TV review: SHERLOCK series 2 episode 1, A SCANDAL IN BELGRAVIA

Arriving in time for the New Year comes a second series of Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat’s wildly inventive Sherlock, which takes the classic stories from Arthur Conan Doyle and drops them directly in the hustle and bustle of modern London. 

Smartphones, blogs, laptops and fancy gadgetry all become part of the story-telling as Doyle’s clever creations are given a modern day spin. Leading all of this unlikely but massively successful creation are the odd couple of Benedict Cumberbatch as the genius yet friction-inducing eponymous detective, and Martin Freeman as his long-suffering army doctor companion, Doctor Watson.

The season starts where series one had left off, and thus in, quite literally, an explosive manner as Holmes and Watson are in a swimming pool room, face-to-face with Sherlock’s nemesis, the brilliantly dastardly Jim Moriarty. 

He is seconds, nay, nano-seconds from doing away with the pair of them when Moriarty receives a phonecall which pulls his attention away from the two and gives them a lifeline. We soon discover that this interruption comes from a darkly glamorous woman who makes her living as a high-class dominatrix. 

The Woman – as she will be called by Sherlock – takes centre stage as the narrative anchor of the entire episode. It is of course, the only person who has ever proved a match for Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler.

Irene Adler is played by young riser Lara Pulver, and from the moment we lock eyes with her on screen, we know we are witnessing someone special. Visually striking, she possesses a striking presence and a voice that effortlessly exudes the allure of a classic femme fatale. 

It was an important call in casting one of the fiercest female literary creations and the show’s producers could have easily opted for the safe option and gone for a more mainstream star. Instead, they put faith in Lara Pulver and she has repaid them handsomely with a incredible confident performance that exudes sex and more than holds her own against the show’s talented and experienced lead actors.

The episode, A Scandal in Belgravia, is loosely based around the Conan Doyle short story A Scandal in Bohemia. 

Except now, Irene Adler is reimagined a dominatrix who specializes in whip-play rather than an opera singer, and she has a collection of photos on her camera-phone rather than one bulky photo. These photos are of Adler with a prominent member of the Royal Family, prompting Mycroft to enlist his little brother (whose relationship with is the very definition of love/hate) and Dr Watson to go get those pictures back.

Along the way, there are twists and turns aplenty. I was blown away by the ingenuity of the first series with how it subverted the Sherlock blueprint and managed to use modern day technology as part of the story-telling and detective process, and wasn’t sure if it would feel quite as fresh this time. Reality? It felt better. 

Doctor Watson’s keeping a blog is an amusing sub-plot. There is one terrifically crafted scene in which Sherlock Holmes, now somewhat of a C-list celeb due to said blog, is photographed by the paparazzi, and a stream of photos which find their way to broadsheet papers, including The Guardian. It is wonderfully filmed and offers a witty critique of our modern cultural obsession with the media.

As far as awkward, rude detectives go, this is also the first time Sherlock has shown any semblance of romantic intrigue. Irene Adler is stunning to look at, no question about it, but what really draws Holmes to her is her intellect. She is always three steps ahead of the chess game – each of her phones, combinations etc have two PINS – one which will open the safe and one which will alert the police. Even when you think she’s reached the end of the road and run out of lives, she manages to surprise you. 

There is one scene in which she half-seduces Sherlock by leaning into his space. It plays out as one of the most intensely erotic sequences I have seen in TV – yet no kissing or sex took place.

The first episode of Sherlock had everything I could possibly have wanted from a TV show and more. 

• A showdown in Buckingham Palace? Check. 
• Some kick-ass fighting? Check. 
• Retribution for some of the goons who hassled poor Mrs Hudson? Check. 
• A fascinating glimpse into the covert intelligence games played during the war? Check. 
• A password that had me baffled for the whole episode until the final, brilliant revelation? Checkmate. 

The acting was faultless, with the camaraderie and banter between Holmes and Dr Watson timed to perfection. Something that has always bothered me about Holmes, even if it's entirely within his character, is that he never gives Dr Watson the credit he deserves for everything he does for him. This is exhibited here, when poor Dr Watson loses yet another girlfriend due to his need to protect Sherlock. 

The script was a work of genius, and I have to tip my hat to Gatiss and Moffat. All in all, the show was an absolute triumph. Next Sunday now seems an age away.

Grade: A+

To read more of my TV and film reviews, please click here.