Is She THE Woman?

BBC’s Sherlock has finally come back to TV with its second season premiere episode. A Scandal in Belgravia. After the main stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Martin Freeman (Dr. Watson) were cast in Peter Jackson's anticipated Hobbit films, there was some concern whether we'd even see a second season of this brilliant show. But fear not, as fans of Steven Moffat's (Doctor Who) modernized vision of Sir Conan Arthur Doyle's consulting detective will be happy to know that everything they loved about the show (including David Arnold's incredible theme) has returned, while newcomers will see what makes Sherlock such an addicting experience.

Based of the original “A Scandal in Bohemia” story, it’s difficult to talk about the details of this episode, as saying too much will give everything away. In a nutshell, Holmes’ brother Mycroft (played by series writer Mark Gatiss) gets Holmes and Watson involved with investigating a major case of blackmail that is threatening to topple the monarchy, and quite possibly the entire world. As the story unfolds, the duo come across a mysterious dominatrix named Irene Adler, aka 'The Woman', who turns out to be just as cunning and brilliant as Holmes. While Sherlock and Irene play a cat and mouse game of wits over unlocking the secrets of a cell phone filled with dangerous info, they also encounter international terrorists, rogue CIA agents, and even a conspiracy that leads right back to the British government.

Once again, it falls to Holmes and Watson to piece all the clues together to solve the mystery of all these events and save the day.

As established with last season, the whole crew behind the show has taken great care to follow the classic stories closely, yet updating them to fit into modern times by incorporating everything from visualized text messaging to x-ray scans to bring the workings of Sherlock's mind to life. I loved how Irene Adler (played wonderfully by Lara Pulver) was able to match wits with Holmes, even seeming to have the upper hand on him for much of the episode. But we all know Sherlock always finds a way to come back on top, and he does so in such a brilliant way in the end that it would be a sin to spoil it. The joy truly is watching how cleverly things fall into place for yourself, just as with the classic stories.

I’m glad to say that BBC’s Sherlock is back in full swing and hasn’t missed a beat in its year-long absence. Last season set the bar quite high, but with A Scandal in Belgravia, it looks like Steven Moffat and his crew is dedicated to making this one of the most intelligent and exciting shows on TV. Next week brings what is arguably the most popular Sherlock story of them all, or a version of it anyway, with "The Hounds of Baskerville". With such a great show to look forward to and the blockbuster sequel heating up the box-office, it's a great time to be a Sherlock fan, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of the season unfold.