What is it about eerily foggy streets, class divides, and love triangles that get the world so excited? Oh, and don’t forget, it’s another Sherlock Holmes show. With so many shows across all platforms trading in this type of generic checklist of Victorian-esque entertainment, what makes The Irregulars so special?
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t one of the many that saw the Victorian wardrobes bathed in sinister blue smoke on the The Irregulars thumbnail and immediately pressed play. After watching each of the episodes, I was pleasantly surprised. With fantastic characters in a well-written plot and the heartwarming theme of family, The Irregulars stands out as one of the best horror-bathed, feel-good shows that I’ve seen in a long time.
A group of teens, the so called Irregulars, are led by Bea (Thaddea Graham), a tenacious and focused girl that is very protective of her younger sister, Jessica (Darci Shaw). Jessie is introduced to have powerful dreams that terrorize her as she sleeps, a main focus in the character’s arc throughout the season. Even with the horrible dreams, Jessie is light-hearted and constantly encourages her sister to be, “knee-deep in shenanigans.”
Bea soon meets Dr. Watson (Royce Pierreson) as he recruits her to be his eyes and ears on the poverty-stricken streets of London. He immediately puts her to work tracking down a missing girl.
During the night, Jessie follows her vision of “The Dark Thing,” stopping in the middle of the street, where she almost gets hit by a royal carriage. Bea is scolded by Daimler (Edward Hogg), an attendant riding in the carriage, and he tells her that she should respect her “betters”. This sets off a flame in Bea and she forces him back into the carriage, by pushing him and saying, “Just because you ride around in a fancy carriage and wear suits, it doesn’t make you my better. Doesn’t make you anyone’s better.”
Bea’s forceful attitude and powerful words attract the attention of the Prince, and soon-to-be ally, Leo (Harrison Osterfield), the other occupant of the carriage. Having been confined most of his life due to having hemophilia, Leo dreams of adventure and romance. He soon escapes the palace and inserts himself into the group.
Bea’s friends, Spike (McKell David) and Billy (Jojo Macari), use their respective charisma and hard-hitting grit to find the missing girl that Bea was charged with tracking. The foursome discover that the girl simply left her parent’s home in fear of being punished after her infant sister was kidnapped as the teen had a tryst with a neighborhood boy.
During their interview with the girl, the Irregulars (and the viewers) are first introduced to the supernatural side of the show. As the girl talks about her little sister and what she witnessed, an unearthly flock of ravens descend on the group and end up gouging out the girl’s eyeballs.
The group chases the clues to find a man with the power to control birds. Following the man to the London Aviary, they solve that he has been taking babies due to the loss of his own wife and child during birth.
Jessie then touches the man, entering his mind and memories. She sees that he gained his powers after using a ouija board to try and contact his deceased wife.
The man and his powers are contained, and the mystery is solved, at least partially.
The rest of the season continues in a similar fashion, with people affected by what the team calls “The Rip.” The affected individuals perform terrible deeds which need to be stopped by the group of friends. The characters do so as they become more and more entangled in this supernatural world.
Bea and Jessie discover the personal connection of their deceased mother, Alice (Eileen O’Higgins), to Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes (Henry Lloyd-Hughes), and cling ever closer to each other as every new revelation is realized.
Jessie is comforted, and ultimately manipulated, by a fellow ipsissimus, the Linen Man (Clarke Peters). She eventually recognizes his intentions, and falls back to her friends for support and defeats him. The Linen Man, however, is only a secondary villain as we find out that it was actually Bea and Jessie’s mother that selfishly opened “The Rip” from the other side.
Should You Watch?
Following a group of teens in a (very) loose adaptation of Sir Arthur Canon Doyle’s world of Sherlock Holmes, The Irregulars is a story that inspires a surprising amount of hope. With spectacular character development, chilling plotlines, and writing that will rattle the cobwebs from a cold heart, the new Netflix show is more than just another attempt to satisfy Sherlock fans.
If someone watches this show expecting it to be another addition to Sherlock lore, they would be disappointed. This is not a show about Sherlock Holmes. One could even be forgiven for losing sight of the fact that Sherlock Holmes was even a part of the concept. The storyline is not canon to the originals, nor any of the following adaptations. Sherlock Holmes himself has practically no part in the show. The only references to the Holmes universe are small and seem to only be placed as a nod to fans, rarely having any effect on the actual movement of the plot.
That being said, as a stand-alone program, The Irregulars is an exciting and feel-good journey from beginning to end. In eight short episodes, the viewer becomes so immersed in the characters and story that it’s hard to let go once the final credits roll.
With an ensemble cast, it can sometimes be difficult to feel invested in each of the character’s arcs throughout a season. However, each character in The Irregulars is given a strong story and the actors play those parts perfectly.
Bea, originally a stubborn and unyielding force, allows herself to be vulnerable and honest with her friends and sister.
Jessie blossoms from a scared girl with mysterious dreams, to controlling her visions and becomes the driving force behind saving the world.
Billy starts off reckless with very little thought about how his actions affect others, but eventually makes choices that would be best for the group and not just himself.
Leo turns from lonely and docile to a fearless warrior. This is most notable in Episode 8: The Ecstacy of Life as Leo, Billy, and Spike start to wonder if they should fight for their home:
Leo: So Long as we can fight for each other, we fight! Billy: Who taught you to be such a badass? Leo: You did. You all did.
The Irregulars not only has great characters with well executed arcs, but the overall theme is one that anyone can get behind. Among the bleak streets of London, with constant reminders of poverty and an impending evil, the group always comes back to the idea that you are nothing without your family. Not only does the show make a great effort to strengthen the bonds between each of the characters, it also reminds us that family is not always biological.
Well into the season, Bea and Jessie find out that their mom and Sherlock Holmes were in love, and Jessie was the product of that love. Though Jessie and Sherlock Holmes are a biological family, they do not have a bond like the teenagers do. Each member of the Irregulars cares deeply for the others and would do anything to protect the “family.” Even Dr. Watson gets a spot in the family eventually.
As the characters toil with this newly discovered supernatural world, the writing shines light on the good parts of life and family. Here are a couple of the best quotes from just the final episodes, that highlight the writing of this show:
Spike: You’re the muscles. Jessie’s the soul...Leo’s the brain and Bea’s the heart. What’s Spike? Billy: The mouth? Spike: I’m the frickin’ skeleton! The most important part, the one that keeps us all together.
Jessie: If you get rid of death, you get rid of life and everything that comes with it...I want to show you that life is worth it. Jessie: Don't you ever tell me life isn't worth it. That it's no good. Because life brought me you.
Bea: Some people can't exist if they're apart
Bea: How do you stop loving someone?... When you don't want to love someone anymore because it hurts too much. How do you stop? Watson: You don’t.
Each viewing of the Irregulars can feel like a spectacular rollercoaster as you are steered from grief to love to excitement to pain. The cinematography and special effects take you to a whole different world and suck you into the action. Overall, this show is really well written and I absolutely recommend sitting down and watching through the episodes. Rumor has it that season 2 is going to start filming soon, so make sure to get ahead of the curve!