A Study Of Sherlock: Not So Minor Characters

This past year has been the battle of the Sherlocks. In 2009, the American big budget film of "Sherlock Holmes" came out, and the famous detective and his loyal sidekick were reintroduced to the world. The films gave a slightly updated, somewhat steam punk twist to the classic tale, with well-known actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law filling the shoes of Holmes and Watson. At the same time, a British television series was also being created, a set of three hour-and-a-half long episodes, featuring a lesser, practically unknown cast of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in a fully modern-day adaptation. The show aired in Britain in 2010. It was praised and began a mild circulation, though it wasn't until the second installment aired in 2012 - directly after the American sequel hit the box office late 2011 - that the hype truly began. When an American screening of the BBC show, with a chance for the audience to see the actors live on stage - drew thousands of clambering applicants for a mere 400-person seating, it was obvious that the show was as big as the movies. Possibly more so.

 Each version has stellar properties: the chemistry and rapport between the main actors, the updates, the quick dialogues. The film version features a gritty London with multi-layered puzzles that Sherlock must solve. Sherlock and John are more apt to have to defend themselves physically in various situations, the scenes often slowing down as Sherlock deftly explains each punch, once again using wit over brawn to outmatch his opponents. In the BBC version, everything is updated to modern day, with titles such as 'A Study In Pink' to replace the classic 'A Study In Scarlett'. Sherlock has use of cell phones, microscopes, and modern technology to assist him with his research. Then the camera angles in and shows us the minute details Sherlock reads when he looks at someone, and we know that a quick glance of his can still deduce far more than any of the technology at his fingertips.


Yet as good, entertaining, and clever as both current versions are, the main difference between the two lies is in the minor characters. In the film version, we have Inspector Lestrade, landlady Mrs. Hudson, and even the larger roles of Irene Adler and James Moriarty, and they are well done. Yet, in my opinion, the BBC version studiously outshines them, making the minor characters truly memorable.

Detective Lestrade:
 In the show, Inspector Lestrade is updated to Detective, and his character is also much more defined as not just the face of the police force, but as a true ally of Sherlock's. Lestrade is smart and capable but knows that Sherlock is smarter about many things, and though Sherlock can get on his nerves - as he does with everyone - Lestrade still respects him. Respect comes from Sherlock as well, a tribute he pays to very few individuals, due to getting annoyed with how little people observe compared to him. Also, without Lestrade, Sherlock would not get the chance to work with the police as he does. He would not be the 'consulting detective' that he is, unless one person acknowledged his genius and learned how to get along with him. We see not just that Lestrade needs Sherlock, but how genuinely Sherlock needs him. Lestrade and anyone who stays around Sherlock is distinguished with an important attribute: patience.

Mrs. Hudson:
With Mrs. Hudson, the faithful landlady who does her best to keep 221b Baker Street in order, to call her a lesser character would be an injustice. Often portrayed as someone who sighs in the background of Sherlock's antics, here she bustles right in, clucking over Sherlock and John like a loving mother hen. She truly cares for her off-beat tenants, and what is more, Sherlock deeply cares for her. She is one of the few people to whom he shows true affection. Yes, he whirls around like a storm, finding solutions through the most unconventional of means, speaking the truth with little regard for the feelings of others, yet somehow sweet old Mrs. Hudson is someone who has become dear to him. In one episode, when John suggests that she take time away from the scene of a recent crime, Sherlock proclaims, "Mrs. Hudson leave Baker Street? England would fall." He puts an arm lovingly around her shoulder and she smiles and leans against him, patting his hand. In the first episode Sherlock mentions that he helped her out in a case involving her then husband, and that basically she will give them rooms because she owes him. Yet debt has nothing to do with the relationship that has grown between the two of them. In whatever way they came to know each other they are now friends, caring for each other and revealing quick glimpses into Sherlock's heart, which though usually kept locked away so that no one can read him as he reads everyone else, is deeply connected to those few people whom he doesn't simply care about, but cares about deeply.

Mycroft Holmes:
Sibling rivalry is at it's posh and English best with Sherlock's older brother Mycroft. It's a classic struggle of who is more important: Mycroft flaunting his political power by sending cars and helicopters to fetch his brother and Watson whenever he needs information, Sherlock refusing to lend his insight unless it suits him. Mycroft is cold, stern, and commanding. The Ice Man, as he is once described. Yet the two are still brothers whether they like it or not. They have each other to call upon when needed: Sherlock to get into places and retrieve information that only his brother's power would allow, Mycroft to have Sherlock solve cases of importance and delicacy, the two often going at each other in verbal battles that good old John Watson must referee. Yet cold and powerful though he may be, Mycroft does care for his brother, and shows it by keeping an eye on him through his assistants or, more often, through faithful John. John is the stable one, the go-between, and the brother's relationship wouldn't be the same without him, just as neither would be the same without the other.

Molly Hooper:
As far as I know, Molly is an original character created solely for the show, and is not a figure of Sir Conan Doyle's. Molly works in the morgue, a place Sherlock often goes to for evidence. She is a somewhat mousy girl, shyly caring, and has a crush on Sherlock. Most often he is blind to her attempts at showing she likes him, though because he often needs her assistance he sometimes compliments her, and the two share sometimes amiable sometimes awkward run-ins. Though she works in a morgue, Molly has a sweetness and innocence not found in any other character. She brings a quiet perspective to things that Sherlock wouldn't see on his own. She is a faithful friend, and the viewer can't help but hope for her happiness.

Irene Adler:
Irene is the one person who can make the impeccable Sherlock stumble. She is his female match. From the first, the two seem meant for each other. Secretly they fall for each other, but Irene is too certain of what she wants to willingly let emotions rule her decisions. She plays with him, batting him around like cat and mouse, and he plays back. Always she is shown with a cool control. Domineering, you may say. So it just makes sense that a modern-day adaptation would update Ms. Adler to someone who loves control: a dominatrix with a hand for blackmail. She calls herself The Woman, and it is her demeanor of confident control that is more intimidating than her whip. She takes compromising pictures and keeps them as her protection, flaunting the information she keeps hidden away. In a scene very true to the original story, Sherlock easily deduces the hiding place of those pictures while keeping up a witty dialogue with the interested Irene, who keeps him on his toes from then on out. Sherlock is effected by her of course, and she by him, though she claims her flirting is all part of the game. She is sure she is the queen chess piece and that in the end Sherlock will be merely a pawn. In one scene, Sherlock states, “I’ve always assumed that love is a dangerous disadvantage. Thank you for the final proof.” They each play at being aloof, impervious. Yet the viewer knows that neither will be the same for having encountered each other.

Jim Moriarty:
Professor James Moriarty, conniving villain, nemesis of Sherlock. He is the threat which hangs over Sherlock and England, someone who loves mind games and is a match for the detective's intellect. Someone who enjoys clashing wits with the great detective while being bent on destroying him. Sherlock of course is always up for the challenge and enjoys it even, and always you know that in the end, one of them must die. Jail won't be enough for Moriarty. He is too clever to stay behind bars. Sherlock has to finish him. He must, and the reader or audience knows deep down that Sherlock will, because good must trump evil.
Always, Moriarty has been played as an evil genius. In the show, he is of course played as brilliant - and also utterly insane. Moriarty -  Jim as he prefers, not James - is a chameleon. He can change in an instant. He goes from humble and simpering in one scene to completely controlling in the next. His face can be a bored mask, a twisted grin, an enraged snarl, or an amused pucker. While Sherlock is the epitome of cool control, assessing the details and handling a situation with logic, Moriarty fluctuates his voice up and down, lending a comic air to his personality even while he matches Sherlock step for step and then dances ahead. He is truly psychotic, and suddenly it's questionable as to whether good really can conquer this changeling of evil.
What is more, Moriarty also gives unexpected insight into Sherlock's own character. Why does he solve crimes after all? As Mycroft once points out, with Sherlock's intellect he could surely do and be anything he wanted. His 'career' path annoys his brother, who doesn't understand. In a pivotal scene, Moriarty sighs, "You're on the side of the angels,", rolling his eyes at Sherlock as though being good is oh so boring. Then Sherlock replies, in one of my absolute favorite lines from the series: "I may be on the side of the angels, but don't think for one second that I am one of them." Moriarty's eyes open wide. Sherlock has revealed how easy it would be for him to have become like Moriarty: using his intellect for his own gain. Though Sherlock chooses to use his powers for good he doesn't call himself good. He knows what a fine line it is that he walks. He is a man who can study someone for a few seconds and know incredible details about them. A man who can solve crimes better than Scotland Yard. It is fun for him, entertaining, the thrill of the chase. Has he ever considered that maybe it's too easy at times? Has he ever yearned for bigger challenges? Power to pit him against his political brother? Well, who wouldn't?

"I may be on the side of the angels, but don't think for one second that I am one of them."  Moriarty reveals in Sherlock a new depth of character in how earnestly he struggles to be good. Maybe it is only because of Watson, Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrade that he continues to chose the 'side of the angels'. Although Sherlock seems to walk alone, often pushing others away as he hones in on a case, he isn't alone. He is surrounded by people who care about him, and whom he cares about as well. But Moriarty is alone. He cares only for gain, only for beating everyone else. Because of his friends, Sherlock doesn't want to beat everyone, only the bad guys. So he chooses to be good, ready and waiting at Baker Street for a new crime to solve, choosing the side of good over anything else that might be more tempting.

I love that the characters surrounding the famous detective and doctor are made to be people who are truly interesting in their own right, and who greatly impact the story and give depth to Sherlock himself. How much more we see and understand because of them. They are incredibly important, vital to the decisions and actions of our heroes. Sherlock and Watson have grown to be characters that are larger than life, rising from the stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote back in the eighteen-hundreds. Doesn't it seem fair that the lesser characters be given a chance to come into their own in a similar way? Thank you BBC. Your modern take has not only kept the heart of the stories, but let all the characters shine. I think Sir Doyle would be proud.