WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 13 of Moriarty the Patriot, "A Scandal in the British Empire, Part 2," now streaming on Funimation.
Moriarty the Patriot's Irene Adler-starring arc is in full swing in Part 2 of "A Scandal in the British Empire." In the last episode -- the second cour's premiere -- the classic Holmes character was introduced as a Victorian femme fatale; a woman who used her fame treading the boards to ensnare the rich and powerful. Having obtained documents containing a scandalous secret about the Crown, Irene was hounded by both the criminal underworld and the government. Episode 13 ups the ante between the two competing parties, while the (literally) explosive exposure of Irene's secrets sets Wiliam Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes on course for another clash.
The scandal Irene's documents contain concerns the covert hand the British establishment played in the French Revolution. Apparently, Britain meddled with the country's political upheaval in order to see how the 'experiment' -- a system of governance led by its citizenry -- would work. This is obviously highly incriminating stuff so it's no wonder Mycroft, Queen Victoria's top spook, is hot on her trail. Irene took refuge at 221B Baker Street but in the latest episode, she dons another male-presenting disguise to venture out in public. At a murder mystery-themed masquerade ball, playing homage, ironically, to the new 'Lord of Crime' in London, she bumps into the man who invited her: James Moriarty, William's adopted brother and another agent of the Crown's.
It's here that she discloses the contents of the documents, in exchange for the real Lord of Crime's protection from the monarchy. Little does she know that, contrary to what James claims, it's actually his brother William who holds real power. But clearly, William knows better than to reveal himself, and James makes for an authoritative enough stand-in.
Later on, Sherlock also uses trickery to extract Irene's precious information -- which is where the 'explosive' aspect of the episode comes into play: upon arriving home after the ball, Irene is horrified when an explosion rocks Sherlock and John Watson's apartment. Running upstairs, she's relieved to find the detective, his companion and landlady, Miss Hudson, are alive and only moderately injured. Sherlock tells her his home is obviously no longer safe for her and suggests she leave right away, taking the documents with her. Irene starts to take his advice, revealing their hiding place in the process, which was Sherlock's intent the whole time.
The explosion was all his hair-brained doing, a true mark of the eccentricity he's become known for in spinoffs. After he uncovers the content of the documents for himself, Irene lies that she's struck a deal with the government for them, but Sherlock sees through the bluff -- deducing that the only person who could save her from institutional fire and brimstone is the Lord of Crime. The detective has yet to confirm his suspicions that his recently-made pal, "Liam" Moriarty is this cult figure, but Irene has accidentally reignited the rivalry between the two.
