BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Sherlock/Irene Parallels

**Posted by KellyBookworm** January 22, 2013 6:47 pm

I posted this on the "A Scandal in Belgravia" page but I think it's better here!

I noticed many parallels between Sherlock and Irene. Some of their similar actions foreshadow the events to come later in the episode.

My list:

1. Sherlock looks through her photographs; she looks through his.
HOWEVER, he only looks through her photos once and she scrolls back to the first photo of him. This difference illusrates her interest in him.

2. At one point in the episode, both Irene and Sherlock are naked.

3. Both change wardrobe, or at least try to, struggle with a costume, and say the word "battle."

4. Both "need a splash of color." Sherlock gets punched and bleeds; Irene wears blood red lipstick.

5. Both play "the game." Sherlock devotes himself to the demanding and distracting qualities of the game and Irene does the same, except from the troublemaking side.

6. Some superficial similarities: They have similar appearances, vocabularies, taste in expensice wardrobe, and the same blank stare.

Those are the parallels that I found; does anyone see any others?

**Posted by tobeornot221b** January 22, 2013 8:25 pm

Both have live-in ones.
Both like to misbehave.
Both fake their deaths.

**Posted by KellyBookworm** January 24, 2013 1:55 am

Those are good ones!

I really like the idea of Sherlock and Irene being mirrors; they're identical in almost everyway and yet complete opposites. I love the idea of their being together, whether in a normal way or a more likely very messed up fashion, and I think there's a lot of support in the episodes that they are a viable couple.

Whether they end up together or not, it's really interesting to draw parallels between them.

**Posted by KellyBookworm** February 4, 2013 9:36 pm

Irene also wears Sherlock's coat with the collar up, like Sherlock does.

**Posted by reeja** December 23, 2014 11:23 am

[b]I think I agree[/b]

**Posted by BHavers** December 23, 2014 6:45 pm

Interesting parallels, but maybe being a mirror to Sherock is part of Irene's scheme to seduce him

**Posted by Morton** March 11, 2015 9:24 pm

Also both are first introduced to us with a riding crop he's using it for a serious purpose (alibi depends on it) on a dead body, she uses it for fun purpose on a live body.