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Moriarty the Patriot
Episode 13

by Rebecca Silverman,

How would you rate episode 13 of
Moriarty the Patriot ?
Community score: 4.5

There is some very nice bookending going on in the second half of Moriarty the Patriot, and only some of it is in this episode. One instance has series-wide implications; the opening theme ends on Moriarty and Sherlock standing on a precipice while the ending theme opens with Moriarty falling through the water, suggesting that both take place at the infamous Reichenbach Falls, which could be the planned ending point for the anime. Then this week we see two blond people quietly opening their eyes and moving their heads – first Irene Adler, then William James Moriarty. In the first case, Irene's head is lowered as she apologizes to Sherlock, Watson, and Miss Hudson for her actions. In the second, Moriarty is raising his head to look directly at the viewers. That Irene is in profile while Moriarty is head-on is interesting, because it implies that Irene is still largely fooling those around her, while Moriarty facing us directly reminds us that he knows exactly what he's doing – and that we're party to that knowledge.

Who knows what is becoming a major theme of this storyline, which has at least one more episode to see it to completion. It's very much a case of which characters are going to be the most successful in terms of outsmarting the others, and all of it revolves around their very specific end goals. The three Moriarty brothers' goal we know; they want an end to the British class system, which is corrupt and forces the poor into untenable situations where they have no recourse to any aid at all. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson want to solve crimes and bring perpetrators to justice, which could have coincided with what the Moriartys want were they not so picky about what constitutes “crime” and “justice.” And Irene Adler? That's a thornier question. If we can believe what she says to both Albert and Holmes, she, too, wants justice for the poor and downtrodden, having seen how the wealthy patrons of the arts can wield their outsized influence to make others (in this case the performers) miserable or to drive them to suicide.

But can we believe her? It seems as if that's something Albert is trying to figure out. She's clearly been on the Lord(s) of Crime's radar since her arrival in London, and while part of that could be due to Albert's (and possibly Mycroft's) work for the British government, it could also be because the Moriartys want to keep an eye on someone committing crimes on their turf. Irene's past history might make her look very appealing to them as someone they could bring into their fold, much like how Moran works for them. And Irene certainly has an impressive roster of skills – she's a professional performer, able to disguise herself beyond recognition and likely with a good grasp of the protector system, the means whereby a wealthy or noble patron of the arts offers an opera girl/dancer/actress his “protection” in exchange for her sexual favors. (She usually got jewels and/or money out of it too, but it was still kind of a tawdry business, mostly because the women couldn't easily refuse.) To say that she could be a useful asset might be an understatement.

Presumably that's something that Holmes has figured out, and at the very least, the last thing he needs is a second master criminal running around London. But the scope of what Irene has taken may eclipse whatever else he was thinking about: she's now in possession of secret plans of how the British instigated the French Revolution back in the late 18th century. While I'm sure the French would take umbrage at this particular plot point, what's more important is whether or not Irene is telling the truth when she says that she didn't know what it was she'd stolen. Given that she's interested in taking down a different form of the class system, I'm inclined to doubt it, and I suspect that goes the same for the rest of the cast as well. That doesn't matter much to Albert, William, and Louis, because either way Irene is well-positioned to help them fulfill their goals. For Sherlock, and possibly Mycroft, it could be a trickier issue. Irene's won this latest round in their battle of wits – can Sherlock Holmes afford to trust her word?

I think we all know the answer to that question.

Rating:

Moriarty the Patriot is currently streaming on Funimation.


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