Sherlock (TV Series) - Season 2

Creators: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss
Written by: Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Stephen Thompson (based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) 
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman
Music: David Arnold, Michael Price
Time: 88 minutes (per episode)
Bottom-line: Unpredictable, stylish, thrilling... crime-solving at its best

Just when you thought Sherlock couldn’t get any better, it does! After a two-year gap, Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and crew return in the second series of Sherlock, the TV series about the legendary detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman reprise their roles as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson respectively. Two characters who are also a major part of the series are Mycroft Holmes (played by Gatiss), and Holmes’ arch-nemesis, Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott).

Cumberbatch as Sherlock

The first episode, A Scandal in Belgravia, begins from where the last episode of Season 1 ended – the showdown between Holmes and Moriarty. Few weeks later, Holmes receives a case through his brother Mycroft, about Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), a dominatrix who has valuable information in her mobile phone. How Holmes and Watson manage to retrace the secrets in Adler’s phone, and the other encounters they face on the way form the story. The second episode, The Hounds of Baskerville tells about Henry Knight (Russell Tovey), a young man who witnessed his father’s death twenty years ago. He comes to Holmes, saying that he again saw the hound that killed his father. Holmes becomes interested because of the word “hound”. As Holmes visits Baskerville, he realises that though the hound is just a local legend, something else is seriously wrong... in fact, Holmes has to face the fact that he himself is starting to believe in the local legend. In the last episode, The Reichenbach Fall, Holmes comes face to face with Jim Moriarty. The latter simultaneously breaks into the case where the Crown Jewels are kept, opens the cells of Pentonville Prison and also opens the vaults of the Bank of England. As the story goes, Holmes finds out that Moriarty has destroyed Holmes image, to the extent of getting him arrested. How Holmes solves the final problem with Moriarty is what this episode is about.

Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty

Once again, it is Benedict Cumberbatch who gives a powerhouse performance in the lead role. Smart dialogues, stylish acting... an excellent portrayal of the brilliant detective – this is sure to be the best portrayal of Holmes for a long time to come! Martin Freeman has done an excellent job in playing John Watson, especially in the third episode. But the star of the series (after Benedict of course), is Andrew Scott, who plays Jim Moriarty. How villainous should a proper villain be? This man shows how! In the first scenes of A Scandal in Belgravia, and throughout the final episode, I was amazed by how powerful a villain Scott portrayed.

In terms of the story, the first one starts off slowly, but gets really exciting towards the end. Watch out for the twist in the last minute, just before the closing credits! The Hounds of Baskerville was entertaining all the way. I liked the way the spooky atmosphere was created (and for the first time in the series too). The third episode is, again, the best. For the first time we see Sherlock actually “losing” to someone. There are so many twists in this episode that one just has to applaud the writers of the script. Here too, there is a twist just before the closing credits. By the time you are done watching the second series, you might even be willing to do anything to get the third series, for such is the twist.

Freeman as John Watson

If anyone tells you that the first part of some series is always better than its sequel, this series provides the counter-example. Better than the first series in story, humour, suspense and overall presentation, Sherlock proves to be perhaps the best TV show of today. This is also the best example of why quality prevails over quantity – just three episodes per season, but what pristine quality!

My Rating: 5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 100%