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

Comments

[ponygirl2000]

As soon as I saw you'd posted I thought that you must have loved the messed up family dynamics. For all that Irene was great and that every character (except Lestrade) had a chance to shine, this was Mycroft's episode. They showed him as definitely being "the most dangerous man you'll ever meet," both a loving brother and likely a person who's inflicted a great deal of damage upon said brother. I loved the suggestion that whatever is going on between Sherlock and Moriarty it may just be part of a larger game between Moriarty and Holmes the elder. I think the key to Sherlock's likeableness here was that he came across as so very young, it was something the series hadn't shown since Study in Pink (and yes I am very worried too about the writing for the next two eps.), and goes a long way towards explaining why people like John and Mrs. Hudson care about him besides the brilliance - he's not done yet, and whatever he's becoming is being decided by his interactions with the others.

I am not quite as forgiving about the ending of the episode - my only major criticism of the show. I would have liked Irene's fate and motivations to be more ambiguous - I didn't think the "Sherlocked" was any sort of admission but rather a little joke should he ever figure it out, similarly an elevated pulse could be a result of the thrill of the game. I don't have any problem with Sherlock believing he had it all figured out but Irene should have demonstrated that real emotions are more nuanced, her rescue scene then pushed things over the edge for me, obviously meant to be fun but striking a camp note. Otherwise I am so happy and impressed with Moffat's work, he took the initial brilliant idea of the first series and really deepened and elevated it.

[selenak]

Agreed on both this being the best episode for Mycroft yet and Sherlock coming across as so very young. If they ever show their mother, she needs to be played by Judi Dench, clearly.

[ponygirl2000]

I don't know, I think Mummy Holmes has to be French. Maybe Fanny Ardant?

[selenak]

This lady looks too young to be Mark Gatiss' mother, but I'm all for French actresses. shezan, who is still alive and available?