Top TV Characters: Jim Moriarty

THE DEVIL

Jim Moriarty (Sherlock) played by Andrew Scott

 “In a world of locked rooms, the man with the key is king. And honey... you should see me in a crown....”

In a TV show of brilliant characters held up so strongly by the performances of its actors, it’s very rare to have just one person stand out so strongly above the rest. Whilst I came across BBC’s Sherlock not too very long ago, I was quickly snapped up by it and fell in love immediately with the stylisation, the stories, but most importantly, the characters. Now, these aren’t the creations of the writers; that credit must be given to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but we must still applaud Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and Steve Thompson for their unique reinvigoration of such classic characters. As previously mentioned, the one character that stands out, for me, above all else, is Andrew Scott’s chilling portrayal of Jim Moriarty.

 

As one of the most iconic villains of the Sherlock Holmes literary series, and often described as Holmes’ one true nemesis, Moriarty has been adapted for the screen numerous times. But in this show we see something different. He isn’t the introverted, classic villain we think of; but instead an extroverted, yet very internal, psychopath, akin to Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker.

The first time we meet Moriarty; he is simply ‘Jim’ and has undergone the persona of Molly Hooper’s closeted boyfriend so he can meet with Sherlock before revealing his true identity later. When he is finally revealed, everything about him his different; his staccato bursts of anger amongst the calm, subdued coldness make him all the more terrifying as the audience never really knows his next move.

What really makes the character for me is Andrew Scott’s performance. He make the role completely his own and puts something fresh into the character, whilst still keeping enough of Sir Arthur Conan’s creation in there. The best example of this is, Doyle describes Moriarty as (and I’m paraphrasing here) ‘constantly oscillating his neck back and forth in a reptilian fashion’, which Scott has recreated perfectly, and blended it so well with his own Moriarty.

 The scene I feel in which bests portrays the characters is the very final scene of final episode of series one, entitled “The Great Game”. It is the first time we are properly introduced to the character. Whilst introductions are swift; the audience is treated to everything they need to know.