In much the same way that Sherlock's first season sagged somewhat in the middle, "The Hounds of Baskerville" is the least remarkable of this year's adaptations. Holmes and Watson don't buy into the urban legend of the beast or the nefarious goings-on at that British equivalent of Area 51, but they mount an investigation just the same, and what they uncover rattles the detective to his core. That hound has gotten to be somewhat of a local legend think Nessie on the moors. Henry Knight (Russell Tovey) looked on helplessly decades ago as his father was mauled to death by some sort of hulking beast on the outskirts of that facility, and those memories have once again started to consume him. This heavily updated version, retitled "The Hounds of Baskerville", resculpts the titular Baskerville into a government research facility. The Hound of the Baskervilles is, it rather goes without saying, the best-known and most widely-adapted of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. Much like the character of Adler herself, "A Scandal in Belgravia" is elusive, wildly unpredictable, and never less than compelling. What Holmes is tasked to solve at the outset is essentially unrecognizable by the end, as layer after layer after layer is gradually stripped away. Setting that dynamic aside for a moment, "A Scandal in Belgravia" also delivers the most elaborate and manically paced mystery of the entire run of the series. Especially with the way in which she has been brought to life by Lara Pulver, it's not the leastīit difficult to see why Holmes would find Adler so wholly and completely entrancing. Maintaining control is central to her life and her chosen career, and Adler is readily able to defeat Holmes in a way he never has been before. No matter what strategies Holmes devises, Adler long ago has taken measures to shrug them aside, and the relentless oneupsmanship between the two of them is a thrill to watch unfold. Moriarty plagues Holmes with unanswerable questions and insurmountable obstacles, and the challenge is in overcoming the impossible. Both seasons of Sherlock routinely pit the inhumanly brilliant detective against worthy adversaries - wouldn't be much of a series, after all, if Holmes had it easy - but Irene Adler in particular makes for a fascinating antagonist. I couldn't hope for a more spectacular start to this long-awaited season than "A Scandal in Belgravia". Sherlock is outmatched, and, as he discovers that his isn't the only government with Adler in their crosshairs, he soon realizes he's outgunned as well. He's unable to get any sort of a read on her, and every measure Holmes has taken to ensure victory spills all over her bedroom floor in embarrassment. Adler counters the detective at every turn. With his trademark supreme confidence, Sherlock announces that he'll have the photos back in a matter of hours, but he all too quickly finds that in Irene Adler he has met his match. Among them is a member of the Royal Family, and Buckingham Palace enlists Holmes' assistance in staving off yet another scandal. Here, she's a scheming dominatrix who's amassed a sprawling collection of compromising photos with her wealthy and powerful clients. "A Scandal in Belgravia" introduces Irene Adler (played here by Lara Pulver) to this incarnation of Sherlock.
Sherlock season 2 review series#
As strong as that first series was, season two somehow manages to be better still. As for those who've already been initiated, rest easy that this sophomore season of Sherlock builds off the strengths of its fantastic, if slightly uneven, first year. Those who missed out on the brilliance of that initial season - Sherlock's incendiary wit, its dazzling visual flair, that extraordinary chemistry between Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman), and, of course, several first-rate mysteries - would do well to start there instead. "A Scandal in Belgravia", the first of these three feature-length updates of classic Sherlock Holmes stories, picks up immediately where the previous season finalé's cliffhanger left off. Of course, anyone reading this review doesn't need a hard sell. The second season of Sherlock delivers more of the same, and honestly, that's the highest possible compliment I can think to give. "People do come to you for help, don't they, Mr. "Why? You have a police force of sorts.even a marginally secret service. "A matter has come to light of an extremely delicate and potentially criminal nature, and in this hour of need, dear brother, your
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