It’s not elementary… it’s bloody brilliant!

For fans of Sherlock who do not subscribe to any BBC specialty channels, this Sunday has been a very, very long wait.

Series two of the amazing modern update of Sir Conan Authur Doyle’s sleuth returns to PBS Masterpiece Theatre on Sunday May 6th, and the public channel will air all three 90 minute episodes every Sunday for the first three Sundays of May consecutively, just as BBC One did last January starting on New Years Day. Have already view series two on the previously mentioned specialty channels, I can tell fans of Sherlock who are eagerly awaiting its debut on PBS that your wait well be well reward with what I honestly believe is the best show I’ve seen on the tube so far in 2012. Fans of season one are in for a great treat this month as they are about to watch three amazing episodes, right up to it’s thrilling any mysterious conclusion. And unlike the previous season, series two actually tackles some of the most popular stories written of the super intelligent sleuth:

Lara Pulver joins the show as the infamous ‘Irene Adler’,
a delicious addition to an already impressive cast.

On May 6th, the second series starts with “A Scandal In Belgravia”; a modern story loosely based on “A Scandal In Bohemnia”, which introduces us to one of Sherlock’s most challenging foes, that being the sexy and stunning Irene Adler. Written by the show’s creator Steven Moffat and directed by Paul McGuigan, the story begins where we left off in season one that being the stand off with Moriarty and then quickly moves on to the new story which is exciting and unpredictable. The role of Irene Adler as a ruthless dominatrix is played deliciously by Lara Pulver as she not only holds her own as the complex character but at times steals scenes from Holmes and Watson. You will find her and the story intriguing and very playful.

The first episode sets a very high bar, as the mystery is complex and has you guessing right until the very end. Even the most useless moments all tie up in the end, leaving nothing untouched. Stealing the show mostly was Pulver’s stimulating and stunningly sexy performance as Adler. She is able to do something that no villain in this series was able to do and throw Holmes off his game, get him to even question himself for just a moment. It was that pause that gave us a glimpse in the compassion and humanity that Holmes is capable of showing. To watch them both joust on the screen is like watching two people do a mental kung fu battle where each move is countered over and over and over again until someone makes a mistake. You stay glued to the television, afraid to turn away out of fear you’ll miss it and that one detail that opens your eyes to what’s going on. Quite a fitting opening salvo for the episodes that are to follow in the coming weeks.

A little slower but very exciting… the Hound is out there.

Then the next week on May 13th, fans will be able to enjoy a movie based on what was my favourite Sherlock Holmes tale; The Hound of the Baskervilles. In this retelling, “The Hounds Of Baskerville” takes place in a small town that is accused of doing illegal testing in the area and it’s township. While the episode does offer familiar qualities one would expect from the popular novel, it’s still delivered without hurting the elements that make this series so popular. It’s a very character driven episode, and you learn a great deal about each character in this stunning thriller.

What I liked most about this episode is that it presents us a supernatural element that was unexpected, and it was interesting to watch the principal characters respond to it. Just the revelation of something this weird manages to bring out something from Holmes and Watson we didn’t expect, and it makes for very entertaining television. All Hounds does is present the kind of madness that the show is capable of doing before finally sending us all right over the edge.

Jim Moriarty: “Every fairytale needs a good old fashion villain.”

The Series then comes to a dramatic and shocking end on May 20th with “The Reichenback Fall”, an episode that finally pits Holmes against Jim Moriarty, the standoff we’ve all been waiting for. In this thrilling and epic final episode of series two Holmes and Moriarty focus on ‘The Final Problem’, the same title of Doyle’s infamous final book. The script of the finale is penned brilliantly by Steve Thompson, who brought us last season’s ‘Blind Banker’. Without spoiling a single thing, this episode will shock many viewers and leave them in awe, and likely spend the next year trying to figure out what happened.

Last season I was a little iffy about the character of Moriarty, but after series two I am super impressed with the disposition of the super villain and the exceptional actor who brought him to the small screen. Jim Moriarty, brilliantly portrayed by Andrew Scott, is more advanced and sinister the closer we get to the end of season two and one of the best acting I’ve seen on television from a villain in a long time. This caps off a great season with a stunning finish that leaves you wanting so much more but we’ll have to wait until next year, or perhaps even longer until all is revealed.

If you are a fan of season one, the second will not disappoint. It’s more advanced, more gutsy and takes one some of the best works Doyle has ever written about his super sleuth. Season two doesn’t fail to bring the goods and I am very confident that viewers on PBS are in for a great month as they enjoy each episode like so many fans did last January. Enjoy the series and then stand in line with the rest of us as we continue to eagerly wait for the release of season three which has already been approved by the BBC. That’s a good thing because in my humble opinion, Sherlock is the best show on the tube right now and I’m dying to see more seasons. Watch these three amazing episodes and find out that like the character, Sherlock has no equal.