Sherlock - Season 2 Sunday,8pm BBC Entertainment HHHHH Whats it about? A modern adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyles popular series Sherlock Holmes,Sherlock received both acclaim and awards in its first season itself. It was adapted to 21st century London in terms of social behaviour,current events and technology,without compromising on the essence of the characters from the original series. Sherlock was introduced as a crime detective with exceptional observational skills,but limited social skills. He uses SMS and GPS to solve crimes and uses nicotine patches in contrast to Holmes pipe. Watsons character,like in Doyles series,is that of a military doctor returned from the Afghan War,but chronicles their adventures on his blog. The current season,like the first,also comprises three 90-minute episodes A Scandal in Belgravia,The Hounds of Baskerville and The Reichenbach Falls adapted from,perhaps,Sherlock Holmes most popular stories,A Scandal in Bohemia,The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Final Problem respectively. It takes off from where the first ended,with a face-off between Sherlock and his archenemy Moriarty. Whos in it?Benedict Cumberbatch realises on screen the arrogance of Sherlock Holmes and,in keeping with changing social attitudes,demonstrates the characters desire to establish himself as the smartest person in the room at all times. The actor,who was seen in the 2007 film Atonement,also manages to tread the thin line between intellectual detachment and cruelty,blurring the lines between Sherlock and Moriarty (played by theatre and TV actor Andrew Scott) who has been established as a hacker in the series. Martin Freeman of The Office as John Watson is the silent type who balances Holmes arrogance on the show. Holmes possible love interest Irene Adler (portrayed by Lara Pulver) makes an appearance in the seasons first episode. Whats hot? The adaptation of stories from Victorian times to the present day is smooth and without gimmick. Irene Adler,vaguely established as a courtesan in Doyles original,is a dominatrix in A Scandal in Belgravia. The dialogues are intelligent and witty since they lack the restraint of the Victorian era. For instance,when Sherlock is called to Buckingham Palace by a female royal who says that Irene has a compromising picture on her mobile phone,the detective remarks,Have you been wicked,Your Highness? The season does more than just narrate the stories of crime and the genius of Sherlock. The characters evolve from season one and Sherlock is presented as a young man tired of his own fame and cases that are too easy for him to focus on. Watsons affinity for the detective is also established. The second season ends where it begins,with Moriarty and Sherlock locking horns. Apart from providing a thrill,the stories subtly establish that the arch enemies perhaps like most other criminal minds view crime as a great game. Whats not?There is little to say in this category,except that in both season one and two,the first and last episodes are more thrilling in terms of characters and important incidents that mark Sherlock Holmes and John Watsons lives. In contrast,the second episodes seem weak. Also,the delay in airing the fresh season in India may have caused a dip in the number of viewers as loyalists would have possibly downloaded and watched the series already. Should you be watching it? Without a doubt,yes. Watch it also for the promise of a third season that will be aired in 2013.
