Sherlock Rewatch: Season 2
Today my friend and I made it to season 2 of the amazing Sherlock. I believe that the writing not only got more skillful this season, but the editing and filming got more artful and creative.
Having established this as a modern adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories, the creators were less focussed on ensuring that modern aspects appeared in every shot, and this allowed them to really use the cameras to help tell the stories.
Another important thing to note about this season is that it explores the depth of the relationship between John and Sherlock, as well as showing a development in Sherlock's emotional capacity and his ability to express such things. He begins to discover, and admit, to love and friendship.
I'm hoping that by the time you're reading this you have actually seen season 1, so nothing that I say should be a surprise to you.
A Scandal in Belgravia
Ending their pool confrontation, Moriarty allows John and Sherlock to live when he receives a call with a better offer.
Afterwards, Sherlock gains some celebrity status through John's blog. Clients are now coming more often because they know of the site.
Sherlock is investigating the case of a man in a field who apparently died because of a car backfiring a distance away on the road.
And then the British secret service men take Sherlock (in a bed sheet), as well as John, to the palace to meet with Mycroft and a representative of the royal family. Miss Irene Adler, dominatrix and master manipulator, has some inappropriate photographs of her providing services to a young woman in the royal family. Sherlock needs to recover the camera phone containing these images. But he knows that Mycroft's involvement means that there is more on there.
Pretending to be a priest attacked in the street, Sherlock arrives at Irene's with John as a "witness to the crime". They set off the fire alarm to find the phone. And then American agents come in wielding guns demanding the phone. Now Sherlock knows that there are more important contents.
He and Irene will compete back and forth until the puzzle of what the phone contains is solved. There is so much more to this than even Sherlock realizes at first glance.
In the end, he will remember her only as the woman (the one who beat him, the only one he cared for, the one who got away).
I would like to thank this episode for co firming for us that brainy really is the new sexy.
The Hounds of Baskerville
Sherlock is desperate for good cases, but all he has is a little girl's rabbit that began to glow and then disappeared from its locked cage.
Then Henry Knoght comes. He explains that a hound killed his father about 20 years ago, but just last night he saw it again. Why does Sherlock take the case? Not because of the bizarre nature, but rather the use of the world "hound". And he realizes a connection to the missing bunny.
This turns into a bit of a psychological thriller as the boys go to the military base Baskerville, where some very secret experiments are happening, and as they explore the theories and myths surrounding the area of Dartmoor.
What is this creature, and how was it able to shake even Sherlock's nerves?
The Reichenbach Fall
Sherlock becomes famous for his detective work, particularly the Reichenbach case. He is making newspaper headlines.
Then Morairty makes his own headlines when he breaks into the Bank of London, the Crown Jewels, and Pentonville Prison simultaneously. Sherlock is called as a witness at Moriarty's trial. Yet the consulting criminal is found not guilty.
He comes to see Sherlock and admits that he blackmailed the jury. He also tell sAherlock that he owes the detective a fall (presumably from glory, but it turns out to be a much more literal fall).
While there he apparently plants in him the code that gave him access to all of those high-security places he broke into. Then he tells some of Europe's most dangerous criminals that Sherlock has it, and the move in near by. They all protect him, but if any come in contact with him, the others kill them.
Morairty then sets about destroying Sherlock's reputation. A kidnapping case of an ambassador's children in a Hansel and Gretel-esque scenario seems to pint to Sherlock just maybe being the culprit. Then Moriarty falsifies information to erase his existence and create an actor identity (Richard Brooks, or Reichenbach) and claims that Sherlock is a fraud and hired him to act as Moriarty.
Sherlock realizes that they are equals, similar in almost every way, and that for one to go down, the other must go down as well.
This episode is so terrifically frustrating and emotional, but extremely well done.
I believe this season to be, not necessarily better, but in many ways on a different level from the first. Of course nothing beats the original, but what Moftiss (Moffit and Gatiss) managed to do with it is extraordinary.
Things this season taught us:
Sherlock does have a heart - he admits his friendship to John, and is willing to admit that Moriarty's three targets are people he cares about and would not want to be responsible for killing.
John and Sherlock aren't gay - okay I just put this one because John says it A LOT!
Nothing makes a hard man soft like a little old woman - in every circumstance where Mrs. Hudson is at a risk of being hurt, offended, etc. the guys are right at her side and ready to defend her.
There's so much more, but I'll let you watch it for yourselves.
Disclaimer: this says "today" meaning Friday because that's when I began it. I apologize that I've been so busy.
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