Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/64640
'Sherlock' meets 'The Woman' thereof – of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes have been the subject of everything from literary debate to armchair psychoanalysis. Since the late 19th century, the sexual proclivities – or apparent lack When the second season of PBS' 21st-century version of "Sherlock" – starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, with Martin Freeman as war veteran Dr. John Watson – premieres Sunday, May 6, on "Masterpiece Mystery!" expect the conversation to start again in earnest. Devotees of the consulting detective know the only woman (aside from his housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson) in Holmes' life – indeed, she is "The Woman" – is Irene Adler. In Doyle's original, she is a beautiful, brilliant opera singer with an adventurous romantic past who gets embroiled in a royal scandal. In "A Scandal in Belgravia," the first of three new episodes, Irene (Lara clues from what people are wearing, she chooses to meet with him wearing almost nothing whatsoever. Pulver) is now a dominatrix. She's still involved in a royal brouhaha, but now it's with a distaff member of the ruling clan. Of course, she crosses swords with Sherlock, but to foil his ability to read "She's asked to meet with him," says Pulver, munching on nuts in a hotel alcove during a press event in January 2012, "knowing that he's turned up pretending to be an Irish vicar. The game starts from the outset. She pulls out the trump card. She goes, 'OK, if you want to play this game… .' It's one-nil to Irene Adler by the end of that scene. "She throws him off his game instantly. What's brilliant is that, within seconds, you realize it has nothing to do with being naked, with sexuality or anything, because they're both locked into each other's minds, and they're off and running – in Louboutins, yes." In Louboutin heels for Irene, that is – and Pulver ditched them as soon as she could. "They were painful!" she says, revealing herself to be no fan of agony in real life. "I had a pair of Vivienne Westwoods that were really comfy, then when they' Louboutins!' " A few months later, Cumberbatch calls in from the set of the second installment of director J.J. Abrams' revival of the big-screen "Star Trek" franchise, where he's in the makeup trailer having his hair dyed, and says, "For me, Sherlock's not gay. He's not straight, necessarily. He has a sexual appetite, but it's entirely swallowed by his work. He doesn't have time for it. d come at me, I'd be, 'No, please, I don't want to put on the 'The Woman,' who is Irene Adler. She attracts him, because she is a match for him and outmatches him and outplays him with female intuition, using emotional landscaping to outflank his abilities, to distract him. "He basically gets distracted by the fact that she's a beautiful woman who has the ability to play the same games as he plays. So it's a great chess match between two very evenly matched players." "That's very much prevalent in the books. But there has always been BY KATE O'HARE WEDNESDAY 5:00 p.m. (TNT) NBA Basketball Play- offs, First Round: Teams TBA. (Live) (HD) 7:30 p.m. (TNT) NBA Basketball Play- offs, First Round: Teams TBA. (Live) (HD) THURSDAY 5:00 p.m. (TNT) NBA Basketball Play- offs, First Round: Teams TBA. (Live) (HD) 7:30 p.m. (TNT) NBA Basketball Play- offs, First Round: Teams TBA. (Live) (HD) FRIDAY 4:30 p.m. (ESPN) NBA Basketball Playoffs, First Round: Teams TBA. (Live) (HD) 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2) NBA Basketball Playoffs, First Round: Teams TBA. (Live) (HD) 7:00 p.m. (ESPN) NBA Basketball Playoffs, First Round: Teams TBA. (Live) (HD) BOXING SATURDAY 9:00 a.m. (HBO) 24/7 Mayweather/ Cotto Floyd Mayweather opens training camp in Las Vegas. 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