Sherlock 2 review – no spoilers, I promise…kind of
From the brilliant minds of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the UK eagerly awaits the ‘official’ word as to when Sherlock 2 will transmit on BBC One. While the U.S. date is confirmed for May 6, 2012 on PBS’ Masterpiece series, word circulating around as of today confirmed that there will be a 1 January, 2012 airdate on BBC One in everyone’s Christmas stocking this year beginning at 8:10p.
A number of lucky individuals gathered on Wednesday evening at the British Film Institute for a screening of episode one from the upcoming second series, “A Scandal in Belgravia”. Following the screening was a Q&A with series creators, Moffat and Gatiss, along with stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes) and Lara Pulver (Irene Adler).
We are extremely fortunate to be able to tap in to someone that was in attendance on Wednesday night who has offered a very detailed account of the screening event. The generous folks over at Cumberbatchweb, the unofficial website for Benedict Cumberbatch, offer the following review in as much detail as the law allows without any spoilers. The full review can be found on their tumblr page here. After reading even the beginning of their wonderfully detailed review below, I have already set the DVR for Sunday, May 6, 2012.
From Cumberbatchweb:
Sherlock – A Scandal in Belgravia is clever, witty, sexy, action packed, thrilling, intelligent, nuanced and just all round bloody brilliant telly. It’s something you’ll immediately want to watch again the second it finishes.
So Moriarty, Sherlock & John, a gun and a bomb? How ever could our intrepid heroes get out of that terrible pickle? Well, the resolution to the cliffhanger is dealt with swiftly and resolved in a fairly jaw dropping, audacious way which made the entire viewing audience burst into spontaneous applause. Witty, darkly funny, terribly clever and the credits hadn’t even rolled yet!
Cliffhanger over and done with the story proper begins with a clever modern re-working of A Scandal in Bohemia. And that of course means Irene Adler. Naughty Irene is in possession of some items the powers that be (represented by the mighty Mycroft) would like back and Sherlock is set the task of their retrieval. I’ll admit I’d been nervous about how Adler would be portrayed. I rather enjoyed Rachel Adams portrayal of Irene in the Sherlock Holmes movie but was less enamoured of RDJ’s Holmes mooning over her and did not much fancy the notion of Sherlock going all gooey eyed over Irene. So I was delighted at how much I absolutely adored the character.
In Lara Pulver’s incredibly capable hands Irene is sexy, fierce as hell, clever, calculating, amoral, flirty and brave. It’s a wonderfully nuanced performance. Pulver manages to make Irene both a master of manipulation and yet surprisingly vulnerable all at the same time. She commands every scene she is in and she holds her own against Cumberbatch and Freeman which is not an easy feat. Pulver is also gorgeous and has a wardrobe to die for (I may have audibly sighed with envy at a brief glimpse of Irene’s stunning wardrobe).
The rest of the review is sprinkled with such brilliant phrases as….
Irene’s first scene with Sherlock and John is an absolute delight….
The script for the episode is fantastic. Steven Moffat once again proves that he is a writer working at the very top of his game….
The episode is also a visual feast. It’s impossible to single moments out without spoiling but Paul McGuigan directs masterfully coaxing great performances from a cast which doesn’t have a single weak link….
Again, the full review can be found on the Cumberbatchweb tumblr page here. It’s a joy to read for Sherlock fans worldwide. Makes you wish it was simultaneously 1 January and May 6 on the same day. Kudos to Cumberbatchweb and thanks from a very jealous lot on this side of the pond.
