A Scandal in Belgravia (Spoiler Free)

In terms of a great start to a new year, I think it will be difficult for any year henceforth to top the start of 2012 for me. Why is that? Well, let's just say, if you don't watch the BBC TV Series "Sherlock", the stabs in the jugular vein are going to be even more violent and excruciating. Happy New Year everybody! Enjoy it because for all we know, there might not be another year after this one if the Mayans are right.

In any case, what did happen was that the first episode of the new series of "Sherlock" premiered in the UK on BBC on the 1st of January. In other words, there can hardly be a better way to start the New Year. And it takes on one of the most famous stories in the Sherlock Holmes Canon - A Scandal in Bohemia which introuces one Irene Adler.

In the story, she is described as such by John Watson (this matters as we'll see):-

"To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself in a false position. He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They were admirable things for the observer — excellent for drawing the veil from men's motives and actions. But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental results. Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his. And yet there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable memory."

Now, the key thing here is that this was written from the perspective of John Watson. While Watson obviously knew Holmes better than anyone else, we should be open to the possibility that he could have been wrong about certain things. And I think, this episode of Sherlock explores exactly that - In "A Scandal in Belgravia", the theme of the episode is simply "Can Sherlock Holmes love?"

When you watch (not if, I'm assuming you're going to watch this), you'll notice that there are a host of people in this episode for whom Sherlock Holmes could conceivably love, be it romantic or platonic or familial. There's Watson. There's Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother. There's Mrs Hudson, Sherlock Holmes' landlady and pretty much foster mother. There's Molly Hooper, Holmes' assistant in his lab. And of course, there's Irene Adler.

Now, the first season was essentially establishing the great brain of Sherlock Holmes. The swift deductions, the logic and reason, the photographic memory, all that stuff. But, it seemed to me that this episode (and perhaps the other 2 for this second series) sought to establish the heart of Sherlock Holmes.

Take this quote from Watson in "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs" -

"It was worth a wound–it was worth many wounds–to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation."

The line of a "great heart as well as of a great brain" goes explored in this episode. Which makes it absolutely brilliant. And it goes beyond stuff like the acting (top notch from Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Lara Pulver, Mark Gattis and Una Stubbs), the canonical references, the creative use of showing Holmes' intellect and deductive skills without actual explication of words, the audacious manner in which the standoff of Season 1 was concluded, the witticism on show (Best line: "I dislike being outnumbered. It makes for too much stupid in the room"). Beyond all of that.

It points to the very essence of Sherlock Holmes. What is the heart behind the head? And how great is that heart? To me, the best TV episodes are those which seek to explore the theme and the essence of a character. And "A Scandal in Belgravia" does exactly that. A must-watch. And you know what. If you don't watch this, I will not just stab you in the jugular. Let's just say I'll do what Michael Madsen would have done to Marvin in Reservoir Dogs had Mr Orange not interfered.