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January 9, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Sherlock Week: On Moriarty, a guest post by Jayla

January 9, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS   Leave a Comment

BBC

I was hooked on Sherlock since day one. There is no other way to get around that fact. I will admit that I wasn’t a true fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories until after I watched the first season of BBC America’s Sherlock revamp. But I have come to appreciate them a lot more since the show has gained so much success, and with good reasoning. Sherlock’s visuals are stunning, the mysteries cunning, and the characters are positively entertaining.

And then there is Moriarty. 


Yes, he needs a separate reason all to himself. Like any other fan of the TV series, I believe Moriarty to be one of the best villains in TV history.  But what makes him so great?
For starters, Sherlock and Moriarty are ALMOST the exact same person. They are both highly intelligent men and masters of manipulation. This is not something you see in many hero/villain relationships, but it makes for a delectable battle of wits.  I can only think of two major differences that make Moriarty completely different from Sherlock. The first is that Moriarty is a psychopath. Plain and simple. The second difference is that Moriarty only cares about Moriarty. One could argue that Sherlock doesn’t care about anyone, but there’s his relationship with Watson and his brother and even Irene Adler.
The second thing that makes Moriarty such a fabulous villain is his constant need to entertain himself. How often is it that a villain becomes a villain because he is bored? Usually villains become who they are to get some sort of retribution for something that was done to them. James Moriarty is evil because he wants to be. He is driven by his own need to conquer any and everything that stands in his way.

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Source: Tumblr

Finally, he’s actually got a personality, albeit a screwy one. Let’s face it, we all love Jim Moriarty for the way he adds a little color to Sherlock’s life. With the likes of Irene Adler, Moriarty is the only adversary, so far, that’s given Sherlock as run for his money.

There are many more adversaries for Sherlock to overcome, but none can compare the insane, yet charming likes of Professor James Moriarty.
Bio

Jayla is finishing up her last semester as a graduate student and she couldn’t be more excited. She hopes to become a Youth Services librarian one day in the very near future. You can find her on the Internet at ladybluejay.comor on Twitter (@LBJReads).  

Filed under: Moriarty, Sherlock

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About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

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