Sorry About Dinner

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 11/23/2022 at 6:56 PM, Hikari said:

At first I thought you were disagreeing that Lara Pulver's Irene Adler was psychologically aberrant, but I see that you actually want to ramp her up from my diagnosis.  I'm not well-versed enough in the distinctions between sociopathy and psychopathy, though I would consider the level of antisocial behaviors to be on a spectrum.  In my opinion, Adler is a sociopath in a mutually advantageous arrangement with a psychopath--Moriarty.

I like your interpretation.  Other than the convenient identical corpse, Irene seems like a fairly harmless person, albeit without a shred of altruism.  If Moriarty supplied the corpse without telling Irene ahead of time, and she (being in dire straits at the moment) merely said thank you, she can't really be blamed (though Lestrade might want to pin an "accessory after the fact" charge on her).  So I am now free to like Irene somewhat (though not to admire her, as I do her Victorian counterpart).  Thank you!

On 11/23/2022 at 6:56 PM, Hikari said:

If she were a true psychopath, she wouldn't have any feelings.  She could fake some, but her pulse wouldn't have risen.

Good point.  Though I suppose she might have been able to fake it somehow, if she realized that Sherlock was checking it.

 

[Hikari]

In "A Game of Shadows" Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) has a similar employee/employer relationship with Moriarty and it does not end well for her.  It also ends very early.  Silly rabbit.

I forget who wrote that Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler are 'friendly antagonists'.  It might have been Conan Doyle himself.  At the beginning of the case they are at cross purposes because Holmes is working on behalf of his client . . the very man who is threatening Irene's life.  So of course she's got to be wary of the detective.  But SH realizes that his client is a complete POS and Adler is a noble lady.  Besting the Great Brain (twice) is almost like foreplay for these two . .in a Victorian sort of way, because the case ends with SH actually assisting his former quarry in getting away with the very evidence he was hired to retrieve and providing a valuable service in acting as witness in her marriage to Mr. Godfrey Norton.

Some puckish Great Gamers say that the wedding at the end of SCAN was actually Sherlock's own wedding to Irene, since witnesses are not required to 'mumble responses' the way he says he did.  Despite the rather inconvenient presence of Mr. Norton, I like this theory very much.  Norton could be say, an escort out of the city, a travelling companion, protection until Adler gets out of the country to France.  A marriage to Sherlock would be very unconventional (and long-distance) but there is that theory about Nero Wolfe being their love child . . .

The 21st century versions of Conniving Hussy Adler can't compare to The Woman of legend.  But I do like BBC Irene's flat very much.  And the closet!

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 11/30/2022 at 7:40 PM, Hikari said:

A marriage to Sherlock would be very unconventional (and long-distance) but there is that theory about Nero Wolfe being their love child . . .

The 21st century versions of Conniving Hussy Adler can't compare to The Woman of legend. 

I agree with you regarding the original Irene's character.

However I seriously doubt that she married (or had an affair with) anyone except Mr. Norton, despite admiring Holmes.  Heaven knows, admiration -- even great admiration -- doesn't always express itself in sexual activity.