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Top 5: Characters in the BBC’s Sherlock

If you are like me and are a big fan of mysteries and detectives, you have probably read many of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So after the BBC’s Sherlock was released, it became a must watch TV show.

To me, everything about the show was worth re-watching, from the stars right down to the plot, but there are five characters I found particularly fascinating and important. 

Sherlock Holmes

Tom Ndekezi Courtesy of the BBC

Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Sherlock Holmes, creates an air of intelligence around his character so that even the rooms he enters carry the rays of his brilliance. Sherlock knows he is extraordinary, and he carries himself as though he is. Sherlock is also a fascinating character because he is always thinking and thinking fast — he must either be mentally active or be doomed in a pit of boredom. 

Dr. John Watson

Tom Ndekezi Courtesy of the BBC

John Watson, played by Martin Freeman, is also a fascinating character. He is dark and hardened by his experiences at war, however he behaves far more ordinary than Sherlock Holmes. That being said, Watson also has an affinity for getting into dangerous situations. 

Molly Hooper

Tom Ndekezi Courtesy of the BBC

Another character that intrigues me is Molly Hooper, played by Louise Brealey. I am amazed by the strength of Molly to be toyed with by the man she loves and her maturity to handle it. Aside from her obvious rejection, she is an awkward, smart and friendly scientist, but she is not particularly charming.

Mrs. Hudson

Tom Ndekezi Courtesy of the BBC

Mrs. Hudson, played by Una Stubbs, is the motherly, careless, and respected landlady. Her unique relationship with Sherlock Holmes is priceless because she is more of a mother to Holmes’ than his parents. It is also fascinating to see Holmes’ sentimental relationship with an elder.

Eurus Holmes

Tom Ndekezi

Eurus Holmes, played by Sian Brooke, is another fascinating character on the BBC’s Sherlock. She suggests a story unfinished, an internal fight still being fought, and a closed destiny. Although she is loved by her family, she is in a psychiatric prison as a mentally ill patient. And although the show ends with her playing the violin with her older brother, she is defined by her incapability to take her place in society.

Each of these characters, as well as the other featured in the show, have all influenced the way I see the Sherlock Holmes I used to read about in the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. They have given more personality and sentiment to the mysterious and powerful Holmes, a man known around the world.

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