trope of mixing Irene and Moriarty. It doesn't make sense, but she's only in one story. Heck, Moriarty's only in two stories as a device to kill off Holmes. But since he's supposed to be such an overarching figure in the crime world and Holmes's arch enemy it does makes sense to make him a more constant figure with fingers in every pie. Same with Irene. Maybe I just need to watch the episode again, but to me it was unclear whether or not she was actually working for Moriarty. Or rather, she was working for him but it was unclear if this was a one time consulting job type thing that maybe got out of hand. Because she really didn't strike me as a minion in the ep. She wasn't like a female Sebastian Moran. She's more like Catwoman, on whichever side of the law suits her fancy at the time, a bit of playful banter with the hero that everyone knows is going nowhere, and never quite as well written as we would like.
ETA: A note on Irene's sexuality: She describes herself as gay but it is very clear that she takes on male clients as well as female and there are enough gay people who are capable of being physically aroused enough by the "opposite" gender to conceive children, so the fact that Sherlock was able to read signs of physical arousal in Irene while she was trying to seduce him proves exactly nothing. I think it is most likely a matter of failed understanding on the writer's part but I think it is more interesting to attribute it to a lack of understanding on Sherlock's part.
Fun fact: I have a new job at a bookstore and there is a children's series called The Adventures (I think) of Enola Holmes. It's about a genius mystery solving girl. I haven't had a chance to read any of it yet but it looks kind of awesome.
I have been largely baffled by the negative responses to this episode. I have no qualms with an asexual interpretation of this version of Sherlock, but I think we did see, not really a sexual attraction to Irene, but definitely a curiosity about it. And John, ohmigod. This was straight John? I saw a guy in the midst of a massive identity crisis. John is a guy who absolutely thinks he's straight, hence the string of girlfriends, but his absolutely seething jealousy was absolutely about sexual attraction. John hasn't really had to worry about his sexual identity with regard to Sherlock since Sherlock has seemed completely asexual. He could be in love with Sherlock and still be straight with no conflict. But the instant Sherlock allowed someone else into his personal space in a potentially sexual context he starts to melt down.
The biggest complaint I've seen has been about the ending and people feeling like it turned Irene into a damsel in distress. I would also find that annoying except that the very first thing that happens in the episode is that Irene saves Sherlock and John at the pool. Whether it was intentional or not, he owes her. I would have liked it better if they had played it like she had known he was there all along, but even so she's not really surprised to see him. As for who "won" the game they were playing, to me it seemed like a draw. So Irene was physically attracted to Sherlock. I'm not sure what that's supposed to prove. To me it's more indicative of a lack of understanding about the complexity of human sexuality on Sherlock's part than any sort of concession on Irene's. The password was too hilarious and to me was sort of a wry self-aware admission by Irene that she is fonder of Sherlock than she should be (and indicative of a love of terrible puns), but I didn't see it as proof that she's in love with him or that she's questioning her previously self-assured sexuality or anything. Besides, I do think Irene was successful in getting Sherlock to question his own sexual identity (or lack thereof). What he ultimately decides is beside the point.
I do think the writing on the show with regard to sexuality could certainly do with a little more finesse, and man I was pissed when they fridged Irene in the movie. I would have been more so if they hadn't made her so lame in the first movie. And the manpain barely makes any sense anyway since most of Holmes's actual emotional arc in the movie is all about Watson's marriage.
I also dislike the weird trope of mixing Irene and Moriarty. It doesn't make sense, but she's only in one story. Heck, Moriarty's only in two stories as a device to kill off Holmes. But since he's supposed to be such an overarching figure in the crime world and Holmes's arch enemy it does makes sense to make him a more constant figure with fingers in every pie. Same with Irene. Maybe I just need to watch the episode again, but to me it was unclear whether or not she was actually working for Moriarty. Or rather, she was working for him but it was unclear if this was a one time consulting job type thing that maybe got out of hand. Because she really didn't strike me as a minion in the ep. She wasn't like a female Sebastian Moran. She's more like Catwoman, on whichever side of the law suits her fancy at the time, a bit of playful banter with the hero that everyone knows is going nowhere, and never quite as well written as we would like.
ETA: A note on Irene's sexuality: She describes herself as gay but it is very clear that she takes on male clients as well as female and there are enough gay people who are capable of being physically aroused enough by the "opposite" gender to conceive children, so the fact that Sherlock was able to read signs of physical arousal in Irene while she was trying to seduce him proves exactly nothing. I think it is most likely a matter of failed understanding on the writer's part but I think it is more interesting to attribute it to a lack of understanding on Sherlock's part.
Fun fact: I have a new job at a bookstore and there is a children's series called The Adventures (I think) of Enola Holmes. It's about a genius mystery solving girl. I haven't had a chance to read any of it yet but it looks kind of awesome.