‘A SCANDAL IN BELGRAVIA’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Irene Adler with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and Martin Freeman’s Watson
‘A Scandal in Belgravia’ is the first episode of Series 2 of ‘Sherlock’. It’s based on the short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle called ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’ and is penned by series co-creator Steven Moffat.
I didn’t find this episode as hard-going as the previous episode ‘The Great Game’, but I still found some plotholes featured in it. There are quite a number of pointless aspects which don’t get proper payoffs. 😐
For example, I’m not sure what went on with the taxi driver; with someone being killed in the countryside and how it connects to Irene Adler and Moriarty. A lot of the exposition is really garbled.
Anyway, after Sherlock and Watson manage to get away with being killed by Moriarty, resolving the cliffhanger at the end of ‘The Great Game’, they’re able to carry on with their lives from 2011 into 2012.
Incidentally, I’m not sure how Moriarty and Irene Adler seem to know each other. She’s the one who told Moriarty not to kill Sherlock and Watson at the beginning. Why did she stop him from killing them? 😐
Also, I’m still not sure what Moriarty’s motives are in being Sherlock’s enemy? Why does he hate him? Is it power play? Does he like playing games with Sherlock? Not clear to me in the series so far.
I also found it strange that Moriarty would blow his text message into the sky after sending it on his phone. Who does that? Moriarty is a madman, but it’s a weirdly hilarious and ridiculous thing to do.
I’ve noticed a lot of Steven Moffat’s ego comes into these ‘Sherlock’ episodes as well as ‘Doctor Who’. He tries to inject humour into his episodes, but very often the humour is pretty mean-spirited.
Mind you, I found that ‘Hat-man and Robin’ joke very funny when Sherlock and Watson were becoming celebrities in crime-solving. I’ll give the episode a point for making me laugh at that joke. 🙂
The episode sees Sherlock confront Lara Pulver as Irene Alder, a dominatrix (sex worker) who has compromising photographs taken with a female member of the Royal Family. Oh, that’s what it was! 🙂
Yeah, I didn’t realise that when watching the episode because there was so much going on that it made me forget about it. We also don’t see the photos when Sherlock manages to unlock her mobile. 😐
I know I sound ignorant, but the episode moves at a very fast pace that I can’t keep up with everything that’s going on. If these episodes were 120 minutes instead of 90, maybe it’d be better. 😦
The episode sparked controversy, as it has Irene Adler…in the nude when Sherlock and Watson meet her. (wryly) Yeah, why not?! Again, another example of Steven Moffat’s ego coming to the fore here!
And again, I see what was going on in that scene since Sherlock couldn’t read her and she was like her greatest opponent yet. But you could have easily had her naked throughout the episode here. 😐
I will say this! Lara Pulver would make a really good Missy (female Master) in ‘Doctor Who’. I’m surprised Steven Moffat didn’t cast her instead of Michelle Gomez, since she would be intimidating.
The episode also showcases Sherlock Holmes coming up against an opponent whom he starts to fall in love with. This is clearly indicated when he keeps getting text messages a lot from her on his mobile.
I can’t say I’m very enamoured with Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Sherlock so far. Benedict’s still a good actor, but his Sherlock is often very rude to his clients when they come asking for his help.
Martin Freeman’s Watson is a character I greatly root for and sympathise with, since he’s more human compared to Sherlock. I still find Basil Rathbone more charming as Sherlock than Benedict. 😐
The cast also includes Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson, Rupert Graves as D.I. Lestrade, Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes, Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty and Louise Brealey as Molly Hooper (Ah, dear Molly).
Danny Webb as D.I. Carter, Andrew Havill as the Equerry, Todd Boyce as Neilson, Oona Chaplin as Jeanette, Nathan Harmer as Phil, Rosalind Halstead as Kate, and Peter Pedrero as Archer are in this. 🙂
Once again, I found this ‘Sherlock’ episode underwhelming. The ‘Sherlock’ episodes can be captivating in strange manners, but I find the episodes rely more on spectacle than on storytelling. 😦
By the way, this episode is directed by Paul McGuigan, who directed ‘A Study in Pink’ and ‘The Great Game’. I quite liked it when the episode’s plot did shift into Christmas and into the New Year here. 🙂
On Disc 3 of the complete ‘Sherlock’ DVD/Blu-ray box set, there’s an audio commentary on ‘A Scandal in Belgravia’ with Benedict Cumberbatch, Lara Pulver, series co-creator Steven Moffat, series co-creator Mark Gatiss and producer Sue Vertue.
‘A Scandal in Belgravia’ rating – 7/10
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