Not really. I just love Jim.
So, "Scandal in Belgravia" is hands-down one of my all-time favorite episodes of any television show anywhere. It's just so brilliant. And I'll explain why.
First, if you don't appreciate good cinematic juxtaposition, shame on you. The clever way in which Sherlock and Irene Adler mirror one another here is just such a lovely touch on the director's part. She looks at images of a sheet-clad Sherlock as he flips through surveillance photographs of her/her website. When they get ready for their meeting, he adds a "touch of color" by having John punch his face; she asks for "blood" red lipstick to be applied. Both have doting (to the point of sexuality questioning) sidekicks - John and Kate - who assist them in their preparations. They've both got flamboyant taste in wallpaper and a penchant for recreational drugs.
They're totes meant for one another.
Obviously, this one has to start with the resolution to last season's cliffhanger. It's not even a question. But I think that, too, is clever as it introduces us to the link between Moriarty and Irene Adler as well as reminds the reader that Moriarty may be off screen but he is certainly not gone.
We are also very early reminded of the oft-repeated line: you see but you do not observe.
Clearly, we are all missing something.
Personally, I'm struck by one of Mycroft's lines here. He mentions that "We are in Buckingham Palace; the very HEART of the British nation. Sherlock Holmes, put your trousers on!"
And, of course, since I've watched each episode now about 23 times, I'm reminded of Jim's lines about "burning the very HEART" out of Sherlock. This is just helping my sister's theory, but what if that's the goal here? Turning Sherlock against England/preventing the consulting detective from using his powers for good? Moriarty, after all, would have no use for a genius detective who plays "on the side of the angels".
This episode also reiterates that often times the writers rely on previous tactics. Sherlock uses the "if a mom hears an alarm" trick to figure out where Irene Adler is keeping her cellphone. This is eerily similar to the first episode in the series when he gets Jeff Hope to talk about his children and his impending death. As he does, Sherlock notes on which bottle his eyes fall; Sherlock is able to choose a bottle based on this unintentional revelation.
Most of this episode is the back-and-forth between Irene and Sherlock. It's the stuff psychotic love affairs are made of. I'm not going to get too much into that, as I'm really just trying to stick to observations that will assist in bettering my understanding of the events of "The Reichenbach Fall."
Observations:
1. Faking a death - Sherlock has done it before and can do it well enough to 'fool' Mycroft. Whatever his motives are - fucked up love feelings or bigger picture criminal web takedown - we need to believe that Sherlock is capable of fooling the British government into thinking anyone is dead. For obvious reasons. I should note that he does it with and without Molly's help. She isn't necessary, although she can be an asset if need be.
2. Stayin' Alive - This series is so interesting because it foils both Adler and Sherlock and Moriarty and Sherlock. Perhaps to suggest they are both his equals in different capacities, but there must be something deeper going on here. Moriarty's ring tone, however, is one of those genius little nods here - Holmes plays Bach as his thinking music. It thus makes perfect sense that his arch-nemesis and brilliant yang counterpart would list to the BeeGees off his cell phone. Is that the final problem? How do you stay alive when you're a Sherlock Holmes or a Moriarty, surrounded by the ordinary, and bored, quite literally, out of your wits?
3. Germany! - It's back and bigger than ever! The Dusseldorf case, for example. My preoccupation with Germany can continue!
4. I think we need to consider Sherlock's boneheaded play when "cracking" the code from the Ministry of Defence official for Irene. The simple, therefore most likely right way, to read this is, of course, an extension of what Mycroft says: a man whose never romantically met his equal before showboats a little, to impress her. I don't know if I buy. Yes, Sherlock is able to figure out Adler's "SHER"-locked key code and save the day, temporarily, but once more, he seems to make life pretty easy for mischief-making Jim M. This is similar to what happens on the rooftop in The Reichenbach Fall when Sherlock seemingly gives Moriarty the wrong solution and has to scramble to "save" face. If my sister's theory is correct, Sherlock must be willing to sacrifice his ties/loyalty to England, at least superficially, in order to infiltrate Moriarty's web. Giving away crucial information about the MoD would probably be one way to demonstrate new loyalty. Or at least a moral flexibility that would be appealing to Moriarty's crew. Of course, if we were going to look at this another way (because, you know, WHY NOT), it's, as I say, a pretty fucking boneheaded thing to do, even for a hot chick (clearly, Sherlock isn't familiar with the old "Don't be dumb; keep mum!" posters from WWII). If I were a powerful criminal mastermind, I'd probably not what someone who accidentally gives away top secret information to someone in a bathrobe.
Hole Poking in Own Theory: Mycroft's reaction to news his plan has been foiled seems pretty genuine. If he's in cahoots with Sherlock, there's no need for him to react this way. Unless we assume he's under surveillance too, which, considering Moriarty infiltrates Scotland Yard isn't unheard of.
5. "Looking takes ages; I'm just going to find them." I feel like this is a metaphor for what all the Sherlock fans are doing before the new season begins. A very extended metaphor.
6. The cigarette - Much is made of Sherlock's addiction in this episode. Mycroft gives Sherlock ONE cigarette, after Irene's first faked death, and warns John that tonight requires his constant vigilance in keeping Sherlock from slipping back into bad habits. In the next episode, Sherlock goes cold turkey, In The Reichenbach Fall, despite the highly stressful circumstances surrounding the plot, no major mention is made of Sherlock's addiction. Odd, no?
7. The Yellow Smiley Face - This should be something in The Great Game rewatch, but I just noticed it now. Obviously, Sherlock does this in a fit of boredom (sprays the wall with the paint from The Blind Banker). Later, in Reichenbach Fall land, when Moriarty writes Sherlock's name, he turns the O into a smiley face. Very similar to the one decorating Sherlock's walls. If my theory about Sherlock's apartment being under close surveillance from much earlier in Season One is correct, it makes sense that Moriarty would inform all those assassins of the code's location, and, perhaps, provide a clue with the face on the wall as well.
8. I keep thinking about the way Sherlock breaks down the hapless, overweight man whose car backfires in the beginning. This story is clever, but I like to think that it also shows us something about Sherlock and his ability to analyze a person's appearance rapidly. Then, look at what he does to Kitty Riley in The Reichenbach Fall. It's similar, but different. And we know Kitty is testing him and enjoying the exam process ("I'm liking you"). I'm wondering now if there is more than meets the eye to the strange appearance of Kitty Riley. Like she's inception-disguising - a journalist pretending to be a fan pretending to be a journalist. But is she more? We'll talk about her later, but keep that in mind. Especially since she goes the "fan" route and Jeff Hope tells Sherlock "you've got a fan" in the series's opener. Since the line "Disguise is always a self-portrait" gets repeated at the end here, we have to think about Kitty's fandom and the extent of it. She, like Jim, slips Sherlock her number. She also seems pretty keen to ruin him.
9. The American Beatdown and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Molly Hooper - Sherlock takes the abuse of Mrs. Hudson very, very poorly here. I don't blame him; she's awesome. And Sherlock's feelings seem entirely genuine. I don't doubt he does have those feelings, but, if he knows he's being watched, making sure whoever is watching associates his affection with the right people (Lestrade, John, and Hudson). Look at how coldly he treats Molly Hooper at Christmas. If he knows he's being watched, while he affords the poor girl a moment of sweetness in reparation, he must keep her at a distance if he will be able to use her later on when he needs her. Likewise, he has to make sure the person watching knows his softspots and weaknesses. Hence, throwing out Mrs. Hudson's abuser repeatedly out the window.
10. Trust. The word trust gets used a lot this season (Big Motif Warning!). So, do the words "ordinary" and "clever" and "bored". Moriarty tells Sherlock on the rooftop (Reichenbach) that Sherlock's big problem is that he always likes things to be so clever; and what is more clever this episode that cracking Irene's cute little "I am SHERlocked" password. As I've said before, the writers love a good pun. It's interesting here, too, in the sense of trust. Sherlock almost simultaneously
11. "Give him a puzzle and watch him dance" - Mycroft says this line on the plane. This is the exact same thing that the blind lady dummies to Sherlock, reading from Moriarty. In fact, the word puzzle here is particularly suspect since Moriarty, in Reichenbach, refers to "riddles" and "problems" - definitely not puzzles. Considering we meet Mycroft and he introduces himself as Sherlock's arch-enemy I feel like something else must be going on here. Unless Mycroft is simply parroting Moriarty as he's already worked out the trajectory of their relationship as well. Mycroft also says that Moriarty seems "almost desperate for [Mycroft's] attention." Whatever Moriarty's actual game is, it extends beyond just Sherlock.
12. Mycroft's reliance on Watson to do his emotional legwork. I find the Mycroft-John relationship fascinating. The strain between the Holmes's boys is fascinating, but the end of this episode always gets me. Why does Mycroft have John lie for him? And why tell John it's a lie? He must want Sherlock to know the truth (we've already seen that Sherlock can read John like a book in this episode; it follows logically he would know immediately when his "best friend" is lying to him). So, why go through the added step? Why not just tell Sherlock himself? Is it to help spare his feelings? To test John's loyalty to Sherlock? To give John access to information he might not otherwise be privy to? What's Mycroft's game here?
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