Sherlock (Season 2)

Sherlock and Watson barely make it out alive after their first meeting with the criminal mastermind Jim Moriarti, who receives a phone call and leaves before having them executed by his snipers.

Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older, disapproving and very powerful brother calls on Sherlock and Watson to help retrieve photos from the infamous dominatrix Irene Adler (Lara Pulver). Sherlock and Irene clash from the start and their chemistry is obvious, but they clash heads because Irene is not willing to give away the information she claims keeps her alive and safe from vengeful rich and powerful clients. Sherlock acquires the phone, but another obstacle waits: unlocking the booby-trapped phone without accidentally destroying the memory card in it. Irene betrays Sherlock in a terrible way, and it foils a counter-terrorism operation the British Government has been planning for ages. Mycroft is furious and is now being blackmailed by Irene, but Sherlock manages to decipher her very surprising password. Irene flees and is later presumed dead, and Watson and Mycroft are worried to tell Sherlock what happened to her, although they do not know that Sherlock knows exactly what happened to Irene.

Henry Knight (Russell Tovey) contacts Sherlock for help in his father’s death. Henry saw his father die as a child and is sure that the man was murdered by an escaped genetically modified hound that was “grown” at a Ministry of Defence testing site in Baskerville. Sherlock and Watson agree to investigate and find themselves in Dartmoor, a town which is flourishing under the tourist trade the “hound” created. As time progress, both Sherlock and Watson start to believe the rumours of the Hound, and Sherlock is particularly upset that he can’t explain this away with his logic. Detective Lestrade also shows up and together the three gentlemen start investigating if what they are seeing is in actual fact, true.

Moriarti is finally back after disappearing for a while, and he enters the public eye in a most fascinating way. Immediately arrested, he begins taunting Sherlock once more and soon Sherlock must not only work to offset the chaos Moriarti creates and protect the people he loves, he must also work to save his name, because Moriarti is the only man as sharp as Sherlock and therefore one of the only possible people to ever outsmart him, and Moriarti is using every case Sherlock did to turn Sherlock to shame. Will Sherlock be able to finally outsmart his most dangerous enemy?

Rating: 8.5/10

I have to admit that while I enjoyed season one, I really did not really understand why everyone was raging about the series. I had some form of emotional detachment (or maybe it was just sheer exhaustion) going on, and didn’t really connect, especially with the first episode.

Season 2 was amazing. Freeman and Cumberbatch once again lead the show with brilliant finesse and impeccable performances. I can’t decide who is better in here – they are both so perfect for their respective roles. The best about their relationship is that Watson is a doctor – a profession that can be argued as the most intelligent of our professions – and yet Sherlock still sees him as average minded. The funniest is that people suspect them of being “together”, and how they just learned to live with it.

Moriarti – is this perhaps the villain of the century? A villain who is cruel is repulsive; a villain who is smart is fascinating. Andrew Scott fascinated me with his performance – his facial expressions, the voice that kept changing, and the sheer madness that radiated from his entire being. The last episode was a killer! I think I may have been as stressed with the final capturing of Red John as I was with this.

Things I loved about Season 2

So, I complained about the length of the episodes of Season One in my first review, but surprisingly enough it didn’t bother me in the second season in the slightest. Each episode had an enormous amount of things going for it, the story, the characters, and the drama.

Benedict Cumberbatch is as gorgeous and talented as usual. I really wish that he never takes on a mediocre role; such talent should not be wasted on trivial matters. His portrayal as Sherlock Holmes is so perfect, he really looks like a highly functioning sociopath and I can listen to his voice until the end of time.

Mark Gatiss: Mycroft Holmes is SO British. I love his character ridiculously much, the way his face sets in lines of disapproval automatically with Sherlock is hysterical to see. Mycroft is obviously incredibly important and he certainly knows it, and yet he still has that sweet spot for his brother he allows no one to see.

Andrew Scott: aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh I loved Jim Moriarti so much. He is still as mad as a hatter and completely off his rocker; he is the brilliant masterminded criminal we have been waiting for on the small screen for decades.

Martin Freeman: I feel if I don’t say anything about him it would be so unfair. He is still probably my favourite character in the show. He has endless patience, but when it snaps he is epically funny. I love his military stance and his incredible heart and understanding for the things Sherlock can’t begin to comprehend, human emotions and the soul behind everything.

Episode three gave all the feels: My nails and my heart will NEVER be the same again. Without giving too much away I was incredibly worried that they would do something and make the next season about previous events and I was like HELLLLLLLLLLL no this would be the equivalent of killing Tyrion Lannister. That episode had be laughing, stressing, tearing up and gaping in horrified silence at the screen and feeling feelings for Sherlock and what he was going through.

Molly is like fungi: Yep, I compared a perfectly nice person to green goo, but hear me out: this character started out as a silly little girl with an enormous crush on a man that really wasn’t noticing her (I am sure most of us has felt like that some time or another) but she evolved and showed her true colours, which were honest and loyal.

Things I didn’t like:

Pffft, don’t even play. I loved it all and am already planning to rewatch!

August 25, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Watson, Mark Gatiss, Martin Freeman, Moriarti, Reviews, Series, Sherlock Holmes 4 Comments