Sherlock Season 2: A Scandal in Belgravia
Sherlock is back on TV and the most disappointing thing about it is knowing that in 3 weeks it'll all be over and then the rest of the year stretches out like an endless void of badly written dross. Well on TV over here at least.
Like most people I was worried that the second season wouldn't be able to match the first, but this episode proves that I shouldn't doubt Steven Moffat. I loved it.
No doubt there are people who are having issues with some of what happened in the episode. Five minutes on the Sherlock hashtag on Twitter last night after it ended made me very cross. I may be missing something but I'll try to give my opinion of what I saw and how it affected me.
The episode, as far as I can tell, is about love and sex and attraction. The basic ins and outs of the plot are quite simple, but then they are in the original story. Sherlock meets someone who manages to get the better of him and he's fascinated by that. Here it actually manages to say a lot about Sherlock's character, while sticking to that overall theme.
Sherlock is asexual. I don't think it's ever been more blatantly obvious that he's just not interested in sex. Mycroft, Irene and Moriarty all manage to get in a few digs about it, as though he's missing out on something, but Sherlock himself doesn't seem troubled by the fact. John doesn't understand it, but I think he's more understanding of Sherlock. He is attracted to Irene though, not in a physical sense, but as an intellectual equal and he cares about her because of that.
Irene on the other hand, is all about sex. Sex is her job, it's where she gets her power. She's not afraid of it or confused by it. She's comfortable with it, just as Sherlock is comfortable without it. Yes, she's gay, but she's attracted to Sherlock for the same reason he's attracted to her. He's a brilliant mind, a worthy opponent, and her attraction manifests itself in a physical way because that's who she is. It doesn't make her any less gay, just as Sherlock's fascination with her makes him any less asexual.
The other thing the episode manages to tie into this, is how very unimportant sex is when it comes to love. This one above all the others manages to show just how much Sherlock loves the people closest to him, even though I don't think he realises it. What he feels for Irene is sort of secondary to the obvious details revealed about his relationships with John and Mrs Hudson.
My favourite part of the episode was the scene where he arrives home to find Mrs Hudson being held at gunpoint and upon cataloguing her injuries, his observations about the intruder turn from everyday truths to how he can hurt the man the most.
Sherlock and John on the other hand, are quite obviously a couple. John's not gay, he doesn't want to have sex with Sherlock, which is good because Sherlock doesn't want to have sex at all, but they do love each other and the jealousy they both feel to people coming between them is overwhelming. Sherlock won't learn the names of John's girlfriends and happily insults them, knowing that (as is proved a few minutes later) John will always choose Sherlock over a date. John dislikes Irene to a sweetly amusing and even greater level, because he's never had any competition for Sherlock's attention before.
Basically, it's a love story proving that love doesn't mean sex.
Random observations:
- the exchange between Moriarty and Sherlock when he answers the phone by the pool. "Sorry!" I don't think it was an anti-climax. It was very in keeping with the tone of the show.
- the nods to the canon stories, especially The Geek Interpreter and The Speckled Blonde. Brilliant stuff. Someone mentioned (again on Twitter) that you can't make money from getting 2000 hits on a blog, completely missing the point. John's blog, like his stories in The Strand, make Sherlock famous and bring in business. I don't care if you've never read the stories (I haven't read them all), but surely that part is general knowledge. Ever seen the Granada series or that big blockbuster staring Robert Downey Jr? Or maybe just pay attention when they're talking?
- Mycroft and Sherlock's relationship and how that's being explored is very well done
- Sherlock managing to humiliate Molly was painful, but his apology was nicely done and again, a sign that he isn't as heartless as he'd like everyone to think
- Sherlock playing the violin. There is nothing sexier than that. Nothing.
- they managed to get Sherlock in a deerstalker and John in a flat cap. Bravo.
Like most people I was worried that the second season wouldn't be able to match the first, but this episode proves that I shouldn't doubt Steven Moffat. I loved it.
No doubt there are people who are having issues with some of what happened in the episode. Five minutes on the Sherlock hashtag on Twitter last night after it ended made me very cross. I may be missing something but I'll try to give my opinion of what I saw and how it affected me.
The episode, as far as I can tell, is about love and sex and attraction. The basic ins and outs of the plot are quite simple, but then they are in the original story. Sherlock meets someone who manages to get the better of him and he's fascinated by that. Here it actually manages to say a lot about Sherlock's character, while sticking to that overall theme.
Sherlock is asexual. I don't think it's ever been more blatantly obvious that he's just not interested in sex. Mycroft, Irene and Moriarty all manage to get in a few digs about it, as though he's missing out on something, but Sherlock himself doesn't seem troubled by the fact. John doesn't understand it, but I think he's more understanding of Sherlock. He is attracted to Irene though, not in a physical sense, but as an intellectual equal and he cares about her because of that.
Irene on the other hand, is all about sex. Sex is her job, it's where she gets her power. She's not afraid of it or confused by it. She's comfortable with it, just as Sherlock is comfortable without it. Yes, she's gay, but she's attracted to Sherlock for the same reason he's attracted to her. He's a brilliant mind, a worthy opponent, and her attraction manifests itself in a physical way because that's who she is. It doesn't make her any less gay, just as Sherlock's fascination with her makes him any less asexual.
The other thing the episode manages to tie into this, is how very unimportant sex is when it comes to love. This one above all the others manages to show just how much Sherlock loves the people closest to him, even though I don't think he realises it. What he feels for Irene is sort of secondary to the obvious details revealed about his relationships with John and Mrs Hudson.
My favourite part of the episode was the scene where he arrives home to find Mrs Hudson being held at gunpoint and upon cataloguing her injuries, his observations about the intruder turn from everyday truths to how he can hurt the man the most.
Sherlock and John on the other hand, are quite obviously a couple. John's not gay, he doesn't want to have sex with Sherlock, which is good because Sherlock doesn't want to have sex at all, but they do love each other and the jealousy they both feel to people coming between them is overwhelming. Sherlock won't learn the names of John's girlfriends and happily insults them, knowing that (as is proved a few minutes later) John will always choose Sherlock over a date. John dislikes Irene to a sweetly amusing and even greater level, because he's never had any competition for Sherlock's attention before.
Basically, it's a love story proving that love doesn't mean sex.
Random observations:
- the exchange between Moriarty and Sherlock when he answers the phone by the pool. "Sorry!" I don't think it was an anti-climax. It was very in keeping with the tone of the show.
- the nods to the canon stories, especially The Geek Interpreter and The Speckled Blonde. Brilliant stuff. Someone mentioned (again on Twitter) that you can't make money from getting 2000 hits on a blog, completely missing the point. John's blog, like his stories in The Strand, make Sherlock famous and bring in business. I don't care if you've never read the stories (I haven't read them all), but surely that part is general knowledge. Ever seen the Granada series or that big blockbuster staring Robert Downey Jr? Or maybe just pay attention when they're talking?
- Mycroft and Sherlock's relationship and how that's being explored is very well done
- Sherlock managing to humiliate Molly was painful, but his apology was nicely done and again, a sign that he isn't as heartless as he'd like everyone to think
- Sherlock playing the violin. There is nothing sexier than that. Nothing.
- they managed to get Sherlock in a deerstalker and John in a flat cap. Bravo.