WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1, Episodes 2-3 of Moriarty the Patriot, "The Scarlet Eyes, Parts 1 & 2," now streaming on Funimation.
The first episode of the Moriarty the Patriot anime wasted no time diving into the titular protagonist's life as a criminal consultant. Episodes 2 and 3, however, pull viewers back into his childhood -- an origin story that firms up the Sherlock spinoff's reimagining of the classic villain as a sympathetic antihero. And for newcomers to the property, the surprise is two-fold: not only do William James Moriarty's schemes have a noble intent behind them, but his name is not, in fact, his own. The real Moriarty among the trio we meet in Episode 1 is actually the lesser-featured Albert.
Though our common conception of Professor Moriarty is that of a singular genius who is well-integrated into the British criminal underbelly, in Moriarty the Patriot, he'd have gotten nowhere without Albert William Moriarty. As "The Scarlet Eyes, Parts 1 and 2" detail, Albert gave the title character his name, fortune and the means to carry out his first act as a criminal consultant.
In Episode 2, William and Louis (the future blonde Moriarty brothers) are revealed to have once been two penniless, parentless kids. Through sneaking into libraries, they were able to learn to read and write. William, in particular, nurtured his natural-born intellect -- impressing most adults with his problem-solving skills and worldliness. This was how he caught the interest of a young Albert, the first-born son of the wealthy Moriarty estate, who harbored a secret resentment for his family's grossly elitist treatment of the lower classes. After hearing William stoking revolutionary "eat the rich" sentiment among other children of his standing, Albert realized he'd found a fellow anti-Imperialist.
Both William and Albert, from either end of the societal spectrum, realized the social and economic inequality in Victorian Britain and sought to upheave the whole system. William had the brains while Albert had the means. So, when Albert's father expressed an interest in jumping on the trendy 'adopt an orphan' fad among the higher classes, Albert presented him with William and Louis -- who was sickly -- as a package deal.
Under the Moriarty's roof, Albert's younger brother treated William and Louis like he did every other servant, framing them for messing up their duties and then doling out physical punishments. Little did he know that William was secretly sneaking out and impersonating him around town to make his transition into the family easier.
In Episode 3, William and Albert's plan is carried out. Albert viciously stabs his younger brother after catching him trying to frame William and Louis for theft, then the three of them burn the Moriarty manor down without leaving a trace of foul-play behind. Once they make it outside, Albert introduces the two blonde boys to the authorities as his actual brothers.
It's a perfect beginning for one of the most famous criminals in literary history: murder, deception and a secret benefactor, not to mention a fun nod to the source material (The Scarlet Eyes refers to A Study in Scarlet, the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes). But with the added social justice angle, or social revenge angle, even, Moriarty the Patriot also brings the classic character from the 19th to the 21st century.
