Sherlock Holmes is many things: a genius, a drama queen, a man who cannot mind his own business to save his life. But in A Scandal in Bohemia, we learn one more thing about him: he is not, in fact, invincible. Because Irene Adler walks in, says “cute detective tricks, bro,” and promptly eats his lunch.
Yes, this is the Irene Adler story. The one where she cements her legacy as “the woman”. Not Sherlock’s lover, not his enemy, just the one person who made him look like a rookie. Honestly? Iconic.
Enter: The Royal Mess
So the King of Bohemia (imagine Prince Harry but less charming and more entitled) shows up at 221B in a panic. He’s about to marry a royal and doesn’t want the world to find out about his past situationship with Irene Adler. Why? Because there are… photographs. Scandalous, right?
Holmes, naturally, assumes this will be an easy fix. Just another day of outsmarting the common folk. The man puts on disguises like a drag queen going through her quick-change routine, and he’s ready to humiliate Irene into submission. Spoiler: Irene is three chess moves ahead and already sipping champagne.
Irene Freaking Adler
Let’s not bury the lede: Irene Adler is the star here. She doesn’t need to twirl a mustache or monologue about her evil plan. She just quietly dismantles Sherlock’s ego with a smile, a veil, and a wedding. By the end, she’s off living her best life with her new husband while Holmes is left clutching his pearls (and her photo).
The best part? She doesn’t do it out of spite. She’s not trying to ruin him. She just proves that she can win and then exits the stage in a swirl of brilliance. That’s not villain energy. That’s legend energy.
Watching Sherlock Eat Crow
This is maybe the only time in the canon where Holmes takes the L, and Doyle writes it with just enough humiliation to make the reader cackle. Watson’s out here writing “Holmes respected her ever after” like he’s trying to spin it for PR, but let’s be honest: Holmes is bitter. He got dunked on in his own house, by someone society thought couldn’t possibly compete with him.
Delicious.
Kristen’s Takeaway
- Irene Adler: flawless.
- Sherlock Holmes: humbled, but still annoying.
- The King of Bohemia: a walking red flag.
- Me: rereading this every time I need the satisfaction of watching a smug man get wrecked by a smarter woman.
