Does Sherlock Holmes Have a Love Interest in ‘Young Sherlock’?

When you think of Sherlock Holmes, romance might not be the first thing that comes to mind. (Unless you were in the Johnlock trenches back when BBC’s Sherlock was airing. In that case, we see you.)

The famous fictional detective, based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books, prefers mysteries over matters of the heart. He never marries in the source material — but modern adaptations have occasionally given him brief romances.

Enter: Prime Video’s Young Sherlock. Guy Ritchie‘s interpretation of the detective (played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin) doesn’t just find him at a different stage in his life than usual. It also makes it so that Sherlock and James Moriarty (Dónal Finn) aren’t (yet) archenemies. In Season 1, they become each other’s closest friend. They join forces to find out who is killing professors at Oxford, connecting the deaths to the visiting Chinese Princess Gulun Shou’an (Zine Tseng).

Whether or not you’re pro- or anti-romance when it comes to Sherlock Holmes, we can tell you now that Young Sherlock does give the detective a love interest of sorts, though whether or not he reciprocates that interest is up for debate. Swooon is breaking down everything you need to know about Young Sherlock‘s romance subplot. (Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Young Sherlock Season 1.)

What happens between Sherlock and Shou’an?

We could see Young Sherlock‘s enemies-to-lovers arc coming from a mile away. Well, the term doesn’t quite work because Sherlock and Shou’an aren’t quite lovers. It’s revealed fairly early on that the princess is the aforementioned assassin that Sherlock’s hunting, and soon enough, he finds out that she isn’t even a princess at all. She swapped places with the real one to get closer to the professors.

Daniel Smith/Prime

Eventually, Sherlock discovers that Shou’an isn’t the bad guy in the scenario. (It’s a long story, but the people she’s killing are responsible for her parents’ murders. Plus, they’re making a dangerous chemical weapon, so she gets a pass.) Shou’an shows interest in Sherlock from the beginning, and when they’re still adversaries, Sherlock even lets her escape because he thinks the world’s more “interesting” with her in it. (We all know how Sherlock appreciates people who can keep up with him.)

After becoming allies in the latter half of the season, Sherlock agrees to let Shou’an — her real name is Xiao Wei — enact whatever revenge she wishes on his father (Joseph Fiennes), who he knows now is the big bad. They shake hands, and Sherlock turns hers over to kiss it. She sees it as an in to kiss Sherlock straight on the mouth.

“How do you feel?” she asks after, to which he responds, “How am I supposed to feel?

“How do you want to feel?” is her next question. He says, “However I’m supposed to.”

Shou’an closes her eyes briefly, before determining that he’s a “work in progress.” There’s no hint of any more romance between them for the remainder of the season. Once the day is saved, Sherlock admits that she’s his favorite “princess” before she gets in a carriage, seemingly departing London.

Could Sherlock Holmes be aromantic in Young Sherlock?

That interaction after their kiss could be a sign that Sherlock isn’t interested in romance, which would be in line with many iterations of his character. The show leaves it up to interpretation. Sherlock doesn’t have many close relationships in general, which leads us to our next point.

Does anything happen between Sherlock and Moriarty?

I think we can all agree that there will be a subset of fans shipping Sherlock and James. It’s inevitable, with a premise like this one. Remember how we mentioned Sherlock appreciates people who can keep up with him? James might be the only one who can, which makes them fast friends. James shows immense loyalty to Sherlock from the get-go, even breaking Sherlock out of jail when he’s framed for murder.

At one point, Sherlock’s mom even remarks that her son has never had any friends before, James being the exception. For the majority of the season, James and Sherlock hardly butt heads, and when they do, it’s because James needed to make Sherlock confront a hard truth. They challenge each other and push each other, just like many other Sherlock and Moriarty iterations. (Though they aren’t on opposing sides just yet.)

Daniel Smith/Prime Video

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All of that being said, we didn’t notice anything overtly romantic happen between Sherlock and Moriarty, who is portrayed as a relentless flirt and ladies man, in Young Sherlock Season 1. Though it’s clear he doesn’t have feelings for Shou’an, Sherlock hasn’t shown interest in men either, at least at this point in the show. (A man in a Parisian cabaret flirts with Sherlock, who makes a quick escape to focus on the mission at hand.)

Plus, James and Sherlock’s relationship is starting to become strained by the end of Season 1. The ambitious James has started to acquire a taste for immorality, unlike the strictly moral Sherlock. James’ fragile moral code lines up with that of Sherlock’s sister (Holly Cattle), with whom James begins a secret relationship.

What’s your take on Young Sherlock from a romantic standpoint? Should Sherlock have a love interest, whether it be Shou’an or James, in a potential Season 2? Or do you think it’s better the show remains romance-free? Tell us in the comments below!

Young Sherlock, Season 1, Streaming Now, Prime Video