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duplicity ( application
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Name: Irene Adler Door: Left Canon: Sherlock Holmes Canon Point: Post-Sherlock Holmes Age: 32 Appearance: One, Two History: Irene Alder was born in New Jersey in the United States of America in 1858. Nothing much is known about her childhood and upbringing, but she eventually established herself as an opera singer and a performer. At some point toward her late twenties Irene traded her singing career for that of a professional thief and âadventuressâ, a Victorian term for a woman who seeks position or livelihood through questionable means. In the original novels, the detective Sherlock Holmes becomes acquainted with Irene Adler, the former Prima Donna at the Imperial Opera in Warsaw, after the King of Bohemia hires him to acquire back an incriminating photograph of the King and an American adventuress from a time when the two had a brief affair from the woman herself, as â according to the King â Irene was threatening to send the picture to his new betrothed and thus threatening the whole engagement. Holmes agrees, but Irene ends up catching onto Holmesâ ploys and outwitting him in his own game. She keeps the incriminating photo as assurance the King wonât be seeking revenge on her, leaves in its stead a photo of herself, and flees the country. Stymied but impressed by Ireneâs cleverness, Holmes requests the photo of Irene from the King as his payment for the job; in the movie, itâs later seen in Holmesâ apartment, on a table in his sitting room, which suggests a meeting like this one happened in the movie canon, also. Unlike the novels, though, the movie canon heavily implies that Irene and Holmes were in fact lovers for a time, starting an involved affair at some point during this investigation or later on. They had more encounters along the years before their movie reunion in 1890. In the meanwhile Irene has made a name for herself with a number of thefts and instances of blackmail, marrying and lucratively divorcing at least one man in the interim. Cue 1890 in London; Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson race to prevent the ritual murder of a girl by Lord Blackwood, who has killed five other people in a similar manner. They are able to stop the murder just in time before the police arrive to make the arrest. Three months later, Blackwood is sentenced to death and requests to see Holmes, who visits him in prison. He warns Holmes of three more impending deaths that will cause great changes to the world. Blackwood is hanged and pronounced dead by Dr Watson. Soon after, Holmes receives a surprise visit from Irene Adler who reappears without warning, having gained access into this apartment while Holmes was sleeping. She asks him to find a missing man named Reordan. Holmes has been tracking Irene for some time; despite being unable to prove anything, he recognized her hand various scandals and affairs, which he kept in a special file. These included the theft of a VelĂĄzquez portrait from the king of Spain, naval documents that led to the resignation of the prime minister of Bulgaria, and a large diamond from an Indian maharaja. She was also allegedly behind the breakup of a marriage between a Habsburg prince and a Romanov princessâ a reference to the King of Bohemia from the novels. Knowing Holmes canât resist knowing what Irene is up to, she leaves him payment and departs. Holmes follows her in disguise, witnessing her turning the tables on a few muggers in an alleyway attempting to rob her; she pulls out a tiny club and a knife and easily makes quick work of the two menâ and mugs them instead. Holmes then sees her meeting with her secret employer, hidden in the shadows of a carriage. The concealed man states that Reordan is the key to Blackwood's plans, but Holmes leans little else besides the fact that the man is a professor and that he intimidates Irene, which Watson later remarks is no mean feat. This man later turns out to be Professor Moriarty, and he hired Irene to exploit Holmesâ feelings for her. Three days later, Blackwood's tomb is destroyed from the inside out. Reordan is found dead inside Blackwood's coffin. A grounds-keeper claims to have seen Blackwood walking from the tomb. Following a series of clues from the body, Holmes and Watson find Reordan's home and discover experiments attempting to merge science with magic. Later, Holmes is taken to the Temple of the Four Orders, an occult-dabbling secret society. The leaders, Sir Thomas Rotheram and Home Secretary Lord Coward, ask Holmes to stop Blackwood, a former member of the Order. After his meeting with the Four Orders leaders, Holmes pays Irene a visit, attempting to pick the lock of her hotel room. Amused, she opens the door and invites him inside, bidding him to open an expensive bottle of wine while she gets dressed, slyly dropping her towel a few paces before stepping behind the changing screen in effort to discombobulate Holmes. Holmes cautions Irene that sheâs working for a very dangerous man and urges her to leave before things get ugly, to disappear; âyouâre good at that.â Irene realizes then that Holmes knows more than she thought and is comfortable with regarding her dealings with Moriarty, and plies him with her charmsâ and a drugged glass of wine. Holmes renews his threat to take Irene either to the police or the train station as per her choice, and Irene instead asks Holmes to run away with her. But when he predictably turns her down, she steals a hot kiss from him before he passes out from the narcotic sheâd dosed the wine with. When Holmes comes around, the hotel room is empty. Irene has stripped him naked, handcuffed him to the bed, and left the key under a pillow on his lap. In the meanwhile, Sir Thomas and another senior member of the group are killed through apparently supernatural means by Blackwood, allowing him to assume control. He plans to push for Britain to retake the United States, weakened by civil war. Lord Coward, who was in league with Blackwood all along, issues a warrant for Holmes' arrest. Holmes and Watson figure out Blackwoodâs been using a slaughterhouse he owns as a base of operations, and set out to see if he hides there. Unbeknownst to them, Irene has also made her way to the slaughterhouse, carrying on her assignment from Moriarty to check into Blackwoodâs weapons manufacturing. She gets captured, and Blackwood uses her as a distraction; shackling her from her hands onto the assembling line of the slaughterhouse, forcing Holmes and Watson to choose between helping her or following Blackwood. They help Irene in nick of time, freeing her mere moments before she would have gotten sawed in half. Watson chases after Blackwood while Irene hugs Holmes, kissing him on the cheek; genuine in her relief and gratitude, for once wearing no masks or façade. Holmes is visibly thrown off by the earnest affection, and awkwardly suggests they help Watson. Outside the slaughterhouse, Blackwoodâs fail safes engage and hidden bombs go off, destroying the building and severely injuring Watson, knocking Holmes and presumably Irene as well unconscious. Holmes wakes up dazed and alone, found by a constable who informs him Watsonâs been taken to the hospital but thereâs a warrant of arrest out on Holmes; a good friend, the constable urges the detective to flee. Meanwhile, Irene attempts to leave London by train, to finally disappear, but Moriarty is sat in the train car, telling her in no uncertain terms her assignment isnât finished and heâd be the one to decide when it is. Sheâs clearly anxious and discomfited, but doesnât argue. Here it becomes obvious Irene knows exactly what Moriarty is capable of, and is genuinely frightened of the man. Holmes goes into hiding and studies Blackwood's rituals, concluding the next target is British Parliament. When he emerges from his drugged stupor, he realizes heâs been joined by Watson and Irene in his hiding place on the attic of a run-down pub. Looking visibly happy to see Irene there, he tells her he knew she wouldnât leave. Irene hesitates over such earnestness from him, before pulling on a mask of her own and making a light quip; since heâs a fugitive now, heâs forced to work outside the law, and thatâs her area of expertise. Explaining his plan to Watson and Irene, Holmes tricks Lord Coward into revealing that the plan is to wipe out the House of Lords and then rejoins Irene and Watson. The three sneak into the sewers beneath Parliament and discover a machine, based on Reordan's experiments, designed to release a cyanide derivative into the Parliament chambers. While Holmes and Watson debate on how to approach, Irene forges in guns blazing. âShe loves an entrance, your muse,â Watson tells Holmes. They fight off Blackwood's men, and Holmes and Irene devise a plan to remove the cyanide containers from the machineâ Irene displaying certain familiarity here with sciences and machinery. More thugs crowd the sewers, and in the chaos of it all, Irene grabs the cylinders and races away, pursued by Holmes. Blackwood and Coward realize their plan has failed. Coward is captured, but Blackwood manages to escape. Holmes confronts Irene on top of the incomplete London Bridge, telling her with some anger and frustration he wonât be chasing after her any longer, tired of repeating their same old patterns. Irene, visibly distraught and weary, confesses she no longer wants to keep running. Sheâs about to explain everything when theyâre interrupted by Blackwood, who knocks Irene off the bridge. But she only falls down a level rather than into the river, knocked unconscious by the impact. Holmes fights Blackwood, who eventually falls to his death. Irene rouses to find herself handcuffed by Holmes, cracking a joke about it before they share a soft moment on the bridge. She finally explains to him that her mysterious employer is Professor James Moriarty, warning Holmes he is every bit as intelligent as Holmes, but far more devious. She confesses Moriarty discovered her weak spot and took advantage of it. When Holmes presses her (âWhat was it, precisely?â), she conveys with a rather vulnerable look that she spoke of her feelings for Holmes. She pleads Holmes not to underestimate Moriarty. They share a near-kiss, free of any subterfuge, and Holmes slips Irene the key to the handcuffs before leaving her on the bridge. She'd be long gone by the time the police get to her. Soon after, she ends up in Duplicity. Personality: An independent adventuress, Irene eschews the expectations of late 1800âs societal norms and mores for women, in many ways on par with her more modern counterparts. Sheâs very confident in both her mental capabilities as well as her physical beauty and appeal. Sheâs resourceful and intelligent, surprisingly knowledgeable about subjects such as sciences and mechanics. As a retired opera singer, sheâs used to putting on a performance and being on the spotlight; she rather enjoys being seen and noticed, favoring vibrant colors and sumptuous fabrics in her dress rather than something more prim and demure. Charm is something she has in abundance and sheâs not shy about using every ounce of it to her advantage. She travels the world unescorted and has a dalliance here and thereâ not only for hedonistic pleasure, but in large part for financial gain also. Because sheâs also a skilled thief and a blackmailer, who rarely lets opportunities slip by without taking advantage of them. In particular she fools men who are taken in by her beauty and charms. Either she robs them blind right off the bat, or plays longer cons through marriage followed by a more lucrative divorce. Becoming an opera singer got her used to a certain standard of living, of being showered in praise and admiration; staying in luxurious hotels and dining in the finest restaurants. Having gotten used to that sweeter, hedonistic way of life, she wasnât about to relinquish it once her career was over. Neither was she about to settle for the only other role available for women desiring wealth and fortunesâ a housewife to a rich man. If continuing to enjoy her freedom and a plushier way of life meant straying to the wrong side of the law, then so be it. What defines Irene is her desire to live life on her own terms. Sometimes, that requires a bit of ruthlessness; but even when sheâs got a blade to your throat, she smiles. Her sweetness is very much a front she uses to be as efficient in a manâs world as she is. She takes care to keep her name out of the press, using aliases and other subterfuge to protect herself. Sheâs left her native New Jersey in her rear view and favors Europe and the Orient as her playground. Still, Sherlock Holmes was able to gather a whole dossier on her exploits ranging from jewel thefts to scandalous affairs leading into dissolutions of royal engagements; all committed by unknown female perpetrator. Holmes claimed, however, that these crimes carried her signature all over them. Since quitting the opera, Irene has made the world at large her new stage. Sheâs still very much the performer, playing the femme fatale and expertly manipulating others. It can be difficult to know when sheâs being honest and earnest and when sheâs spinning a tall tale to suit her needs, as she always keeps the truth close to the vest. Her motives are usually hard to pin down, as sheâs inherently distrustful of others and often deceptive. She can be a bit difficult and fickle in general, acting often to serve her own ends and agendas. Sheâs also very competitive; her relationship with Sherlock Holmes seems largely based not only on mutual admiration of one anotherâs intellect, but also on the rush of outwitting and outplaying each other in turn. Holmes is also the only man who genuinely captivates her interest and is able to keep her on her toes, as sheâs generally impatient and bores easily. Coupled with impatience is certain recklessness. For all her self-confidence, she can sometimes be a bit too confident, which ends up adding to her audacity. It can also get her in trouble. âIâve never been in over my head,â she tells Sherlock casually when he warns her of being just that when it comes to working for Moriarty. Itâs at least in part a façade she puts onâ certainly she canât admit a weakness so readily in a world (or a time period) where women are already the underdogs in many ways. Irene has no problem forging into potentially dangerous situations as well as the more benign, getting a rush out of action and adrenaline. Befitting her more criminal lifestyle, sheâs quite capable of defending herself, usually favoring small handguns, billyclubs and knives. Different narcotics are also in her repertoire. She always has a weapon or two hidden in her skirts or sleeves that she makes efficient use of when needed, not shy of getting physical and throwing down if she has to. Usually direct in words and deeds both, at times even a little brash, Irene is not very easily intimidatedâ lately, only the diabolical Professor Moriarty has had her actually frightened. Still, she isnât heartless or malicious. She does love Sherlock Holmes (though sheâs not keen on admitting it because sheâs so used to hiding such soft emotions) and throughout the movie, her underlying motivation is actually to keep him from harmâs way by attempting to divert his investigations into Moriarty. She might be a thief and a blackmailer, but she does have a reasonably sound moral compass in spite her more criminal tendencies. She doesnât rob or exploit those who really do not deserve it, nor is she interested in ferreting out secrets that do not benefit her somehow. She might be unruly and self-serving, but not to complete exclusion of the concerns of others. She'll continue toeing the line between an antagonist and an antihero much like always. Powers and Abilities: Irene is very much a normal human woman with no special powers. She is skilled at sleight of hand and has a certain degree of hand-to-hand skill, but not enough to hold her own in a fight. However give her a knife, billy club or a handgun and she's a force to be reckoned with. She also has rather vast knowledge of the use of different narcotics and poisons. Inventory: A stiletto knife, a velvet coin purse housing a hook pick. Samples: 1) TDM top-level 2) TDM / Network 3) Meme, for good measure |
