50 Girlcrushes of 2013: Natalie Dormer
Irene Alder. Moriarty. Arguably, the best thing Elementary has done so far has made the two central figures in Sherlock Holmes canon women and only not for the sake of some semblance of modernity or gender quality, but as a way to make its universe richer and more complex. The depths of Irene/Moriarity’s betrayal will echo through Elementary’s canon for years to come. Natalie Dormer was perfect as Irene and Moriarty, playing both victim and villian in a way that left you wondering if maybe she was a little of both. She was passionate, cunning, ruthless and pointed out, rightly so, that our idea that women couldn’t just as easily be cold-blooded killers is what made her such a successful super-villian. Yet, she cared for Sherlock in her own way and was done in by her inability to stay away from him (part gloat/part tenderness). And while Sherlock may have captured her, he has really yet to solve her. She is still a puzzle and I hope she comes back eventually to puzzle us all some more.