10 Awesome TV Characters Who Only Appear In One Episode
5. Irene Adler - Sherlock
Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) had many great foes to counter his genius and arrogance, but few are as effortlessly entertaining and underseen as the seductive Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), a conwoman and dominatrix who clashes with Sherlock and becomes enamoured by him.
Slippery and intelligent, Irene clashes with Sherlock beautifully, giving the detective a worthy sparring partner who's just as dishonest and whip-smart as he is. Better still is her ability to lower his defences, disarming him - much to his hilarious surprise - with her beauty and charm.
She has a couple archive footage cameos after her appearance in "A Scandal In Belgravia," and her final fate is discussed on occasion, but Adler is never properly seen again after her debut, which made sense narratively but still left fans wanting given her depth and relationship with Sherlock. Perhaps if the show is picked up for a new season...