Robert Downey Jr really wanted to play a gay Sherlock Holmes and he so nearly did. In this episode, we look at the somewhat maligned Sherlock Holmes films directed by Guy Ritchie, starring Downey Jr and Jude Law. We discuss why the first one is such a delightful romp and how the two leads play with the intensen queer subtext to great effect. We spend less time talking about the dreadful sequel, except to dig into the behind-the-scenes drama that forced Sherlock deeper into the closet.

CW: Mentions of homophobia, drugs, misogyny

References:

• Is Sherlock Holmes Gay? by Nikki Gloudeman
• Sherlock Holmes: Queer, Straight, Neither? by Lambda Library
• Is Sherlock Holmes gay? by The Week
• Robert Downey Jr.'s allegedly gay 'Sherlock Holmes.' Seriously?! by PopWatch (archived)
• No Holmes 2 for Ritchie? by Film News (archived)

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