For seven years, fans of the BBC series “Sherlock” have been craving: the last episode featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman aired in 2017. But now there is a new series on Amazon Prime that strikes a similar chord. “The Red Queen” is a modern Sherlock variant from Spain.
Thus begins “The Red Queen”: A hefty man in a suit groans as he lumbers up a narrow staircase, while a thin woman on the top floor plays out various scenarios of how she might take her own life: samurai sword, gun, bathtub with a razor blade, or just jumping from the top floor.
Within minutes, we recognize the well-known combination of Sherlock and Watson:
- The woman is Alicia Scott, the smartest woman in the world, who cannot hold a normal conversation and is haunted by nightmarish demon monkeys as soon as she loses control of her erratic thoughts.
- The man is a police officer, Jon Gutiérrez, a Basque with practical intelligence, who keeps looking at his colleague with a mix of concern and fascination.
Both are part of a secret police project and are now tasked with searching for the kidnapped daughter of one of the richest men in Spain after a brutal murder.
The trailer for “The Red Queen” plays with the melody “In the Hall of the Mountain King”:
The perfect series for everyone missing Sherlock
Why is this series so great for fans of Sherlock? The series strikingly resembles Sherlock, particularly in the dynamic between the main characters, who are likable within just a few minutes, and the visual design. Additionally, we get to glimpse into the inner thoughts of Alicia Scott over and over again.
It also includes the typical elements of a good Sherlock episode:
- Completely broken and emotionally traumatized criminals
- Odd crime scenes and sequences of events
- A criminal mastermind pulling the strings from afar and even smarter than Sherlock
- A distant father figure acting as a mysterious government spokesperson who always appears chastising
- A warm-hearted and comedic figure in the police officer’s mother, who is more than she seems.
The central dynamic between the smart, yet broken Scott and the Basque police officer, and how they slowly grow closer, is the highlight of the series.
What makes the series so special? The series manages to soften the cynical, cold base mood that Sherlock adaptations always have with warm moments. It feels good when, amidst all the chaos and cutting logic, we suddenly see how much the investigator enjoys biting into a potato tortilla while her otherwise so malevolent thought world allows her a moment of relaxation.
Where does the series come from and how can you watch it? “The Red Queen” is the first novel of a thriller trilogy by Spanish author Juan Gómez-Jurado, which has received critical acclaim.
The first season of the adaptation is now available on Amazon Prime in seven entertaining and breezy episodes. The series is available in German, and we give it a clear watch recommendation. Not only, but especially for fans of Sherlock on withdrawal.
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