Warning: spoilers ahead
Slithering through the ramshackle lanes and littered streets of Victorian London, darkness emerges; engulfing all in its wake. Hired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous literary character, John Watson, a group of battered teenagers living on the streets are invited to solve supernatural disappearances, kidnappings, and even murders, all whilst in the search for the mysterious, and certainly dictated, Sherlock Holmes.
The Irregulars is a British mystery and adventure crime drama created by Tom Bidwell, Greg Brenman, and Jude Liknaitzky for Netflix. Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous Sherlock Holmes novels, this Netflix series follows the struggles of four teenagers living on the streets in Victorian London, who, once approached by a tall gentleman in a well-kept suit, throw away their virtues and embark on a dark and twisted path. Viewers are exposed to both pain and suffering, but also friendship and love. This series is certainly not for the faint-hearted, chilling the very blood in your bones.
Scooby-Do, Is That You?
The Irregulars offers a comical, yet also serious, take on the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. If you combine Scooby-Do with Stranger Things, with a sprinkle of Bridgerton, you have your match. The title says it all – this is an irregular show about irregular people in an irregular society. What more could you want from a Netflix drama?
“burdened with the misfortune of their past”
We are first introduced to two inseparable sisters, Bea (Thaddea Graham) and Jessie (Darci Shaw), who were burdened with the misfortune of their past and forced to mature, supported only by each other, in the dilapidated and torturous workhouse. Despite escaping the chains of their past, both girls are soon introduced to new trauma and an uprooting of family history like no other.
Unlike Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s depiction of crime drama, The Irregulars follows a supernatural twist that offers (or rather burdens) Jessie with ethereal abilities. Controlled by horrific dreams demanding the torture of her sanity, Jessie is forced to navigate her abilities and delve into the memories of others in a bid to save London from the darkness. Dr. Watson (Royce Pierrson) lures these sisters in, alongside their friends Billy (Jojo Macari), Spike (McKell David), and Leopold (Harrison Osterfield), exposing them to a world of darkness and sorrow.
There is an Unkindness in London
The Irregulars seemingly begins as a series devoted to the inner workings of Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes. Riddled with intrigue, clues, and evidence, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary masterpieces have finally made it to the big screen – but with a twist. Intrigued by Dr. Watson’s mysterious character and promise of payment, these teenagers embark on a supernatural adventure of terror and pain, propelled by the promise of truth.
“The Irregulars sends a chill down your spine whilst luring you in for more”
Episode one begins with the abduction of local babies, snatched from their cribs in the dead of night with no sign of intrusion. As the minutes tick away and we delve deeper into the inner workings of this series’ producers, we are exposed to the supernatural dealings of an otherworldly power intent on destroying Victorian London. From a shapeshifting girl abused by lustrous men to a Dr. Frankenstein wannabe, The Irregulars sends a chill down your spine whilst luring you in for more.
Does Race Have a Say?
It is no secret that Victorian London, like all cities, exercised racist remarks and punishments on those of differing races. Tom Bidwell estranges his series from the classic historical fiction, however, and instead introduces characters of colour to his cast. With a black Dr. Watson and Asian leading lady, The Irregulars offers a modern take on Victorian culture, eradicating racial discrimination and combining the efforts of all, regardless of class and gender, into a fight towards freedom and truth.
“a wormhole of opportunity and equality that Conan’s literature does not”
Such diversity offers an alternate approach to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novels and encourages criticism of not only contemporary racial injustices, but also patriarchy. With two female leading ladies – contrary to Conan Doyle’s expression of masculine authority through the leading male duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson – The Irregulars creates a wormhole of opportunity and equality that Conan’s literature does not.
Love Conquers All…Or Does It?
The Irregulars takes a fancy to all things…irregular, therefore, it is no surprise that their inclusion of a love interest between a Prince and heir to the British throne, and a teenager outcast from the workhouse and forced to live on the streets, lines Bidwell’s plot.
These two love birds first set eyes on each other in a clash between a palace guard and Bea’s friends when Jessie, trapped in a delirious state of semi-consciousness, runs into the path of the Prince’s carriage. Initially bound by hatred for one another, both characters soon begin to soften and find that little spark of energy that then ignites into a beautiful romance – this is short-lived however. Bound by palace constraints and duties as soon to be future monarch, Leopold and Bea go their separate ways in the final episode – an epitome of drama at that.
Final Words…
Increased speculation as to whether The Irregulars will bless our screens with a second season has dominated social media in recent weeks, sending fans into a frenzy of anticipation. The cliffhanger viewers were left on, however, excites the prospects of a return. With Sherlock Holmes diving after his estranged wife into Purgatory, and Leopold returning to the palace with the intention of marrying another, Bidwell has certainly offered room for movement and expansion.
All viewers can hope for is a return to this supernatural dimension and the characters we have grown to love.
Madeleine Raine
Featured image courtesy of Felix Bacher on Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.