Sherlock Series 2 Episode 1: A Scandal in Belgravia
So, 7 months since my last post and I'm talking about fandom. Mostly because it's easier than talking about real life. A post about that's in the works. For now, know I'm alive, more or less OK, and relatively happy.
The conclusion of the pool scene was bizarre enough but a bit anticlimactic. Moriarty simply walks out after taking a call from The Woman. I was amused by the back and forth between Sherlock and Moriarty while he answered the phone, but… I'm not impressed, really. Something more inventive ought have happened. Or at least Sherlock ought have demanded Moriarty pay attention to the issue at hand.
That Bit at Buckingham Palace
This is one of my favorite scenes in the episode.
I love that Sherlock seems bored with the whole affair until it's clear Irene Adler just wants Her Majesty to know she is no one to trifle with. Particular favorite portions of the scene: 1. Sherlock goes to the palace - knowingly - in only a sheet. 2. John checks Sherlock out. 3. The giggling. Because it really IS that ridiculous. 4. The bit about the lighter. They got much much better at portraying Sherlock's deductive process and how quick and marvelous his mind really is.
Meeting Miss Adler
I'm impressed that Adler is gay and has a partner. Karen is clearly NOT the maid and Irene is rather attached to her. I disliked that Irene's power play was to greet the boys nude, though she does look good in Sherlock's coat. I wasn't sure what to make of the Americans bursting in, but I liked Adler's booby trap.
Jabbing Sherlock at the end with the sedative to get her phone back was underhanded but clever. It's a little unbelievable that she would have syringes pre-loaded with sedative and 16g needles for "loads of friends" and not have a) her staff trained in fighting, b) an alarm system that was easy to trigger, say, by remote carried with each staff person, or c) better security on her house. Her personal preparedness for danger doesn't quite add up with her staff's inability to protect her and an apparently caring/loved partner.
I did like Sherlock's drugged hallucination and Adler's brief appearance to tell him the answer to the riddle of the bludgeoned hiker and return his coat. Some of the drugged state was a bit overacted when he was interacting with John, but it was overall well-done. It's just.. Cumberbatch seems too stiff when he's still half off his face. Also, I want a clip of the video of drugged!Sherlock.
Christmas
Sherlock The Enormous Prick is out in force a the small party. He makes rampant deductions of unpleasant circumstances about all his friends and loved ones present. He doesn't realize he's overstepped at all until he is finishing mocking Molly (who I barely recognized in the dress and updo) for wanting to impress a man when he discovers it's all for him.
I don't believe from the rest of the party that John and his girlfriend are that poorly off, so the frustrated break-up is not entirely believable. They're not far along, and Sherlock is obviously in a particularly offensive mood. It's understandable that she's annoyed with Sherlock, but not that she'd object to John helping his friend and flatmate remain sober on an exceptional Bad Night. Only at the very end is it brought up that John himself has trouble keeping the details straight. It fulfills a necessary plot point, but I think it could have been better done.
As for the Morgue scene to ID Adler, Sherlock is once again a callous berk but this time more from grief. Still, for all his tenderness to Molly after he hurt her feelings earlier in the evening, he shatters her again and Mycroft is no help at all. I did like Sherlock's complaint about the low-tar cigarette and Mycroft's retort that he didn't know her very well. I also thought the dialogue about family was realistic and a bit touching. It's clear that the brothers, for all their bickering, care for each other.
Irene's Not Dead Yet Meeting with John
It's a bit unbelievable that Irene is really a dominatrix for half of everyone Sherlock comes into contact with and the government. Not!Anthea too? Really? It's not I don't believe such a sweet-looking girl can't have wicked sexual proclivities. It's that it seems half of everyone is Adler's client.
Content-wise, it's poignant, and by the end of the scene my heart aches for both of them. I do wonder that Sherlock even got there. Maybe he followed John? Couldn't let John out of his sight once he was feeling he loss of Irene's attentions? I like that Irene and John acknowledge the flexibility of sexuality and attraction when it comes to individuals. John's dated a string of girls to help him forget his apparently unrequited devotion to his flatmate, and Irene as a gay woman is attracted to the cleverest person she has ever met.
The Break-In, or Harming Mrs. Hudson
This was an absolutely riveting scene. Sherlock sees the signs of a break-in and deduces from the evidence on the stairs that Mrs. Hudson is being held hostage upstairs. You can see the calm rage take over him when he sees that They Hurt Mrs. Husdon. I agree with my friend AngelZash that the sociopath comes forward in this scene. Most people would be able to simply subdue the attacker and wait for the police to show up and cart him away, but Sherlock throws him from the window. The first time, it's a bit funny. By the end, Lestrade is a bit horrified at how he was apparently dragged back upstairs and thrown out again and again. He's cheeky about asking Sherlock, but the answer is cold and remorseless.
The resolution that evening, showing Mrs. Hudson to be a right BAMF, is lovely and heartwarming. It's clear that there are some people Sherlock does in fact care for, and Mrs Hudson has his highest regard.
Bond Air
God, Sherlock, you stupid stupid man. Adler shows up playing damsel in distress, and of course because she is The Woman he must oblige her and put her in his dressing gown. He decodes the secret in the email in her phone and derails an international intelligence operation. Because Irene says, "Go ahead. Impress a girl." And he so desperately wants to. I wish he knew more what to do with himself. I will say that he does the naiveté of someone who is thoroughly convinced he hasn't any feelings well. It's nearly too much that he startles out of his thoughts after a few hours to notice John isn't home. Once again, poor John. I hope he called a mate to pass the time rather than going off to feel sorry for himself.
I don't like that in the end Irene is undone by her own desire. She is a confident businesswoman and a shrewd negotiator, yet the passcode on her phone has been making eyes at her the whole time. It's a bit unrealistic. In addition, the signs Sherlock notes are of arousal not specific of love. Maybe to go to "the dark side" Irene would require some extraordinary sentiment, but this scenario completely ignores the very human urge to shag someone through the mattress - just once - because that person is just that sexy. Someone as comfortable with her sexuality as Irene would be unlikely to mistake one for the other. Given the complexity of the rest of the plot, this solution feels cheap.
The Denouement
I appreciate that Mycroft and John try to be kind in giving Sherlock the story about Witness Protection in America instead of that she was dead. Of course he knows John is lying, not least of which is because of his many tells, and then there was the sequence in the desert. At first, caught up in the poignancy of the episode, I thought perhaps Sherlock had gone a bit mad and invented the vision of him saving her in Karachi. On second view, though, I think he was there and employed his skills to fool Mycroft into believing this time she was really dead. It's possible Mycroft wouldn't bother to check on his little brother's whereabouts for a bit, or that Sherlock went to quite some trouble to cover his tracks.
It's not actually a terribly satisfying ending for me. I suppose it's uplifting that Irene lives, and it's vaguely plausible that Sherlock could have been there to rescue her, but it's also rather deus ex machina. She might have better been more clever than the terrorists by bargaining or saved by Moriarty's cunning.
As for characterization, overall, I think Irene Adler is portrayed as a weaker and less clever character than she ought to be. She comes across as a reasonably clever, extremely manipulative power-player who uses sex as a weapon as much as for pleasure. It's all a game until her life is threatened. Sherlock is intrigued by her overtures, probably in part because no one else has ever been quite so overt. My heart breaks for John, in the same position as poor Molly in being ignored even as they are both rather desperately in love him. At least Molly got a consolation kiss.
I was glad to see Mycroft developed more as a character, and for Sherlock to see some negative consequences for being so vocal about his deductions. I like John being strong enough after nearly a year of being Sherlock's flatmate and colleague to tell Sherlock to shut up and mean it. I like how we see that Sherlock, while definitely damaged (as Irene says) does care, just keeping the sentiment to a few people. And I liked that we saw that while Sherlock takes John for granted, he does care for him a great deal.
I'm watching the second episode (Hounds of Baskerville) now. I might review that later, but I'm really hoping there's less emotional baggage with that one for me. Ep 3 (Reichenbach!) airs in the UK tomorrow, ad I expect that one to be fraught.
This entry was originally posted at http://silversliver.dreamwidth.org/6765.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
The conclusion of the pool scene was bizarre enough but a bit anticlimactic. Moriarty simply walks out after taking a call from The Woman. I was amused by the back and forth between Sherlock and Moriarty while he answered the phone, but… I'm not impressed, really. Something more inventive ought have happened. Or at least Sherlock ought have demanded Moriarty pay attention to the issue at hand.
That Bit at Buckingham Palace
This is one of my favorite scenes in the episode.
I love that Sherlock seems bored with the whole affair until it's clear Irene Adler just wants Her Majesty to know she is no one to trifle with. Particular favorite portions of the scene: 1. Sherlock goes to the palace - knowingly - in only a sheet. 2. John checks Sherlock out. 3. The giggling. Because it really IS that ridiculous. 4. The bit about the lighter. They got much much better at portraying Sherlock's deductive process and how quick and marvelous his mind really is.
Meeting Miss Adler
I'm impressed that Adler is gay and has a partner. Karen is clearly NOT the maid and Irene is rather attached to her. I disliked that Irene's power play was to greet the boys nude, though she does look good in Sherlock's coat. I wasn't sure what to make of the Americans bursting in, but I liked Adler's booby trap.
Jabbing Sherlock at the end with the sedative to get her phone back was underhanded but clever. It's a little unbelievable that she would have syringes pre-loaded with sedative and 16g needles for "loads of friends" and not have a) her staff trained in fighting, b) an alarm system that was easy to trigger, say, by remote carried with each staff person, or c) better security on her house. Her personal preparedness for danger doesn't quite add up with her staff's inability to protect her and an apparently caring/loved partner.
I did like Sherlock's drugged hallucination and Adler's brief appearance to tell him the answer to the riddle of the bludgeoned hiker and return his coat. Some of the drugged state was a bit overacted when he was interacting with John, but it was overall well-done. It's just.. Cumberbatch seems too stiff when he's still half off his face. Also, I want a clip of the video of drugged!Sherlock.
Christmas
Sherlock The Enormous Prick is out in force a the small party. He makes rampant deductions of unpleasant circumstances about all his friends and loved ones present. He doesn't realize he's overstepped at all until he is finishing mocking Molly (who I barely recognized in the dress and updo) for wanting to impress a man when he discovers it's all for him.
I don't believe from the rest of the party that John and his girlfriend are that poorly off, so the frustrated break-up is not entirely believable. They're not far along, and Sherlock is obviously in a particularly offensive mood. It's understandable that she's annoyed with Sherlock, but not that she'd object to John helping his friend and flatmate remain sober on an exceptional Bad Night. Only at the very end is it brought up that John himself has trouble keeping the details straight. It fulfills a necessary plot point, but I think it could have been better done.
As for the Morgue scene to ID Adler, Sherlock is once again a callous berk but this time more from grief. Still, for all his tenderness to Molly after he hurt her feelings earlier in the evening, he shatters her again and Mycroft is no help at all. I did like Sherlock's complaint about the low-tar cigarette and Mycroft's retort that he didn't know her very well. I also thought the dialogue about family was realistic and a bit touching. It's clear that the brothers, for all their bickering, care for each other.
Irene's Not Dead Yet Meeting with John
It's a bit unbelievable that Irene is really a dominatrix for half of everyone Sherlock comes into contact with and the government. Not!Anthea too? Really? It's not I don't believe such a sweet-looking girl can't have wicked sexual proclivities. It's that it seems half of everyone is Adler's client.
Content-wise, it's poignant, and by the end of the scene my heart aches for both of them. I do wonder that Sherlock even got there. Maybe he followed John? Couldn't let John out of his sight once he was feeling he loss of Irene's attentions? I like that Irene and John acknowledge the flexibility of sexuality and attraction when it comes to individuals. John's dated a string of girls to help him forget his apparently unrequited devotion to his flatmate, and Irene as a gay woman is attracted to the cleverest person she has ever met.
The Break-In, or Harming Mrs. Hudson
This was an absolutely riveting scene. Sherlock sees the signs of a break-in and deduces from the evidence on the stairs that Mrs. Hudson is being held hostage upstairs. You can see the calm rage take over him when he sees that They Hurt Mrs. Husdon. I agree with my friend AngelZash that the sociopath comes forward in this scene. Most people would be able to simply subdue the attacker and wait for the police to show up and cart him away, but Sherlock throws him from the window. The first time, it's a bit funny. By the end, Lestrade is a bit horrified at how he was apparently dragged back upstairs and thrown out again and again. He's cheeky about asking Sherlock, but the answer is cold and remorseless.
The resolution that evening, showing Mrs. Hudson to be a right BAMF, is lovely and heartwarming. It's clear that there are some people Sherlock does in fact care for, and Mrs Hudson has his highest regard.
Bond Air
God, Sherlock, you stupid stupid man. Adler shows up playing damsel in distress, and of course because she is The Woman he must oblige her and put her in his dressing gown. He decodes the secret in the email in her phone and derails an international intelligence operation. Because Irene says, "Go ahead. Impress a girl." And he so desperately wants to. I wish he knew more what to do with himself. I will say that he does the naiveté of someone who is thoroughly convinced he hasn't any feelings well. It's nearly too much that he startles out of his thoughts after a few hours to notice John isn't home. Once again, poor John. I hope he called a mate to pass the time rather than going off to feel sorry for himself.
I don't like that in the end Irene is undone by her own desire. She is a confident businesswoman and a shrewd negotiator, yet the passcode on her phone has been making eyes at her the whole time. It's a bit unrealistic. In addition, the signs Sherlock notes are of arousal not specific of love. Maybe to go to "the dark side" Irene would require some extraordinary sentiment, but this scenario completely ignores the very human urge to shag someone through the mattress - just once - because that person is just that sexy. Someone as comfortable with her sexuality as Irene would be unlikely to mistake one for the other. Given the complexity of the rest of the plot, this solution feels cheap.
The Denouement
I appreciate that Mycroft and John try to be kind in giving Sherlock the story about Witness Protection in America instead of that she was dead. Of course he knows John is lying, not least of which is because of his many tells, and then there was the sequence in the desert. At first, caught up in the poignancy of the episode, I thought perhaps Sherlock had gone a bit mad and invented the vision of him saving her in Karachi. On second view, though, I think he was there and employed his skills to fool Mycroft into believing this time she was really dead. It's possible Mycroft wouldn't bother to check on his little brother's whereabouts for a bit, or that Sherlock went to quite some trouble to cover his tracks.
It's not actually a terribly satisfying ending for me. I suppose it's uplifting that Irene lives, and it's vaguely plausible that Sherlock could have been there to rescue her, but it's also rather deus ex machina. She might have better been more clever than the terrorists by bargaining or saved by Moriarty's cunning.
As for characterization, overall, I think Irene Adler is portrayed as a weaker and less clever character than she ought to be. She comes across as a reasonably clever, extremely manipulative power-player who uses sex as a weapon as much as for pleasure. It's all a game until her life is threatened. Sherlock is intrigued by her overtures, probably in part because no one else has ever been quite so overt. My heart breaks for John, in the same position as poor Molly in being ignored even as they are both rather desperately in love him. At least Molly got a consolation kiss.
I was glad to see Mycroft developed more as a character, and for Sherlock to see some negative consequences for being so vocal about his deductions. I like John being strong enough after nearly a year of being Sherlock's flatmate and colleague to tell Sherlock to shut up and mean it. I like how we see that Sherlock, while definitely damaged (as Irene says) does care, just keeping the sentiment to a few people. And I liked that we saw that while Sherlock takes John for granted, he does care for him a great deal.
I'm watching the second episode (Hounds of Baskerville) now. I might review that later, but I'm really hoping there's less emotional baggage with that one for me. Ep 3 (Reichenbach!) airs in the UK tomorrow, ad I expect that one to be fraught.
This entry was originally posted at http://silversliver.dreamwidth.org/6765.html. Please comment there using OpenID.