main characters in sherlock holmes

8/18/2019 Main Characters in Sherlock Holmes

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Main characters[edit]

Benedict Cumberbatch asSherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes[edit]

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) describes himself initially as "a consulting

detective, the only one in the world," helping outScotland Yard when they are out of their

depth with cases (usuallyhomicides). He appears as a tall, thin man with dark, curly hair.

Like the original character, Sherlock is highly intelligent and ableto deduce orabduceinformation from the small details.

Sherlock has a very unusual personality, and describes himself in the first episode "A Study

in Pink," as a "high-functioning sociopath," a term he insists on in subsequent episodes.

Others call him a "psychopath", and in "The Hounds of Baskerville," John tells Lestrade that

he believes Sherlock has Asperger syndrome. This manifests itself in very poor people skills

and the extremely rude manners Sherlock shows toward everyone he deals with. At times,

he also seems to exhibitsensory sensitivities, associated withautism spectrum disorders,

and occasionally exhibits "stimming" behaviors (pacing, hopping, spinning, rocking, making

origami from serviettes, flapping a hand) when excited, upset, stressed, concentrating

deeply, or overwhelmed.[1] On two occasions in the episodeThe Hounds of Baskerville, he

also appears to suffer from episodes ofsensory overload and has minor meltdowns, and

fidgeting with his hand after such an episode appears to soothe him. Also a characteristic of

autism, Sherlock can be shown to have a very literal understanding of what is said to him—

once, when after Sherlock tells John that he wants to go out that evening, John tells him that

can't because he is going on a date, describing it as "two people who like each other (going)

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out and (having) fun," Sherlock replies that "That's what (he) was suggesting." In the first

episode, "A Study in Pink," when he is offered coffee by Molly Hooper, whose intent is to ask

him out for a cup, possibly on another day, he gratefully accepts and tells her how he likes

his coffee fixed and where he would like to take it, assuming that she is simply offering to

bring him a cup right then.Nonverbal communication also does not seem to come naturallyto him; in The Reichenbach Fall, John complains that Sherlock is making "the Face," and has

to further explain what he means. Sherlock also appears not to understand sarcasm. In The

Hounds of Baskerville, when Dr. Frankland chooses to use a joke in order to refuse to tell

them what his job is, saying, "I would love to tell you– but then, of course, I’d have to kill you!"

Sherlock coldly replies, "That would be tremendously ambitious of you." Later on in the

episode, after Sherlock remarks that Dr. Stapleton may be conducting genetic experiments

on something "more deadly than a rabbit," and John, trying to make a joke, replies that "To

be fair, that is quite a wide field," Sherlock simply stares at him, either in confusion at the

pointless obviousness of the statement or in disdain for John's pitiful joke. He is alsodisdainful of the "typical" affectionate relationships he sees other people sharing, disdaining

what he snidely refers to as "sentiment" and declaring that "sentiment is a chemical defect

found on the losing side." He seems to admit that hedoes not understand sentiment and

does not wish to, but, as seen below, he is shown to care deeply about his closest friends.

When it will be useful for a case, however, Sherlock is skilled atfeigning emotion and has

successfully tricked strangers into helping him or providing information. Despite his social

challenges, Sherlock is skilled at coercing people to help him, mostly by playing on their

weaknesses. Mycroft has said Sherlock has the mind of a scholar or philosopher.

Furthermore, Sherlock does not seem to grasp the deep impact his actions have on thosewho care deeply about him. Though Sherlock's fakesuicide at the end ofThe Reichenbach

Fall was conducted in order to protect Sherlock's only friends, including John; when, two

years later, Sherlock is ready to return to London and reunite with John, he seems tohave no

ideaof the pain andgrief John has suffered as the result of his "death." When Sherlock

reveals himself to John, having disguised himself as a waiter, he is unhappily shocked at

John's intense emotional reaction and the fact that John does not immediately accept him

back into his life. After he and John have become close again, Sherlock is then seen to be

completely confused when John asks him to be the best man at his and Mary's wedding, and

is unable to mentally finish John's statement about wanting to be "with the two people that(he) love(s) and care(s) about most in the world" with his own name. Again understanding

John's words literally, when John first uses the phrase "the best man," Sherlock goes off on a

tangent describing the "best man" he ever knew until John pauses him and explains that he

is referring to the "best man" for his and Mary's upcoming wedding. During his best man

speech later on in the episode, Sherlock moves everyone deeply by telling John that he is

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sitting "between the woman (he has) made (his) wife and the man (he) has saved; in short,

the two people who love (him) most in all this world."

Sherlock cares more about the crimes than about the victims involved. He is rude and

inconsiderate towards others, including John (often leaving him behind and asking him to do

menial, domestic tasks such as shopping). However, Sherlock is shown to care deeply for

John as the series goes on, showing uncharacteristic emotion when his friend's life is in

jeopardy or when John comes to his aid. Sherlock states the highest compliment he can give

is saying that Mary deserves John as a husband. He considers only four people as his

friends: John Watson, Mrs Hudson, Molly Hooper and DI Greg Lestrade, whose first name he

never remembers. He also has an extremely complex relationship with his brother Mycroft,

his only admitted intellectual superior. Mycroft, from the outset, is shown to care and worry

deeply for him whilst at the same time sharing a mix of mutual contempt and respect.

Sherlock seems to have grown more fond of his brother as the stories progress, even

pleading with Mycroft to attend John and Mary's wedding; he was also shocked upon hearing

his brother admit he'd be saddened by his death.

Sherlock appears largely asexual and describes himself as "married to his work". He seems

oblivious to the romantic attraction that Molly has for him, but sometimes uses this to his

advantage if it assists him in a case. He also seems confused and mildly disgusted when in

"The Sign of Three" she brags to him about her relationship with her current boyfriend. After

the introduction of Irene Adler, Sherlock seems to have some interest in Irene, though her

attempts to throw him off by shocking him seem to have no effect on him; and comes to her

rescue when she is about to be executed inKarachi. She frequently flirts with and texts

Sherlock in "A Scandal in Belgravia," but he seldom responds. In the following series,

Sherlock briefly has a mental image of her in his Mind Palace when thinking of who would

know John's middle name, but quickly retorts "Get out of my head, I'm busy." In Series 3 he

is briefly in a relationship with Janine; however, this is later revealed to be a ruse to gain

information on her boss, and he carefully avoids allowing the relationship to become too

intense.

Sherlock has considerable fighting ability, fighting off a man armed with a sword using his

bare hands in "The Blind Banker." In "A Scandal in Belgravia," he disarms and incapacitates

a CIA agent on two separate occasions. At the end of Series Three, seeing no other choice,

he shoots and kills Charles Augustus Magnussen, a corrupt and unethical newspaper owner

who is threatening to release incriminating material he has on Mary Watson. Instead of going

to prison, Sherlock is sent to do dangerous undercover work in Central Europe; this is

interrupted by the shocking revelation at the end of Series Three ofMoriarty's survival.

Sherlock also enjoys dancing; proudly demonstrating a perfect pirouette to Janine in "The

Sign of Three" during the reception of John and Mary's wedding and lamenting the fact that

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dancing "never really comes up in crime work." In the same episode, shortly after he

deduces Mary's pregnancy, Sherlock explains that he is the one who taught John to dance.

He knows London's streets and alleys extremely well; in "A Study in Pink", he quickly figures

out what route a cab would take and plans a route to beat it to its destination. In "The Empty

Hearse", Sherlock works out which paths to take to shave time off the countdown to save

John. He has strange connections, including agraffiti artist, as well as the entire network of

the homeless (similar to theBaker Street Irregulars' street urchins in the original stories). In

solving cases, Sherlock uses a technique known as the Method of Loci, which he calls his

"mind palace," which enables him to efficiently store and retrieve information for deductions.

Initially the mind palace appears as a series of assorted facts that appear on the screen

when a scene is shown from Sherlock's point of view. In Series 3, the mind palace became a

very elaborate construction where other characters from the series discuss Sherlock's cases

with him.

Sherlock has violent mood swings when there are no cases that interest him. He is once

seen stretched out on his chair and firing a gun at a smiley face spray-painted on the wall in

his flat. He finds smoking impractical in present-day urban London and, therefore, mostly

makes do withnicotine patches. He may apply three patches at the same time when it is a

"three patch problem", implying the nicotine helps him to think. For the same reason, he

plays the violin and even composes music from time to time. Sherlock also has a history

ofrecreational drug use; solving dangerous cases, as he puts it, "as an alternative to getting

high." Seen in "His Last Vow", Sherlock has a short fuse when high or recovering, shoving

Mycroft against the wall of the flat and painfully twisting one arm behind him; John was afraid

in this scene that Sherlock would seriously injure his brother.

Despite the challenges Sherlock presents toward potential friends, John is shown to be

extremely loyal to his flatmate. In Series Three, after Sherlock returns from his two-year

absence, John selects Sherlock to be thebest man at his and Mary's wedding. The speech

Sherlock gives is somewhat awkward, with his demeanor showing how uncomfortable he is

with making a speech in front of strangers,[1] and his apparent lack of understanding when a

number of deeply moved guests begin to sniffle and an extremely touched John abruptly

hugs him seems to provide more evidence that Sherlock is on the autism spectrum.

Trying to prevent anyone, specifically the press, from getting a photograph of his face,Sherlock disguises it with adeerstalker. This becomes his trademark-- much to his

annoyance as he greatly dislikes the hat, describing it in "The Reichenbach Fall" as a

"deathFrisbee" and expressing confusion about the advantage this hat, according to its

name, would provide to a person hunting deer. He concludes that as this hat has ear flaps, it

is an "ear hat." However, he seems to have accepted the fact that the hat is now his

trademark since he puts one on before greeting the press about his miraculous return in "The

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Empty Hearse". Sherlock is also shown not to enjoy eating; inThe Blind Banker, he explains

to Molly Hooper that he doesn't eat while he's working, as digesting slows him down. In the

pilot episode of the show, he tells John that he does not eat every day, and later in the

episode, John uses the fact that Sherlock has not eaten in several days to convince Lestrade

to allow Sherlock to leave the scene of thecabbie Jeff Hope's death-- in order to go and eatdinner-- instead of staying to share his deductions with the police force.

Dr. John Watson[edit]

Martin Freeman as John Watson

John Hamish Watson (Martin Freeman) is Sherlock's best friend and former flatmate. He is

often afoil to Sherlock in both appearance and personality. Unlike Sherlock, John is short

with blond hair. He is friendly, compassionate, patient and 'human' compared to Sherlock's

aloof, cold-hearted tendencies. He gets on better with the police and takes care of practical

matters at their flat, apparently doing most of the shopping. Sherlock has called him "the

wisest, warmest human being [he] knows", and has stated that "the warmth and constancy of

[John's] friendship" can redeem even a "rude, ignorant, all-around obnoxious arsehole like

[Sherlock]."

John seems to behave as Sherlock's advocate, helping strangers to understand what theyshould expect from Sherlock as he helps Sherlock to behave in socially acceptable ways. He

gently but firmly corrects Sherlock when he is rude and helps "translate" sarcasm and

"typical" human emotions, which Sherlock snidely refers to as "sentiment," to him. John is

very patient; as Sherlock'sflatmate he has to deal with everything from coming home to find

Sherlock shooting holes in the wall to opening the refrigerator to discover a severed human

head. He is shown to, in general, be very supportive of Sherlock and hisneurological

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differences; when, at the beginning of "The Hounds of Baskerville," Sherlock is angrily

pacing the sitting room of their flat, desperate for a case, John calmly and respectfully

encourages him and tries to help him find something to do, although, after Sherlock's

deduction of Mrs. Hudson proves extremely insulting, John tells him off and insists he

apologize. One thing John will not do with Sherlock, however, is play the gameCluedo; Sherlock's frustration that the inflexible rules of the game do not allow for scenarios that

resemble realistic cases has apparently ruined the game for John. After he becomes

engaged toMary Morstan in Series Three, John develops a code with Mary that they use

when one of them realizes that they need to privately discuss an issue Sherlock is having.

At the start of the series, John is recently invalided home fromAfghanistan after serving with

the Royal Army Medical Corpsas part ofBritain's role in the 2001-2014 Afghanistan war. He

was honourably discharged as a Captain. Prior to his military period, John

readmedicine at King's College, London as seen on hisCV. He is in possession of apistol,

with which he is highly proficient, being described as a "crack shot" by Sherlock.

At the beginning of the series, John has several medical issues: apsychosomatic limp in his

right leg, a bullet wound in his left shoulder, and an "intermittenttremor" in his left hand.

John's therapist notes he has "trust issues" and PTSD, but Sherlock's brother Mycroft says

that far from being "haunted by the war" John actually misses the thrill of battle. Following a

chase around London with Sherlock, in which he forgets his cane at a restaurant, John's limp

disappears, and Mycroft observes that in a stressful situation John has no sign of a hand

tremor. When asked by Sherlock, on their first case together, whether he wants to see more

horrible deaths, John responds, "Oh God, yes!" In the 3rd series, it is further elaborated that

John is subconsciously addicted to danger. Sherlock explains that this is why John chose to

put his trust in him, a sociopath who solves dangerous cases as an alternative to getting

high, and fell in love with Mary, a formersecret agent and assassin.

John is shown to be loyal and courageous, with a strong sense of personal integrity. He

refuses Mycroft's offer to pay him to spy on Sherlock, despite only having just met Sherlock;

however, Series 3 shows John informing Mycroft of anything wrong Sherlock has done,

showing he will inform others of Sherlock's actions if they are family. He is willing to use

deadly force, but is only ever seen doing so when someone else's life is in immediate danger.

John also shows impressive physical strength; in the episode A Scandal in Belgravia, when a

confused Sherlock, who has been rendered ill byIrene Adler's poison, gets out of bed to

search for her and falls, John is able to lift him from the floor to return him to bed.

In the first series John gets alocum job at a nearby general practice to supplement

his pension. In the second series, John is referred to as Sherlock'sP.A. and is not shown

working any other job. John writes about Sherlock's cases on hisblog, which attracts clients

to them. He also gives the cases names he deems appropriate. Much to John's constant

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annoyance, he is often mistaken for agay man because of the time he spends around

Sherlock. He is indicated to have had a number of short-lived relationships with women –

one of whom is shown breaking up with him due to John's commitment to Sherlock, saying,

that "[Sherlock] is a very lucky man." When he tells Mrs. Hudson that he is engaged, in

season 3, her first question is "So, what's his name?"

The only member of John's family who has been alluded to thus far is his sister, Harriet (aka

Harry), with whom he has a strained relationship due to her being a heavy drinker. During

their first case together, Sherlock deduces that John had refused to accept help from Harry

after being invalided out of the army, even though the fact that she gave John her old phone

is an indication that she wants to stay in touch with her brother. John was not too surprised

when she didn't show up to his wedding, noting a free bar would have been a bad mix with

Harry around. Sherlock also guesses that John's extended family is not very close to him.

Watson's middle name is revealed to be Hamish, as originally suggested by Dorothy L.

Sayers to explain discrepancies in Watson's name between several of Conan Doyle's

stories.[2]

Metropolitan Police personnel[edit]

Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade[edit]

Rupert Graves playsDetective Inspector Greg Lestrade

Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves) works for Scotland Yard. He has a

reluctant respect for Sherlock and often defends him from the other police officers' animosity.

He is often frustrated by Sherlock's cryptic deductions and habit of withholding evidence, but

believes that he is a great man (hoping that one day, he can overcome his poorer qualities,

and become a "good" man).

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In "The Reichenbach Fall," Lestrade agrees to bring Sherlock in for questioning and it

becomes apparent that Lestrade's superiors were not aware of Sherlock's involvement in

cases. Unlike Donovan and Anderson, Lestrade had complete faith that Sherlock was

innocent of any wrongdoing, proving just how much he trusted him. In "A Study in Pink," he

mentions that he is in an on-again-off-again relationship with his ex-wife. In "A Scandal inBelgravia," Lestrade says he and his wife have settled their problems, but Sherlock flatly

informs him that she is (as of Christmas that year) sleeping with a P.E. teacher. In "The Sign

of Three", Lestrade's faith in Sherlock is shown to have escalated to comical levels, and he

drops all pressing matters to comply with his requests (which proves to be embarrassing

when Sherlock's request for help was revealed to be motivated by nothing more than a desire

for assistance in writing his best man speech for John's wedding).

Although Lestrade is ranked as 'DI,' i.e. 'Detective Inspector,' he is referred to in scenes as

just 'Inspector,' possibly as Lestrade in the original novels was ranked as Inspector (the rank

of 'DI' not having been created at that time.)

Sergeant Sally Donovan[edit]

Sergeant Donovan (Vinette Robinson) is often seen working with DI Lestrade on cases.

Donovan resents Sherlock's presence at crime scenes and treats him with extreme

disrespect and rudeness, cruelly calling him a "freak" to his face, and warns Watson that

Sherlock is apsychopath who will one day get bored of catching killers and become one

himself.

In "A Study in Pink," she is having an affair with Anderson, which Sherlock reveals, severely

embarrassing the pair, and inThe Reichenbach Fall she is the first police officer to fall for

Moriarty's deception and believe that Sherlock may be behind the recent theft and

kidnapping. Her image and Anderson's appeared in a montage duringThe Empty Hearse,

when a news reporter asked why the police let the accusations against Sherlock go so far. In

"The Sign of Three", she's shown to be very supportive of Lestrade when it comes to difficult

cases Sherlock isn't involved in.

In the pilot episode she was played by Zawe Ashton and portrayed as a uniformed officer,

rather than a detective.

Philip Anderson[edit]Philip Anderson (Jonathan Aris) is originally a member of the Metropolitan Police's Forensic

Services. From the series opening, it is clear that Anderson and Sherlock have history of

mutual dislike with Sherlock repeatedly humiliating Anderson and Anderson refusing to assist

him at crime scenes.

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In "A Study in Pink," Sherlock reveals, to both their embarrassment, Anderson and Sgt.

Donovan's affair. He later deduces Anderson's wife has left him. Also in that episode,

Anderson, who has at least some familiarity withGerman, concludes that the letters that the

dying Jennifer Wilson, poisoned by the cabbie Jeff Hope, carved into the floor with her

fingernail, "Rache," spell the German word for "revenge." In "The Reichenbach Fall,"Anderson is the second person at The Yard to be deceived by Moriarty into thinking Sherlock

may be involved in the recent theft and kidnapping.

He appears in the mini-episode "Many Happy Returns" where it is revealed that he has lost

his job with the police and is trying to convince Lestrade that Sherlock is not only alive but

also is still solving mysteries across the globe.

His first name is not mentioned until the opening episode of series 3, "The Empty Hearse". In

the third season, he has become one of Sherlock's most avid fans, the founder of "The

Empty Hearse", a club which believes Sherlock to have faked his death during the events of

"The Reichenbach Fall", and a rather avid conspiracy theorist regarding his fall. Sherlock

deduces that this is due to his guilt at having been eager to believe Moriarty's manipulations

and having been a prime instrument in Sherlock's "death." By the end of "The Empty

Hearse", Sherlock tells Anderson a possible explanation of how he escaped death (it is never

revealed if it was false or not). Anderson is initially disappointed with the explanation, and as

Sherlock leaves, he tries to prove it's fake, collapsing into hysterical laughter.

In "His Last Vow", Anderson is called upon by Mycroft and John to inspect Sherlock's flat for

drugs. After Sherlock reveals that he's going against Magnussen, Anderson is threatened by

Mycroft into never speaking of what he heard. Mary later questions him along with others thatknow Sherlock to find out where he is.

Villains[edit]

Jim Moriarty[edit]

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Andrew Scott plays James Jim Moriarty

James 'Jim' Moriarty (Andrew Scott) is the only "consulting criminal" in the world, a

counterpoint to Sherlock's similarly unrivalled "consulting detective" and the primary

antagonist of Series 1 & 2. He is also responsible for the criminals and crimes in all three

episodes of the first series, acting as a sponsor, an informant, or a mastermind. His interest

in Sherlock borders on obsession, though he does not hesitate trying to kill him when he

loses interest. Like Sherlock, he appears to be motivated by boredom rather than money or

power.

He is also an excellent actor, frequently shown to have convinced others that he is someone

else – indeed his first appearance occurs as a gay man whom Molly is seeing, and Sherlock

does not realise his identity at the time. In "The Great Game", Moriarty forces Sherlock to

solve mysteries within a time limit, taking hostages to ensure that Sherlock is sufficiently

motivated.

In the second series, he continues in his role as consulting criminal, givingIrene Adler advice

on how to manipulate "The Holmes Boys", having given them both nicknames. It is

mentioned that he asked for nothing in return, becoming involved just to cause trouble. He is

seen briefly at the end of "The Hounds of Baskerville" apparently having been captured and

in the process of being released by Mycroft.

Moriarty features extensively in "The Reichenbach Fall", simultaneously breaking into

the Tower of London,HMP Pentonvilleand theBank of England, being tried but acquitted

afterintimidating the Jury, and then setting about to destroy Sherlock's reputation and

ultimately force him into 'suicide'. When Sherlock realises there is a way out as long as

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Moriarty is alive, Moriarty shoots himself in the head in order to force Sherlock into

committing suicide.

After two years of John grieving Sherlock finally reveals that he had planned the

confrontation. Having faked his death, he spent two years dismantling Moriarty's network

before resurfacing in London when he is summoned back by Mycroft.

In the closing moments of the third season finale, "His Last Vow", Moriarty's face appears on

televisions across Britain repeating the statement "Did you miss me?". Sherlock, who had

just been sent on an intelligence mission that was guaranteed to end in his death, was

immediately recalled to face his nemesis' schemes once more.

Moriarty appears once again in the special episode "The Abominable Bride", set in Victorian

era. This time, he and Sherlock confront atBaker Street and the Reichenbach Falls. The

whole conversation, however, is just a part of Sherlock's dream in hismind palace. At

present day, Sherlock confirms that Moriarty is definitely dead.

Charles Augustus Magnussen[edit]

Charles Augustus Magnussen (Lars Mikkelsen), who is shown briefly in "The Empty

Hearse" and appears prominently in "His Last Vow", is a powerful businessman who controls

a media empire. He holds information on many people of prominence, allowing him to use

such information for blackmail purposes in order to achieve his goals; Sherlock has

nicknamed him "the Napoleon of Blackmail". Like Sherlock, he uses themind

palace technique to store the information in his head, keeping no hard copies or physical

evidence with him. Magnussen is based on the original character of Charles Augustus

Milverton, the titular character of the short story "The Adventure of Charles Augustus

Milverton". In "The Sign of Three", he sends a telegram to the Watsons' wedding, signing it

"CAM", which are his initials. In "His Last Vow", Magnussen reveals he has gathered

blackmail information on Mary Watson to control Sherlock through John Watson, hoping to

gain power over Mycroft, and by extension, the entire British Government. Sherlock solves

this situation by shooting Magnussen in the head.

Irene Adler[edit]

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Lara Pulver plays Irene Adler

Irene Adler (Lara Pulver) is featured in "A Scandal in Belgravia" as a professionaldominatrix,

more commonly referred to as "The Woman," who provides "recreational scolding" for

anyone willing to pay for it. She takes pictures of her clients during her job as "protection" to

make sure her clients don't do anything unfavourable to her. Irene is brilliant enough to

impress Sherlock, and managed to deceive him; however, she also ends up falling in love

with him, which proves to be her downfall. She sends Sherlock a series of flirtatious texts,

repeatedly requesting to "have dinner" with him.

Having taken a picture of the information for "Bond Air", she was targeted by Americans, who

were working with the British government to trick terrorists into thinking that their bomb would

blow up a plane and take the lives of hundreds. She was also sought out by Mycroft for

incriminating photos of herself and one of her clients, a (female) member of theHouse of

Windsor. She contacted Moriarty about the Bond Air plan, being given advice on how to use

it to her advantage. She successfully duped Sherlock into revealing what Bond Air was

about, texting the answer to Moriarty, who informed the terrorists.

Facing off with both the "Holmes Boys", the Ice Man (Mycroft) and the Virgin (Sherlock),

Irene attempted to get a list of demands fulfilled; however, Sherlock figured out the password

to her phone – "I am SHER-Locked." With her protection gone, Irene was left to the mercy of

any who were after her. Though it was reported she was beheaded by extremists in Karachi

some time later, Sherlock had helped her fake her death.

She makes a return in "The Signs of Three", as a mental image when Sherlock thinks of

those who know John's middle name; he tells the image "Not now, I'm busy." In "His Last

Vow," when Charles Augustus Magnussen is "reading" Sherlock's list of pressure points

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(weaknesses), the list on the screen scrolls on for some time (and Magnussen mocks

Sherlock by saying that he has "rather a lot"). However, there are actually only six pressure

points listed, and to achieve the effect of there being many of them, they are repeated several

times. They are:Irene Adler (See File); Jim Moriarty (See File); Redbeard (See

File);Hounds of the Baskerville;Opium; and John Watson. She was later mentioned by JimMoriarty in a scene taking place in Sherlock's mind palace, when he tells Sherlock that, "...

Mummy and Daddy will cry ... and The Woman will cry," in a surreal sequence where

Sherlock, who is suffering from a near-fatal gunshot wound and has retreated to his Mind

Palace to find a way to keep himself alive, imagines himself in a room where Moriarty is

chained.

Other characters[edit]

Mrs. Hudson[edit]

Una Stubbs asMrs. Hudson while filming forSherlock.

Martha Louise Hudson, née Sissons (Una Stubbs) is the landlady of221B Baker Street.

Sherlock won his way into her good graces after ensuring her husband, who ran a drug

cartel, was executed for a double murder in Florida.

Although she repeatedly insists that she is not theirhousekeeper, Mrs. Hudson fusses over

Sherlock as if she were, and he takes it for granted that she will provide dinner for him. She

is often horrified to see Sherlock keep human body parts in his kitchen appliances

(refrigerator, microwave) for experimentation. In "A Study In Pink," upon first meeting John,Mrs. Hudson thought he was Sherlock's romantic partner, and throughout the show, she is

seen to still believe that they are a gay couple, despite John's repeated protests that he is not

gay and that he and Sherlock are not a couple. Despite his impatience at her concern for

him, Sherlock has shown to have a great deal of affection for Mrs. Hudson; for example while

he often tells her to shut up when he considers her input an annoyance, he is quick to

reprimand his brother Mycroft for attempting to do the same. In "A Scandal in Belgravia,"

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Sherlock pushes a CIA agentout of a second-story window multiple times to punish him for

torturing Mrs. Hudson; later in the same episode when John suggests Mrs. Hudson leave

Baker Street for her own safety, Sherlock appears appalled at the notion and informs John

'England would fall' should such a thing happen.

It is revealed in "His Last Vow" (along with her full name) that she is a "semi-

reformedalcoholic," a former "exotic dancer," and that her weakness ismarijuana. Sherlock

later makes a jab at her past, when explaining the secrets held by the people John knew.

Mycroft Holmes[edit]

Mark Gatiss playsMycroft Holmes

Mycroft Holmes (played by the show’s executive producer, co-creator, and writer Mark

Gatiss) is first introduced when he abducts John and offers to pay him to spy on Sherlock.

He is Sherlock’s older brother and engages insibling rivalry with Sherlock. Mycroft is

frequently mocked by Sherlock for “putting on weight”. He occupies a “minor position in the

British government”; however, as with many Holmes-based works, it is heavily hinted that he

has a much bigger role than he claims - on one occasion, Sherlock sarcastically remarks that

Mycroftis the British government “when he’s not too busy being the British Secret Services,

or theCIA on a freelance basis.” He is driven around in a private car with hispersonalassistant who goes by the name of “Anthea”. Mycroft, as in the Doyle books, is also skilled at

deduction, even correcting Sherlock on occasion and beating him in deduction exercises, as

well as lacking enthusiasm for “legwork”. His intellect is borderline superhuman, allowing him

to learnSerbian in a couple of hours. As such, even Sherlock admits that Mycroft is smarter

than he is; in reference to their childhood, Mycroft thought Sherlock was “an idiot”, only

changing his mind when they compared themselves with other children.

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Despite not paying John like he originally intended, Mycroft is kept informed of anything his

brother does that may be illegal, as seen in “His Last Vow”, where John informs him Sherlock

had seemingly relapsed back into his olddrug habits. Though concerned, Mycroft jokes it

would be safer for Sherlock to cross-dress like their uncle. Mycroft knows his brother well,

saying Sherlock considers himself a dragon-slayer; the villains Sherlock catches are theequivalent of dragons.

In Mycroft’s opinion, Sherlock has “the mind of philosopher or scientist, yet he elects to be a

detective.” However, he considers this an improvement, since as a child, Sherlock initially

wanted to be a pirate; proven true as Sherlock named his childhood dog, which had to beput

down, “Redbeard”. Charles Augustus Magnussen in “His Last Vow” reveals Mycroft to be in

the Secret Intelligence Service. Cigarette addiction is something Mycroft shares with

Sherlock; Sherlock also states that Mycroft hasOCD, and can only handle low tar cigarettes

and thus “smokes like a beginner.”

Molly Hooper[edit]

Louise Brealey plays Molly Hooper

Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) is a 31-year-oldpathologist working in the morgue at St

Bartholomew's Hospital with an apparent crush on Sherlock. Due to her work position and

crush on him, Sherlock frequently exploits her to let him examine or perform experiments on

victims' bodies, such as, as in Sherlock's first scene inA Study in Pink, beating them with

ariding cropin order to study postmortembruising. She was in a relationship with

an Information technologyemployee named Jim, who was later revealed to be Moriarty.

Sherlock only finds out how deeply infatuated she is with him during "A Scandal in

Belgravia," when he vehemently deduces that the Christmas present at the top of her bag is

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better wrapped than the others, and must be for someone she loves, and then discovers it's

for him; she received a very uncharacteristic kiss on the cheek and apology for this. In "The

Reichenbach Fall," Sherlock turns to her to help him fake his death.

In "The Empty Hearse", while Watson is recovering from the hurt and shock of discovering

Sherlock is still alive, she accompanies Holmes on some casework. She is engaged to Tom

(Ed Birch), who looks and dresses quite a bit like Sherlock; by "His Last Vow" the

engagement has been broken off - Sherlock observes she is not wearing her ring. In "The

Sign of Three," Molly stabs Tom with a plastic fork when he insults Sherlock. During her

engagement to Tom, Molly still wishes she could be in a relationship with Sherlock; when, to

make him jealous, she mentions the intimacy she and Tom are sharing, Sherlock appears

confused and a bit disgusted instead of jealous.

Molly was originally intended to be a one-off character to introduce Sherlock, but Brealey

impressed Moffat and Gatiss and they "couldn't resist bringing her back."[3]

Mary Morstan[edit]

Amanda Abbington playsMary Morstan

Mary Morstan (Amanda Abbington) is a former assassin and a part-timenurse in John's

practice whom he met following the apparent death of Sherlock. She surprises Sherlock with

her knowledge and insight into his character. She marries Watson, with Sherlock as best

man.

In "The Empty Hearse", Mary is upset with Sherlock when they meet, since John had been

through a great deal of emotional pain; however, she quickly warmed up to him, and saw that

Sherlock had great challenges when it came to understanding human emotions. Knowing the

great friendship John shared with Sherlock, Mary then made it her job to try to get John to

forgive Sherlock. In "The Sign of Three," it is revealed that Mary is an orphan. She had

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another boyfriend prior to John, but is now good friends with him (from her perspective);

unknown to Mary, her ex retained an unhealthy attraction to her, forcing Sherlock to

intimidate him before the wedding by describing himself as "a high-functioning sociopath...

with your number." She seems to know how to get what she wants from both John and

Sherlock. She understands both of them very well and respects their close, brotherlyfriendship; during "The Sign of Three" as the three of them sit in the flat at Baker Street

planning the wedding, she realizes how much Sherlock, who is averse to change, needs to

know that John still cares deeply about him and will always be his friend, and how much

John also needs to connect with him, and insists that the two of them go out on a case.

During this scene, Mary sees that Sherlock is afraid, as evidenced by the large number

ofSydney Opera House-shapedorigami serviettes he is seen to have created out of nervous

energy while John and Mary had had their private conversation. She is also very patient

during Sherlock's long-winded and embarrassingbest man speech at the reception of her

and John's wedding, appearing to be quite amused by Sherlock's rambling, awkward, butultimately very touching soliloquy. During the show, Mary is shown to have an unusually

excellent memory and to understand a skip code; clues which help Sherlock realize that all is

not as it seems with Mrs. Watson. It is later revealed in "His Last Vow" that Mary is in fact a

formerCIA agent, who wentfreelance and eventually on the run, and might not be English.

An upset John even commented she should have married Sherlock since they're so alike.

She stole the identity of a stillborn baby five years before marrying John. Despite this, she

genuinely loves him and says she only sought to escape her previous life; she was prepared

to shoot both Sherlock and Charles Magnussen to ensure John never learnt the truth;

though, as a world-class sharpshooter, she was able to shoot Sherlock in such a way that he

would be hospitalized but would not die. At the end of the third series, Mary is pregnant with

a daughter.

Anthea[edit]

Anthea (Lisa McAllister) is an assistant to Mycroft Holmes, who appears in "A Study in Pink",

and "The Empty Hearse". She picks the name at random when John asks what he should

call her.

Janine Hawkins[edit]

Janine Hawkins (Yasmine Akram) is Mary Morstan’s bridesmaid in the "The Sign of Three".

She is the personal assistant of Magnussen, the villain ofHis Last Vow, in which it is

revealed that both Mary and Sherlock independently befriended her in order to get access to

him. Sherlock went so far as to enter a relationship with her. He had kept her at arms length

the entire time, not wanting her to be involved too much; he even pretended that he worked

night shifts, so he couldn’t engage in any sexual encounters with her. Pretending to propose

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to her, Sherlock succeeds in getting into Magnussen’s penthouse; however, Mary had

rendered Janine unconscious moments before.

During their final encounter, Janine admits that she has made a lot of money since then by

going on talk shows about her relationship with the famous detective, and had bought herself

a nice cottage in Sussex. It is unclear whether that was her original intention or improvised

for revenge. Most of the stories that she publicized were made-up to sell better. Sherlock and

Janine agree that this makes them even, and she leaves amicably, although she insists that

he should not have lied to her.

Mr. and Mrs. Holmes[edit]

Mr. and Mrs. Holmes (Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham), Sherlock and Mycroft's

parents, appear in Series Three. They are introduced in The Empty Hearse when John

comes into the flat at Baker Street to find an older couple seated in the sitting room, speaking

to Sherlock. He assumes that this couple are clients, but Sherlock's conversation with themeventually implies that they know one another. After they leave, Sherlock explains to John

that they are in fact his parents. John is hurt when he discovers that the reason that Mr. and

Mrs. Holmes did not attend Sherlock's funeral was because Sherlock had told them, unlike

John, that he was alive.

Mr. and Mrs. Holmes are shown to be patient and accepting parents to their highly intelligent

but socially impaired sons. As the two of them chat with Sherlock during the scene in which

they are first introduced, neither parent appears too surprised when Sherlock abruptly steps

up onto the coffee table, using it as a step so he can climb onto the couch to work on a

complex chart he is using to help him with an ongoing case. As he stands between them,

working on this visual aid, his mother simply looks up at him and continues talking as if she

does not even notice his unusual behavior. His father sighs and looks a bit annoyed, but

remains polite.

Mr. and Mrs. Holmes also appear later in Series Three, inHis Last Vow. They are featured

when John and Mary join the Holmes brothers at their parents' house for a somewhat

awkward Christmas dinner before John and Sherlock travel to Appledore to seek out

Magnussen's incriminating materials on Mary. Despite her great love for her boys, Mrs.

Holmes is shown apparently not to fully understand Mycroft's role in international security;

when he complains that she has gotten potatoes on his laptop, "on which depends the

security of the free world," she simply tells him that he "shouldn't leave it lying around if it's so

important." It is from their mother, though, apparently, that the Holmes brothers get their great

intellect; that Christmas, Mrs. Holmes is shown to have written a book on mathematics. Mr.

Holmes, though not a genius, seems almost to fill a John-like role as, as Mary Watson puts it,

the "sane one." Both the Holmes parents seem to immediately love and accept Mary, who

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may represent something of a daughter-in-law to them, as neither of their own sons seem

likely to marry or have children.

main characters in sherlock holmes

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