Spoilers under the cut re: A Scandal in Belgravia.

Wonderful aesthetic sense as usual, and I’m impressed with what they did with Sherlock and John. Not much with the “haha, gay people” thing I was honestly rather expecting. I was really fond of the bit between Sherlock and Mycroft on not caring about people (it was of personal interest to me), and I liked the very sweet couple scenes with Mrs. Hudson that subtly explains that no, it isn’t somehow beyond the great Sherlock Holmes to have fondness for and care about people.

But of course Irene Adler. I’m infuriated that somehow it wasn’t good enough to give Sherlock a rival, that because she’s a woman she obviously must fall for him. She had so much potential as a character - a gay dominatrix, sexy, resourceful, classy, intelligent, ruthless. And then she falls in love with Sherlock. Because of course she does.

For god’s sake why wasn’t it good enough to have them lock horns and fight a battle of wits? Why did it actually have to be Moriarty’s grand orchestration and she was really just a hapless woman needing to be saved from her oh-so-pitiful emotions? Even if that wasn’t the intention that’s certainly what the writing ended up implying and it is so tiring and boring and been done.

Honestly the only thing I can come up with that I really liked in the end about Irene Adler was that nowhere in the show was she ever slut-shamed for her work, except just tangentially by Mycroft who was swiftly snapped at anyways.

TL;DR: A Scandal in Belgravia. Sherlock neat, John cute, Mrs. Hudson badass, Mycroft snazzy, Adler WHY.