Andrew Scott's Moriarty

[Timebender]

Andrew Scott as Moriarty is a pretty polarizing interpretation of the character. Ten years after he first appeared, what are everyone's thoughts on him?

I personally really enjoy him, I thought Andrew Scott's performance was just varied enough to not be obnoxious in its insanity, and I thought he had good chemistry with Cumberbatch's Sherlock. I have to confess that I'm partial to "Joker-esque" villains like him, and John Simm's Master from Doctor Who, for another example. I also really liked his plans in "The Reichenbach Fall".
What do you all think?

 

[Droflet]

I agree with both. Fortunately they had great scripts to work with at the time.

 

[reiver33]

Ten years? God...

 

[paranoid marvin]

Sherlock is a modern interpretation and so Moriarty has to also undergo the same process. The Moriarty the ITV Brett series is just how I would picture what Conan Doyle envisaged, as are Holmes and Watson. I enjoy the new series, just as I also enjoy the Basil Rathbone movies; good writing and acting shines through in both.

But as much as I enjoy the modern series there is perhaps too much of a comedy element, and this also filters through to Moriarty; he doesn't really come across as the Napoleon of crime, more a psychopath bent on the destruction of Holmes. The original character was quite happy to leave Holmes alone until he really starts to become a thorn in his side.

As an aside, it's quite remarkable that a villain who only appears in a tiny fraction of the original tales (2 out of 60) remains so inextricably linked to Holmes. When of course the greatest enemy that the consulting detective ever faced does not even get it's own story.

 

[HareBrain]

The Moriarty the ITV Brett series is just how I would picture what Conan Doyle envisaged, as are Holmes and Watson.

Yes, Eric Porter's appearance in The Red Headed League is one reason it's my favourite episode, along with its brilliantly bonkers conceit. Also, it had David Burke as Watson, and good though Edward Hardwicke was, Burke pipped him for me.

 

[Vladd67]

Sherlock is a modern interpretation and so Moriarty has to also undergo the same process. The Moriarty the ITV Brett series is just how I would picture what Conan Doyle envisaged, as are Holmes and Watson. I enjoy the new series, just as I also enjoy the Basil Rathbone movies; good writing and acting shines through in both.

But as much as I enjoy the modern series there is perhaps too much of a comedy element, and this also filters through to Moriarty; he doesn't really come across as the Napoleon of crime, more a psychopath bent on the destruction of Holmes. The original character was quite happy to leave Holmes alone until he really starts to become a thorn in his side.

As an aside, it's quite remarkable that a villain who only appears in a tiny fraction of the original tales (2 out of 60) remains so inextricably linked to Holmes. When of course the greatest enemy that the consulting detective ever faced does not even get it's own story.

Wasn’t it actually just one story with a mention in another?

 

[Timebender]

Sherlock is a modern interpretation and so Moriarty has to also undergo the same process. The Moriarty the ITV Brett series is just how I would picture what Conan Doyle envisaged, as are Holmes and Watson. I enjoy the new series, just as I also enjoy the Basil Rathbone movies; good writing and acting shines through in both.

But as much as I enjoy the modern series there is perhaps too much of a comedy element, and this also filters through to Moriarty; he doesn't really come across as the Napoleon of crime, more a psychopath bent on the destruction of Holmes. The original character was quite happy to leave Holmes alone until he really starts to become a thorn in his side.

As an aside, it's quite remarkable that a villain who only appears in a tiny fraction of the original tales (2 out of 60) remains so inextricably linked to Holmes. When of course the greatest enemy that the consulting detective ever faced does not even get it's own story.

I suppose that they thought, since Moriarty was so iconic that they were going to include him in multiple episodes, that he should have a more personal (in a twisted way) connection with Holmes to justify their continual encounters with each other?

 

[paranoid marvin]

Yes, Eric Porter's appearance in The Red Headed League is one reason it's my favourite episode, along with its brilliantly bonkers conceit. Also, it had David Burke as Watson, and good though Edward Hardwicke was, Burke pipped him for me.

Yes, that's my favourite episode as well. The concept , the characters , the actor - all perfect.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Wasn’t it actually just one story with a mention in another?

Yes he features very rarely for such a famous character, but I suppose the reader can suppose that he may well have been the mastermind behind several other of Holmes' adventures.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I suppose that they thought, since Moriarty was so iconic that they were going to include him in multiple episodes, that he should have a more personal (in a twisted way) connection with Holmes to justify their continual encounters with each other?

I agree that he is too good a character to not feature more prominently. Although he is portrayed in an interesting way in Sherlock, it is nothing like the criminal genius that ACD envisaged. In many ways (in the tv series Sherlock) Charles Augustus Magnussen is far more of a dangerous opponent for Holmes.

 

[Timebender]

I agree that he is too good a character to not feature more prominently. Although he is portrayed in an interesting way in Sherlock, it is nothing like the criminal genius that ACD envisaged. In many ways (in the tv series Sherlock) Charles Augustus Magnussen is far more of a dangerous opponent for Holmes.

I get your point. We know that he HAS massive criminal empire, but we don't see very much of it that isn't focused around Sherlock. Magnussen's we see more of, and he does seem closer to Doyle's Moriarty, even though he was based on a separate character.

 

[The Big Peat]

I never really liked Scott's Moriarty. It felt a little cringey to me and I think the series asked me to accept his genius without really establishing it, which made all his super-brilliant things feel like dramatic convenience rather than inevitable. I also associated him with the series jumping the shark.

 

[Timebender]

I never really liked Scott's Moriarty. It felt a little cringey to me and I think the series asked me to accept his genius without really establishing it, which made all his super-brilliant things feel like dramatic convenience rather than inevitable. I also associated him with the series jumping the shark.

Fair enough, I understand that. It would have been nice if we could have seen him showing some Sherlock-level deduction or planning.

 

[Don]

Ten years?

It's hard to comprehend how an entire decade slipped by unnoticed.

So, anyhow, how do you post a Haha reaction in place of a standard like reaction?

 

[Timebender]

It's hard to comprehend how an entire decade slipped by unnoticed.

So, anyhow, how do you post a Haha reaction in place of a standard like reaction?

I just hovered my mouse over the "like" button for a moment, and several reaction options appeared

 

[Don]

Thank you for your explanation. Unfortunately, my eccentric browser does nothing when the mouse is hovered. And, it's too much work for me to figure out why not. So, it's all good in the end.