BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Irene and 'Anthea'

**Posted by Davina** April 13, 2012 7:43 pm

Something has just struck me that I don't think I have seen mentioned anywhere else. When John is picked up in the car by Anthea to go to the abandoned warehouse he thinks it is Mycroft that wants to see him. If you recall he walks in telling him about how Sherlock is behaving and that he appears heartbroken. Of course, he finds out suddenly that it isn't Mycroft at all when Irene, who is supposed ded, appears. Just prior to this scene Anthea is on her mobile phone speaking to someone, saying that John thinks he is there to see Mycroft. Is it safe to assume that Anthea is actually on the phone to Irene?

In every other scene Anthea is always texting and never speaking on the phone; the opposite of Mycroft's usual behaviour. It is unusual for her to be speaking on the phone and usually a change in someone's usual behaviour is important.

So the question is: what IS the connection between 'Anthea' and Irene?

**Posted by Irene Adler** April 13, 2012 8:01 pm

Davina, I think it was not Anthea... just a girl that looked a lot like her.

**Posted by m0r1arty** April 13, 2012 8:14 pm

Yup IA is correct - different actress and differently named role.

Had me thinking they were the same though - I was as fooled as John was and expect many more were too.

Amazing things haircuts, outfits, props and some decent acting!

-m0r

**Posted by Davina** April 13, 2012 9:07 pm

Ah! Right! So Irene organised it then? Or Moriarty? Or?

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 13, 2012 9:18 pm

WOW, now I never knew that. I always thought it was Anthea, lol! But now you come to mention it....

I always thought that whole scene was arranged by Mycroft to be honest...

**Posted by Davina** April 13, 2012 9:22 pm

So, who organised it? Why?

**Posted by Young Sherlock Holmes** April 13, 2012 9:37 pm

Well somebody is working with irene (haven't watched this episode for more for months because I'm not aloud the boxset till Christmas.) It could be Moriarty but I must recap. Then I'll be more help! =D

-Y.S.H

**Posted by Irene Adler** April 13, 2012 10:32 pm

I think it was just Irene. She was waiting for John, wasn't she? I don't think it was Moriarty who organised it, maybe he told her how to do it "the Mycroft way" as consultant criminal, but I always had the impression that it was all Irene's doing.

Last edited by Irene_Adler (April 13, 2012 10:33 pm)

**Posted by sherlocked** April 13, 2012 10:55 pm

I think, Irene mimicked Mycroft's behaviour by using someone, who looked a little like Anthea, in order to get John, without him causing trouble, to her chosen meeting place. The woman says to Irene, when we still don't see her:' You were right, he thinks, it's Mycroft'. So Irene clearly knows about Mycroft's style to get in contact with John. Moriarty would probably have told her some time ago, amongst other things about the Holmes brothers.

**Posted by Young Sherlock Holmes** April 14, 2012 12:08 am

well she would of wanted her hands on Sherlock one way or another. She would want to get to john as he is his companion/Best friend. Moriarty probably showed her how as (the user) Irene already posted. And john would pay attention to Mycroft so she figured it was the only way. And as sherlocked stated 'you where right, he thinks its Mycroft." she know knows their way has worked.
I'll update later.. If I need to!

-Y.S.H

**Posted by Davina** April 14, 2012 11:12 am

So... Did Irene anticipate that Sherlock would follow John?

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 14, 2012 11:18 am

"He doesn't follow me everywhere you know."

Clearly he does!

**Posted by besleybean** October 6, 2012 8:18 am

Which Steven will know we'will remember from GAME.

**Posted by ukaunz** March 19, 2015 6:49 am

The first time I watched ASiB was with my husband, this was back in January this year. When the "beautiful woman" came to collect John to take him to see Irene, I assumed it was Anthea, but my husband (who is very good with faces) said it was a different actress. I was sure it was the same actress and suggested perhaps that her weight had changed (she was wearing a flowing outfit which covered her figure) and also her hair and makeup were different. My hubby insisted it was a completely different actress, so I had a look on IMdB. When I scrolled down through the cast list I came to Lisa McAllister, and sure enough it has her listed as "Anthea" in three episodes: A Study in Pink, A Scandal in Belgravia and The Empty Hearse. So I thought I was proven right, even though my husband still insisted otherwise.

So anyway, months later I am rewatching episodes, and I get to my third viewing of ASiB and for some reason I decide to investigate again. Somehow a google search turns up the answer, and I humbly showed my husband this page http://finalproblem.tumblr.com/post/19314255179/hi-well-done-on-your-blog-very-well-written-do so he could tell me "I told you so".

Here's Lisa McAllister as "Anthea" in A Study in Pink:

And here's Thomasina Rand credited as "Beautiful Woman" in A Scandal in Belgravia:

Really similar, right? At least I'm not the only one who fell for it

So apart from the other viewers who were tricked (like me), it's now obvious to me that John was meant to believe that it was Anthea too. The first time 'round, I didn't really think about the fact that the woman spoke into her phone saying "you were right, he thinks it's Mycroft", I just thought Irene (or even Mycroft himself for whatever reason) had arranged it, and that it was indeed Anthea. Now that I've seen that it's a different actress, I'm realising that Irene arranged for an Anthea look-alike so that John would go along with her thinking he was meeting Mycroft - but also because it's Irene's thing to "know what people like", and John likes Anthea. That was probably really obvious to everyone else, but I thought I would post this revelation anyway