A Scandal in Belgravia (Sherlock BBC)

[keep_counting]

And that was... dissapointing


The episode went sort of like a curve for me: it started out REALLY great, then it got annoying, then I got bored, then a leeeetle bit of drama, then I was completely unempressed with the over-all plot, then Sherlock cracked the phone-code and I was all 'Wooohooo' and then that ending was about the lamest thing in ever.

Moffat, it's alright for characters to die and stay dead. It happens. Also, he can't write romance to save his life. I would say more about that, but just go read kilodalton's review of this. To quote on Moffat-romance: 'they're too rushed, too vapid, too based on sex as opposed to emotion, and fall flat.'

I got a kick out of Mrs. Hudson's scenes. Sherlock and John's relationship seems to have reverted to a former status however: oh, and the Molly scene was greatly executed as well. But overall? Not at all living up to the pure quality that was the first season. Instead of a plot-driven episode with amazing interaction, we have an episode that is mainly about a sexy-sexy lady (who is played beautifully by Laura Pulver I must admit) who double-hands Sherlock, and the secret, somewhat-eeeevil (only not really) government project. Oh, and Mycroft told Mrs. Hudson to shut up. Mycroft, that is so not on. You have been relocated on my favorites-list, and am now just above Anderson. Shame on you!!

In the canon story, Irene Adler is an opera-singer who, yes, cons people and yes, tricks and outsmarts Sherlock, but her story is a small one and in the end she runs away with this guy that she wants to marry - this guy who isn't Sherlock. At all. And this woman - written by a dude who lived in a society where women were not equal to men - managed to write her as strong and brilliant, without the bloody sex jokes.

Sorry, but its starting to become a pattern that a woman is strong if she's comfortable with being naked: she's strong if she's all about her sexuality. These don't have to be connected, at all.

Moriarty's ringtone almost saved this whole episode, though. That was so fucking amazing, I cried from laughter!!!

Comments

[fueschgast]

Aw, I'm sad you didn't like it. Personally, since my focus was on the Sherlock/Irene relationship and Sherlock's asexuality, I really liked the episode. And there were so many great character moments for the old characters. Although the plot really was all over the place. And although I couldn't help but seeing Irene as Moffat's wank material. ...Now I'm feeling a bit rude, even though I'm sure I'm right about it.

The ringtone, I KNOW, RIGHT XD?! I was like "Is that? No, that must be my brain making things up ...no wait, it really is that song!".

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

But that's what bugged me about it :/ also, Mycroft was really cruel to Sherlock I think.

LOL, I laughed at your comment ;) we can be rude together

I thought some add had gone off on my computer or something, and then Moriarty was all: '.... -.-' and Sherlock was all 'O.o' and I was all 'XD'

[sensiblecat.livejournal.com]

It had a surprising number of similarities with the DW ep, Girl in the Fireplace. Mr Enigmatic falls for Ms Mysterious, Filthy Privileged and Unattainable. She is his intellectual equal, she strings him along but is in fact unavailable, already involved with royalty. They never quite get the timing right. He loses her and broods. Dear old Moff, he does so love these enigmatic ladies. And that final scene was sillier than anything in Doctor Who, which is quite saying something. I eagerly await the fic where fellow-romantic Ten gives Sherlock a lift in the TARDIS to get to that appointment, and Sherlock responds by being rudely and monumentally bored.

I'm also not sure I like the bromance to be quite so explicit. I'd rather we didn't have any refs to Watson's sexuality, not because I'm a prude but because I think an air of mystery is more enticing. There was a bit too much of Sexy Naked Cumberpatch in this, and it turned him into a product. Not that I have any problem with BC's lovely body, but it's Sherlock's mind I'm really interested in.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Oh god, that is so true! I'd compared Irene a bit more to River, but that so fits as well :) and someone needs to write that fic.

The ending made me cringe so much, I thought it was absolutely horrible.

While I do ship John/Sherlock, when I say 'bromance' I do mean more moments like the joke about the ashtray at the start, and the interactions about the blog: just general things, when you can see that they do care about each other. I didn't feel like there was a lot of that here, it was rushed through to get to the Irene/Sherlock-things. In the first season, the Holmes/Watson friendship was really at the heart of the show - as it is in the books - and this episode sorely lacked it, while also having a bit of a - dare I say - stupid plot to back it up, which didn't help at all.

[the-silverdoe.livejournal.com]

Sorry, but its starting to become a pattern that a woman is strong if she's comfortable with being naked: she's strong if she's all about her sexuality. These don't have to be connected, at all.
This. Absolutely. Moffat can't write women. I know this for sure now.

So relieved you were disappointed too, lol. I was afraid I was going to be the party-ruiner again.

Also they were so the Doctor and River, that was awful, can't Moff come up with something new, dammit? And I thought their relationship wasn't half as developed as it ought to have been, I mean I didn't really feel the intellectual rivalry here. She was all about sex and her body; how misogynistic is that?

I also agree about the fact that Sherlock and John's relationship seems to have regressed, in a way.

Still, Moriarty's ringtone saved it all! :D
I disagree with you re Mycroft though; I wholeheartedly loved him in this ep; he's up there with John as my favourite character. =P

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

It nagged me a lot, you know? I mean, obviously it grants a sort of power or awareness, if you're comfortable in your own skin, but that does not make me less intelligent or powerful for being shy and not wanting to full-frontal flash anyone who walks into my living-room. It just sends a wrong signal: Moffat's strongest women are all very sexual and very much on the wrong side of the law: for different reasons yes, it's a grey area, but its still a very horrible pattern that sends a very wrong signal to the world, and the young people watching it.

It is the only way for Moffat to write feelings, because obviously, without the sexual innuendoes, there is no love, right?? (and can we talk about how absolutely horrid that ending was? I cringe just thinking about it!)

And nooo, don't get me wrong, I adore Mycroft :D he was great in this episode, Gatiss really got to show off his talent. I was mainly joking, because Mrs. Hudson is like the Sherlockian, female version of Wilf from DW, and no-one messes with my grandparents! ;)

[the-silverdoe.livejournal.com]

It nagged me too! I think it's a way of saying she isn't really his equal because she gets things because of her body and her sexual inhibition. Psychologically, it must reassure Moffat. Perhaps really clever, confident women, who do not need to be overly sexual because they are confident scare him. The way I see it, if Irene or River were truly strong and confident, they wouldn't need to flash their sexuality like that. And the way he makes the Doctor and Sherlock so utterly asexual in opposition to that... how fucked up is that? It makes me wonder what his problem with sex is...

ts still a very horrible pattern that sends a very wrong signal to the world, and the young people watching it.
Yes! He wants us to think that he's not misogynistic, when in fact everything he writes is.

and can we talk about how absolutely horrid that ending was? I cringe just thinking about it!
It was very meh, if you ask me. But obviously there's no point in expecting Moffat to kill off characters, ever...

Ooh, we need to marry Wilf and Mrs Hudson! :D
I really like Gatiss as an actor, actually; his Mycroft is brilliant! Tbh I'm much more excited about the next episode, which he wrote, than I was about this one.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

There's so many issues about gender nowadays, and I think it's very divided for Moffat: women can only be strong because of their natural feminity, such as their bodies being sexy and/or being a mother. It's like when people divide it into hetero-and homo-sexuals, when there's just a person and their sexuality/gender/nationality shouldn't necesarrily have a bearing on what type of person they are. Obviously they affect us, but a large part of the stereotypes are created by media and painted on us, and we just follow along because we get the impression that the world just is like that. I think that's why Moffat bugs me so much, because as a writer of popular shows he has a lot of subconscious power over his audience, and that's sorta scary.

I thought it was waaaay to sentimental, waaaaay to overly-done, waaaaay to manipulative towards John (you cannot tell me that Mycroft didn't know) and waaaaaay too much Moffat yet again writing the main characters - who happen to be bloody masterminds - as 'stupid' and 'slow'.

Gatiss is amazing, and I hope we're getting more of him this season. Next episode can only be better than this one :/

Match made in heaven! :D

[novindalf]

Ohh, it's a shame you didn't like it so much =( I personally absolutely loved it =/

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Oh, there were definitely things I liked about it, but I'm just getting tired of Moffat running in the same themes again and again, especially because I end up feeling insulted and degraded by a lot of his stories, and the over-all plot doesn't make sense to me. I mean, how was the airplane-thing going to work? There would be no record of casualties, or relatives of the deceased, because they've already died in other ways and the families have been informed. It was just, unrealistic and odd and sort of hand-waved away like it just was.

The acting was amazing though, from all sides (:

[novindalf]

Okay, shall let it slide =P I admit I was far too caught up in Lara/Irene and Sherlock (both together and seperately) to pay too much attention to the plot....

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Ah, never be afraid to disagree with me ;) I respect you too much to get mad: and Lara as Irene was very distracting. I am going to jump that woman if I ever see her in real life - sexiest character ever.

[novindalf]

Aww, okay, well that's good to know for the future ;D

I am going to jump that woman if I ever see her in real life - sexiest character ever.
Lol, same. If she wasn't already on my 'people I would turn gay for' list, she is now!

[fueschgast]

Wait, what exactly bugged you? And where was Mycroft crual to Sherlock. Ooh, it's already time for a rewatch for me, heh.

[thymelady.livejournal.com]

Oh but I'm squeeing despite LJ eating a loooong reply to this. So I'll write this: this is where Sherlock gets in touch with his feelings; not only by composing but actually touching, reacting, questioning and getting emotional about the people that already ARE in his life. All because Irene is one of the few who have crawled under his skin.

This is ultimately about John and Sherlock. But if there's ever to BE a john and Sherlock (OMG yes plz), Sherlock will need to develop his emotional life. (And John must wear silly jumpers and uselessly date a few women, LOL.)

That's a really long way to develop a love story. ;-) And I think Irene is awesome! Sexy too, but also awesoooome.

[thymelady.livejournal.com]

And oh oh!! I think Mycroft saying "Shut up, Mrs. H!" and SH roaring "MYCROFT!" is a role reversal and that similar thing would go on at home, with their mother. At this point, M snaps and SH corrects him. Just my theory, but I'm fond of it. ;-)

[fueschgast]

Oh, and have you read my review? I'd just love to squee with someone. You must have liked some of the bits.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

The romance-bit: I thought it felt forced and unrealistic to me. And I thought Mycroft went just a bit too far in the Palace, during the: 'Sex doesn't alarm me', bit. 'How would you know?, was very deliberately meant to humiliate him in front of an audience: a result of Sherlock showing up in only a sheet, sure, but still incredibly childish for the self-proclaimed 'Mother'.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

I'll go check it out :)

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

I know I nearly compusted from all the UST ;D

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Ugh, that sucks, I hate it when that happens :/

But that's the problem for me: the romance felt forced to me, I don't like the way Moffat generally potray women and as a result also Sherlock in this episode. I would also have to disagree: Sherlock came enormously into contact with his feelings already in the first season. You can see a giant shift between him from ASIP to 'Great Game'. Yes, he still has a long way to go, and if 'Scandal' is going to be a gateway for him, then fine, but I'm just not sure that the writers - particularly Moffat - is thinking that way at all, as opposed to having a sexy sexy lady double-hand Sherlock. The feminist in me is sort of roaring a bit much at Moffat (=

That being said, brilliant performance from everyone involved: that wasn't just Ben playing Sherlock, that was Ben being Sherlock and it was amazing. The same with Gatiss and Martin, and particularly Lara Pulver. And I agree with you about the Mycroft-scene with Mrs. Hudson: it was really well-executed, plus showed Mycroft very out of his element and in Sherlock's 'comfort-zone' for once. Brilliant scene :)

[thymelady.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen as much Moffat writing as you have and I gladly bow to your experience. I also remember a post when the first season came out, discussing the issue about women in the Sherlock series and feminists generally agreed that the women were poorly written and forced to act out on stereotypes. I whole-heartedly agree with this. ROAR MORE TO MOFFAT!!

And I whole-heartedly agree that Irene comes through as a stereotype in this. But only Mycroft refers to her as a 'sex-worker', which is the worst word used by her profession in the whole episode and for which I'm grateful. I am against any kind of sex work and my feminist heart cries over the fact that this is Irene's profession. (But the consolation is that she dosn't turn to Moriarty for sex and she's clever enough to realise that being naked makes it hard for Sherlock to pin her down (LOL), that she has even more brain than beauty and that she thinks brain is sexy, so sexy that Sherlock turns her on because of his personality and not because of his gender. And she's generally badass awesome and controls her own life. Or tries to.)

But: the sex issue. The only sex here happens off stage and/or in the heads of these people. It IS about sex. Sherlock gets called 'The Virgin', not that he cares or even says if he is or not. I LIKE THAT. (My generation was so quick to call people virgins and being obsessed with that. Stupid! It's a non-issue.) And Sherlock can't look away from the fact that Irene is about sex. It's a very direct message, even if she calls it 'dinner', and he can't retort. His initial reaction isn't to her body. He is surprise but observes. His brain and body reaction to her goes together and comes bit by bit. When she's in his coat, when she's a badass fighter, when she's brainy AND when finally she beats him. That's what gets him started.

And indeed, Sherlocks emotional journey started and went a bit in last season. But in this episode? He apologises to Molly and kisses her on the cheek. He consoles Mrs. H in his own weird way, touches her and points out the awesomeness in her personality. (England would fall without Mrs. H on Baker Str.) He's jealous of John's blog and John's dating life in his own odd way. He questions his and Mycroft's relationship while TALKING to Mycroft. He's thrown when he finds out that Irene is alive and straight after, he comes home to find the break-in in the flat. They have Mrs. H. Seriously, he looks really scary there. It's his cold mind that makes him solve the situation BEFORE he throws the CIA man out of the window, but I never doubted that Sherlock would take a painful revenge. When Irene begs for protection, he gives it, even if no-one knows.

*Whew* Here's the essay that LJ ate yesterday. ;-) And I don't mean you have to agree and Moffat IS an asshole. But I do feel that a lot of things happened in this episode, emotionally. And I loved it. :-)

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

O.o you retyped all that? Well done!

I think most of my issues ultimately lie in Moffat's potrayal of it: that Irene is strong and intriquing because of the sex. I mean, she was incredibly clever and I loved her for that, but it got over-shadowed by the sex-worker business and it became too much for me, I think. Nevermind that Lara Pulver is sexy and completely nailed the role and made me love her, the execution of it annoyed me. I thought her and Benedict had amazing chemistry, but the 'sort-of' romance felt flat to me, and as a result Sherlock showing those feelings might have felt OC. Don't get me wrong, I loved those scenes, but as you say, they are the result of his liasons with Irene and they just didn't properly work for me. So I think my main problem is just the writing: while the actors made it work, the emotion felt forced through the writing and the mystery didn't really work for me.

I did however like her, 'Well, I am', when John said he wasn't gay, because it was such a statement about the fact that you don't fall in love with Sherlock's gender, you fall in love with his massive, amazing brain. The scene where he cracks the code on her phone was amazing.

I can reassure you with the fact that your essay actually made me warm a bit more to this ep :) I don't think I will ever like it over-all much, but I might rewatch it one day: if nothing else than for the sexysexy Pulver :D

[the-silverdoe.livejournal.com]

It's like when people divide it into hetero-and homo-sexuals, when there's just a person and their sexuality/gender/nationality shouldn't necesarrily have a bearing on what type of person they are.
Exactly! Why can't we just have dramas with characters who are people, not 'they're supposed to be like that because...'
That's why I like Rose and Donna, they can be tough sometimes, and so sweet the next time and there's no warning sign like 'oh oh, not behaving like a proper female here'. In the same way Ten(nant) has a feminine side but that never affects his manliness imo... And that's why I love Spooks so much. The female characters are so well-written and everybody is written as a person!

Ah, I don't know about Mycroft, lol. Now that you mention it, he probably did. Everybody treated John like crap, mind you, and I Do. Not. Like! *shakes fist*

Tbh, my favourite thing about this ep was 'Yay! Lots of Mycroft!'. Not enough Lestrade though, if you ask me. Well, see you next time and hopefully we'll be more satisfied. ;)

[thymelady.livejournal.com]

If you warm a bit more, then you've made my day, again. :-) <3

And I totally see what you mean about the sex worker issue. Because it's a BIG issue and shouldn't be treated like 'What fun, a sex worker!' There should be some sort of seriousness involved. The only we get is that Irene wants 'protection' - but from what? Well, most of us can imagine that her work will put her in danger, but is she in Karachi in the end as a sex worker? Hm. So much weirdness regarding the 'sex worker' thing there. Do not like.

I reblogged a rather good text post in Tumblr regarding Moffat. Did you see it? Would love to hear your opinion, so I'll even link it here.

http://stalungrad.tumblr.com/post/15238253860/sherlock-irene-adler

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Your icon did make me melt!

It was all rather vague, wasn't it? I read the link, and its an interesting view-point - I'm always in favour of seeing things from different sides, and I believe you can always intepret it differently than from what it might appear as, but the overtures that Moffat writes still makes me annoyed and left wanting. It was a very good read, but I don't agree with the fact that writing women as 'different' is a good thing, in the way that it's done here. For example the DW Christmas special, which I had a lot of problems with: I think it's an unlucky habit that people are given strengths only according to their gender, and not according to the person they are/will become. I also see many similarities between Irene and River from DW: especially in the way Moffat writes them with their 'partners', the Doctor and Sherlock: someone very sexual and sensual being put up against someone asexual and being described as their 'better'.

I do like Irene's storyline a lot better than River's though, even if I do think it would have had a bigger emotional impact if she had died in the end: it's getting a bit predictable, because Moffat never kills any important characters anymore - it kills the suspense just a bit! Plus, it would have been sort of cool if she had died, and Sherlock actually didn't know, because again, it would have been her fooling him and getting the upper hand :)

I think I might also be miffed, as I mentioned in my review, because ACD, a guy from the Victorian era, managed to write this incredibly strong, female character who didn't really seduce Sherlock at all, and was brilliant anyway. I just think it could be nice if there could be a female who could be strong and brilliant without it being about her gender (= being either a sexual being or a mother)

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

They are, and that stands as such a sharp contrast to Amy and River, who - while still being badass - is so very defined by their feminity and sexuality. And that's alright, it's just that that seems to be the only way Moffat can write strong women, either that or let them be wholly devoted mothers. It is very stereotypical, especially when he tries to incoporate those two because, erm, sorry, but I would want neither Amy nor River as my mum. None of them have exactly shown incredible skill in that direction.

John got shoved SO in the background in favor of Irene, didn't he? I did adore his scenes, but... :/

Oh yes, definitely more Lestrade. I hope we get to see Anderson again too, though it seems unlikely!

Also, I watched the first ep of Downton Abbey and I loved it!

[thymelady.livejournal.com]

That sort of woman would be awesome and in her own right! It's sad that ACD could write that back then and we can't do it today. It's a disgrace.

The idea with the woman as the other could also refer to de Beauvoir's book and theory about The Second Sex, or at least I can't help getting that impression. Moffat's views on women are sadly lacking. All in all, it's a joy that this fact gets discussed to much.

And not being able to let people stay dead? That IS rubbish writing. In a way, Irene must be 'dead' now, given what happened.

Thinking of this, it annoys me that there was another clever woman who Sherlock sort of admired and who did what she wanted- and it had to include sex. The woman dressed in pink, in the beginning of A Study in Pink. We learn a lot about how intelligent this woman is, but she's not allowed to be alive and fully take an active part. Same goes for Irene Adler.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. I mean, I don't think they will bring her back even if she did survive: her story is 'over' so to speak, and if you're right about her being an emotional catalyst for Sherlock - which is quite brilliant - then there's no need for her to return, really. It just bugs me that he didn't make a proper, clean break instead.

I hadn't even thought of that woman! It's a bit of a shame, isn't it? I mean, the only really strong woman we've seen on the show is Mrs. Hudson: otherwise they've just been dead - Sally Donovan was downright nasty and spoke down to her superiors and the consultant they had, and even if we don't know her reasons, they were still out of line and Molly is pining and is sort of sad. Don't get me wrong, I love Molly and I thought she handled the situation very well: god knows I would have burst into tears if my crush had spoken to me like that, but I'm still waiting for her to just punch him and move on. It's just a bad pattern I think.

[the-silverdoe.livejournal.com]

Lol, I love Amy but wouldn't want her as my mum either! It is cliché indeed, his women characters really don't have enough nuance!

Yes, he was... Although, I have to say, having just re-watched the episode to screencap and icon it (because in spite of all the flaws, there's so much pretty!!), that I 'liked' it more this time. I managed to forget Irene's characterization, the nonsensical plot and the terrible, terrible ending to focus on the acting, and they all act so well! I was a lot more moved than I was when I watched it yesterday, especially during the scene in which Sherlock cracks the code. I had shippy feelings then. =P Also the little bits, most of the times due to the acting, like the fact that Mycroft and John seem to somehow like each other, Lestrade, Mrs Hudson etc.

Downton! =D I think you're going to fall in love with this show!

[fueschgast]

But it wasn't romance! That's why it didn't feel force to me. Had I interpreted it as romance I'd been so very "BULLSHIT! Moffat, what the hell have you done?! I will skinnnn you!", but I really didn't see it as romance. It's interest in a non-sexual, non-romantic way. Although there was that moment where it got close to romance.

Well, Mycroft is still Sherlock's brother and only human. I can't be too angry with him about that. Sherlock's being difficult all the time and that on purpose (like teasing Mycroft about his weight).

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

Oh, I believe I've warmed up to it a bit, after thinking about the good parts as well. Overall, it doesn't live up to the first season though :/ but it's weird thinking that there's only two more weeks, and then this season is over!

I've fallen a great deal in love with it already :D

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

But I think Moffat was writing it as romance, and that's what bugged me. It felt forced on us, like the Doctor/River dynamic where we have lots of feelings but really not a lot of background for them. I mean, I can understand Sherlock being fascinated with her, but the ending clearly showed that it was more than that, and it bugged me, because it didn't feel real.

(Your response to Moffat made me laugh though!)

Oh, I still love Mycroft, it was just that that remark was much more cruel IMO than some jibe about his weight made in private. Mycroft was setting out to hit were he hoped it would really hurt, as opposed to just poke irritatingly. It was a reaction to Sherlock acting like a petulanet child about the clothes, but I still found it out of line and very hurtful.

[fueschgast]

Hm... I think I'm starting to understand what you mean. And I found that ending weird at first too, but after rewatching it made more sense to me. I mean, by getting to the info on the phone Sherlock pretty signs Irene's death sentence. So he did what any somewhat decent person would have done: he saved her. And by showing that, we're not left wondering.
I just had a thought... Irene probably really lives in the US now and changed her last name to Norton, hehe.

But would that remark hurt? Hey, I'm a virgin too, but I don't have a problem with that. ...But I do have problem with people who attempt to use it as an insult. I mean, what bullshit! Who cares and what does it matter?!

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

But I think that's placing too much blame on Sherlock and saying that Irene should be absolved for all the crap she's done. I mean, she's a con-artist, she threatens to blackmail, she works with super-criminals and she actually does blackmail the British government. Sherlock very demostratively doesn't help her in that scene with the phone when she begs for it, because she screwed him over and now she has to deal with the consequences.

Nevermind if Sherlock was hurt or not, the remark was meant to hit hard and be hurtful, and it was said in front of a potential client, someone representing the British Royal Family, which is as high as you get over there. It wasn't just mocking the fact that Sherlock was a virgin, but that he has no interest in that. Mycroft implies that he can't handle the case because of it, and that would be very hurtful to someone like Sherlock (as hurtful as anything can be for someone like Sherlock). I'm not saying it did affect him, I'm just saying it was out of line, and very childish of the self-proclaimed 'mother'

[fueschgast]

Im still having trouble seeing Irene as a baddie. I still think that all the things that were real crimes were only done because Moriarty threatened her.
And now I think the reason that Sherlock saved her is because she was fun to play with and so he wants to keep her alive. And the good thing about her is that, unlike Jim - she's not a psycho. So games with Irene don't have to be deadly.

Ah, I think I understand now. Ha, it's so great when conversations lead to understanding the other person's point.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

But Irene's actions did have very tremendous consequences: it's her fault the terrorists knew that the government knew about their codes, and so they will change it and the government might not be able to stop them next time they plan an attack. Hundreds of people could die because she did that, and she is very aware of the fact. Let's also not forget that she was the one who contacted Moriarty, so if she's being threatened or not it's technically her fault - I mean, he picks it up when he's pretty busy, he obviously knows who it is and knows that Irene is someone with the good stuff (bee gee tickets!!). While she is not a sadist or a cold-hearted murderer like Moriarty, her actions are still more towards the 'baddie' category I would say :)

[fueschgast]

Sorry, I just can't stop defending Irene. I'm still clinging to the book idea of her. Bad!Irene just doesn't compute!

Consequences, I know. But I wonder if she really knew. You know, when you only have a vague idea about something (like Why should I not listen to my iPod during take-off and landing? *listens to iPod during take-off and landing*) you don't really care that much.
But we don't know if she contacted Moriarty voluntarily. I still think he came to her and demanded stuff (Hahaha, the BeeGees tickets should become fanon ...if they aren't already), in exchange he would let her live.

[keep-counting.livejournal.com]

I believe I can't change your mind about this ;) thought, I'd still have to take your comment that she doesn't really know --> she doesn't care, as not exactly in her favor: she's dealing with terrorists, she knows peoples lives are at stakes, so that actually just makes her seem more amoral to me.

[fueschgast]

Hm, yeah, you're kinda right there. ...Maybe she hoped it wouldn't be that bad?

And when I think about it, Sherlock fucked up big time! I wanted an episode where that happens, but in 2x01 there's no impact. I'd love to have an episode where Sherlock fucks up and is all "Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!".