Once upon a time there was a TV show and it went like this:
![](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdj98JFm71qiea0v.gif)
And there was a fandom for this TV show and it was like this:
(Especially #bakerstreet)
And the people on it were all like:
But that didn't matter because it always had this:
Right now, though, it's like this:
Click to view
So: Irene is pretty, some American journo thinks Irene and Sherlock have a sex scene together, and they're not releasing till 2012. Cocking hell.
My take? The BBC are notoriously unreliable about release dates. Martin Freeman is currently dividing his time between the UK and NZ (I know how he feels), making filming go all over the place. It would be difficult for the producers to make the series for the original deadline and I for one, would much rather have a very well made show rather than a rushed one.
As to Irene? Well, in the original Scandal, Holmes tried to infiltrate Irene by pretending to be an elderly clergyman. This is sort of infeasible and totally out-of-keeping with Sherlock's current feel as a modernisation. It would actually make sense for Sherlock to try and seduce Irene to the same ends. We have already seen from canon (both original and within the show) that he is not above manipulating people like that - poor sweet Molly and Charles Augustus Milverton's maid (to whom he was briefly engaged) both spring to mind here.
Just... Chill guys. Moffat and Gatiss are fans. They like the bromance, and are doing incredible things with the canon whilst showing the huge respect they have for it. BC has been insisting that Sherlock is ace since he found out about rule 34. Remember that moment of despair where we thought it was going to be all about the Amy/Eleven and then it wasn't? Yeah.
And, well. There's always fanfic.