Sherlock’s first season was mostly about setting the table. It was phenomenal in that respect, and it also gave us plenty of entertainment, but the point of that season was to introduce Holmes to Watson, illustrate Mycroft’s role in things, and introduce the chaotic evil force that is Moriarty. Series 2’s challenge, then, is to progress the characters in an impacting and fundamental way. Sherlock meets that challenge head-on, once again delivering some of the most gripping, thrilling television in recent years.
In the season’s opening episode, “A Scandal in Belgravia”, we see the conclusion of the previous season’s cliffhanger, and then we jump right into the present. Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch), famous due to John Watson’s (Martin Freeman) blog, is bored. Everyone in England thinks they have a case for him, and while he takes many, few are compelling enough to draw him out of 221B Baker Street.
Holmes and Watson are hired by Mycroft to retrieve some salacious pictures of a royal family member, seemingly another boring job. This leads to an introduction to Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), a dominatrix who leverages such photos for valuable information, and who turns out to be the kryptonite to Sherlock’s powers of deduction. It’s a fascinating dynamic. While his attraction to Adler is certainly sexual (their chemistry is excellent), it’s also due to Adler being the cure for his intellectual boredom. Trying to unlock her phone may not be his most grandiose case, but it’s certainly the one that entertains Sherlock the most. This is Sherlock’s twisted version of a romance. Whether it’s the woman or the cloud of mystery surrounding her, Holmes is in his own version of love. It’s an excellent opening salvo for the season, because if you’re going to deviate from the Moriarty storyline that kind of hangs over everything, you better make it good. “A Scandal in Belgravia” does just that.
The middle episode, “The Hounds of Baskerville”, slips a bit. Holmes and Watson leave London to investigate one man’s report of large, demonic beasts roaming around the moors. It’s not a bad episode, but it seems more like filler than anything yet in this series. You get to see Holmes do his thing, and you can shake your head when Holmes uses an unwitting John in an experiment. This episode suffers perhaps because it feels like it can fit anywhere in the story. Perhaps it’s the purest episode, needing little or no knowledge of either character before, and affecting little to come next. Its best quality is its setting – getting the pair out of London for an episode was a good idea, and their interactions at the local inn are pretty fun. However, its mystery drags a bit and really feels like it belongs in a different show. It just seems a bit too convoluted and tired for such an inventive and fresh show.
For whatever dip the season endures with its middle frame, much like Series 1, it finishes on an extremely strong note. Instead of stringing along the Moriarty timeline for several seasons, it comes to a head in “The Reichenbach Fall”. This episode, like “The Great Game” in the previous season, is a thrill ride from beginning to end. From Moriarty’s brazen opening display of criminal access to his brilliant plan to discredit and ruin Sherlock Holmes, this episode is epic in its accomplishments. Many TV series manage to introduce compelling villains, but few know how to ultimately wrap things up with them. “The Reichenbach Fall” is one of the form’s greatest examples of the latter. Moriarty is dealt with, but there are drastic consequences.
And that’s really Moriarty’s greatest gift to the season. Holmes and Watson, while still prone to bickering, are much more of a happy couple than they were in Series 1. Their friendship was cemented by the pool in “The Great Game”, after all, when Moriarty tested Holmes’ affection for his flatmate. Now, Moriarty tests Watson’s, along with everyone else’s, faith in Sherlock Holmes. When that test is passed, Moriarty leaves Sherlock with one finals problem, and it creates all kinds of complications for the where the season ends – on yet another cliffhanger.
Series 2 is ultimately about testing those relationships and statuses formed in Series 1. Irene Adler tests Sherlock’s superpowers, and Jim Moriarty tests Sherlock’s complication of friendship – proving that he cares more for Watson, Mrs. Hudson, and Greg Lestrade more than he realized. Watching Sherlock struggle with these tests, trying to think his way past them, is the real joy of the season. Also, while John was arguably the protagonist of Series 1, we start to see things more through Sherlock’s perspective in Series 2. It makes for a fun and necessary shift, as Cumberbatch carries more of the emotional load over these 3 episodes.
Is It Watchlist Worthy?
Absolutely. Series 2 loses no steam from where Series 1 ended, giving you more of the same blend of the best of the genres of buddy comedy, mystery thriller, and detective procedural. It’s an entirely satisfying follow-up to its predecessor.