Sherlock: 5 Reasons Why The Next Villain Won't Be As Awesome As Moriarty

4. His Unpredictability

Moffat and Gatiss' original plans for the reveal of Moriarty in 'The Great Game' were for Sherlock to finally hear Moriarty's real voice but still never actually see him. While hearing Moriarty's voice after he had used so many different "voices" would have brought the episode full circle, I'm glad they changed their minds, because Andrew Scott's embodiment of Moriarty is fantastic. He has this energy about him of a loose cannon, just something that is completely and utterly unpredictable. He is able to catch even the great Sherlock Holmes off guard when he reveals himself. What's unnerving is his appearance shows no evidence of his identity as the world's greatest criminal; he is small and soft-spoken, with not the slightest hint of being threatening or imposing. Even when he speaks, he uses high-pitched inflections and a sing-song voice to lower expectations of himself as a threat. Then this exchange occurs:

Jim Moriarty: "I have loved this. This little game of ours. Playing Jim from IT; playing gay. Did you like the little touch with the underwear?" Sherlock Holmes: "People have died." JM: "That's what people DO!"

In that instant we see the villain behind the mask, the mastermind behind the murderous plots, the evil lurking behind the innocent front. The change is so sudden, it made me jump the first time I saw this episode. His chilling words still give me goosebumps when I watch it now. The key to Moriarty is this unpredictability. While the seeming randomness of his actions confuses others, in Moriarty's mind every piece of the plot fits together, no matter how seemingly bizarre or unrelated. This is why Sherlock is a worthy opponent for him: he can take those pieces and fit them together, deducing why Moriarty would let himself be imprisoned, why he would enter a plea of not guilty and give no defense, why he would become Richard Brook, etc.One of the last times that Moriarty lets his mask slip is in 221B after the verdict, when he and Sherlock are talking:

JM: "It's going to start very soon, Sherlock. The Fall. But don't worry. Falling's just like flying..."

And then his gentle voice morphs into a caustic, biting sneer.

JM: "...there's just a more permanent destination."

That dead-eyed, furious glare he gives after just says it all. Jim Moriarty is not a man; he is a creature bent on the destruction of anyone who gets in his way. And they will never see it coming. ...Unless they're Sherlock Holmes, of course. But that's for another article, another day!