- "You're wrong, you know. You do count. You've always counted and I've always trusted you."
- ―Sherlock to Molly [src]
Molly Hooper is a specialist registrar in the morgue at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London.[1][2]
Series One
A Study in Pink
In "A Study in Pink", she asks Sherlock if he would join her for coffee which he then interprets as her simply offering him a cup. She shrugs off this blow although she is obviously hurt by his lack of interest in her. Molly applies lipstick, aiming to impress Sherlock. He notices, though it does not have the desired effect upon him.
The Blind Banker
In "The Blind Banker", Sherlock flirts with her, complimenting her hair, in order to gain access to two bodies in the morgue. This suggests he has some knowledge of her infatuation with him.
The Great Game
In "The Great Game", she dates a man named Jim, who is later revealed to be Moriarty. She is visibly upset when Sherlock deduces that "Jim" is homosexual. In actuality, this is all a ruse created by Moriarty to get closer to Sherlock.
Series Two
A Scandal in Belgravia
Molly appears at the Christmas party at 221B Baker Street, dressed up nicely in a figure-hugging dress. Sherlock embarrasses her by deducing that she has a present for a boyfriend whom she is wildly in love with and will later meet that night, comparing the colour of her lipstick to the colour of the wrapping paper. It turns out that the present is for him. Molly becomes visibly upset, but Sherlock apologises sincerely and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Molly later turns up at Bart's to analyse what is believed to be Irene Adler's corpse. She is clearly troubled by the fact that Sherlock is able to identify the naked body from "not her face". Later, she sees Sherlock analysing Adler's camera phone, which is loaded with four small explosives at the ready to blow up the camera phone. She becomes visibly insecure when Sherlock mentions that "She [Irene] loves to play games".
The Reichenbach Fall
Molly is on her way to a lunch date when Sherlock and John barge into Barts; Sherlock waves two packets of Quavers at her and says he is taking her to lunch, and she reluctantly helps analyse the linseed oil discovered at the kidnapping scene. Here, in a mostly one sided conversation, she attempts to speak to Sherlock about her father, who she believes was similar to him, stating that when her father knew he was going to die, he was only sad when he thought no one could see him, and that Sherlock acts the same when John is not looking. When Sherlock states that she can see him, she says simply that she does not count and offers him help if he needs it. Later, after being discredited, Sherlock comes to her and tells her that she does count, that she has always counted, and that he has always trusted her, finally accepting her offer of help. She assisted Sherlock in faking his own death.
Series Three
The Empty Hearse
It is two years after Sherlock's apparent suicide from the roof of St Barts. When Sherlock and Molly reunite, Molly acts quite different from how she use to, acting more confident and speaking to Sherlock without stuttering. This change has come-about as she claims to have moved on and is now with a man called Tom whom she is engaged to.
Sherlock returns to detective work quite soon after the public find out that he is still alive. However he is at odds with John, who is upset that Sherlock faked his death, and so asks Molly to take John's place but at first she mistakes it for him asking her to dinner. Although he asks her to be herself rather than pretend to be John.
When Sherlock asks Molly to go for fish and chips she declines. Sherlock states that Moriarty made a mistake when targeting his friends, as he had forgotten about Molly. To him, she was the "... one person who mattered the most", because she "made it all possible". Molly says that she would love to solve crimes with him again but is unable to because she is engaged. Sherlock also deduced that she was engaged. He congratulates her and says that he hopes she will be very happy and that she deserves it. Molly states that she met Tom through friends (not at the office, unlike "Jim" who was Moriarty pretending to be an IT worker) that he has a dog, they go to the pub on weekends and that she has met all of his friends and family, then says she does not know why she is telling him all of this. Sherlock says that not all the men Molly 'falls' for turn out to be sociopaths. He then kisses her on the cheek and leaves. She is seen mumbling to herself, hinting that she may not truly be over Sherlock.
When Molly arrives at 221B Baker Street, it is clear that her fiancé, Tom, reminds her of Sherlock due to his appearance. Sherlock and John notice but say nothing. Lestrade asks if it is serious between her and Tom, and Molly happily claims she has moved on despite the fact that Tom looks like Sherlock. Molly seems oblivious to this.
The Sign of Three
Before the wedding, Molly showed nervousness on the prospect of Sherlock making a speech if he were to be selected for "best man" and consults Lestrade and Mrs Hudson about it but they both reassure her it will be fine.
She is a guest of the wedding, along with her fiance Tom. Molly is shown giving lots of affection towards Tom but it looks a bit forced. She also cries when Sherlock gives his best man speech. Tom gives a surprising theory to a murderous case at the wedding, embarrassing Molly, who hisses for him to sit down. When Sherlock is trying to find the mayfly man, Tom says that he is drunk and Molly stabs him in the hand with a fork. She is also shown in a flashback where Sherlock comes to her for help with controlling his alcohol levels so that he does not get too 'drunk' also pointing out he is a "graduate chemist" – meaning he has a bachelors degree in chemistry.
At the end of the episode she seems to be the only one who notices Sherlock leave the wedding early. However, she does not go after him.
His Last Vow
After John retrieves Sherlock and two other people from a drug den, he takes all three of them, along with Mary who was driving the car, to St Bartholomew's Hospital. He calls Molly to request that she test Sherlock for drug use. Molly tests him and is very angry that he has taken drugs. She slaps him three times on the face and tells him to apologize. Instead, he deduces that Molly is not wearing her ring and says he is sorry the engagement is off. Molly is angered by this and tells him to stop it.
When Sherlock goes missing, it is revealed that Molly's house was one of his bolt holes. Molly also says that Sherlock slept in her room while she had the spare because they both agreed he needed the space. This implies that Sherlock might have stayed with Molly sometime between his faked death and his return since she was one of the few people who knew he was still alive.
Molly is also seen at the end of the episode, reacting to the video showing Jim Moriarty saying 'Did You Miss Me?' which was broadcast all over London.
Relationships
Sherlock Holmes
Molly has a crush on Sherlock Holmes, which he frequently exploits to get her assistance. Molly is socially awkward, but dedicated to helping Sherlock. She cares for him, and it hurts her that he is so cold and dismissive towards her.
Sherlock seems to know she has feelings for him, yet remains impassive whenever she attempts to further their relationship. At times, he is quite rude to her. Sherlock seems content with remaining acquaintances and sometimes work colleagues. However, by the end of series two, it is demonstrated that he cares for her too, but in a platonic context.[3]
As their friendship progresses, her romantic affections for him become muted, if still lingering ever-so-slightly between the two. It is revealed in the Empty Hearse that she is the "One person that matters the most" to Sherlock. However, it is unclear whether this mattering is in the context of Sherlock's emotions or in the overall completion of his faked death plan.
Molly is the person Sherlock asked to solve crimes with him when John refused. It is a tricky, sometimes awkward time because she tries to be John. Sherlock assures her he only needs her to be herself, but also clearly demonstrates that he is actually missing John's companionship. At the end of their day together, Sherlock reveals he asked her to spend the day with him in order to thank her for her help in faking his death and invites her to dine with him that evening. Molly declines and Sherlock deduces the reason for this is because she is now engaged to be married. Molly explains about Tom, her fiancé. Sherlock congratulates her on finally loving a man who is not a sociopath. This, because Sherlock has labelled himself a "sociopath" many times in the past, implies that he believes he himself is not a good match for her. Before the two go their separate ways, Sherlock wishes her the best in her new relationship, saying she "deserves to be happy." Then, before parting ways with her, he kisses Molly on the cheek.
When Molly was engaged, the dynamic between the two shifted – Molly claimed she had moved on; yet traces of her previous crush still linger. The fiance dresses and looks remarkably like Sherlock, something everyone – including Sherlock – notice, but refuse to announce to her. It doesn't take long for her relationship with Tom is starting to signs of wear and annoyance for Molly.[4] It is clear that, although he might look and dress like Sherlock, Tom is not half as brilliant. The engagement between the two is shown to be broken off.[5] No reason is specified, however.
When on the run, it is revealed that one of Sherlock's 'bolt-holes' is at Molly's house.[5] At first, she states that he has stayed in her spare room. However, she awkwardly corrects herself, explaining that he, in fact, stays in her bedroom because they "agreed he needed the space".
Jim Moriarty spared her life when targeting Sherlock's friends in the final episode of Series 2. It is possible Jim was not aware of the depth of Molly's importance to Sherlock. This is further implied when Sherlock claims Moriarty's biggest mistake was in not considering that Molly mattered.[6]
We can again see Molly's importance to Sherlock when Mary shoots Sherlock in the chest. He imagines Molly in his mind palace and with her help, and a little input from Mycroft, Anderson and Redbeard, he survives the shooting.
John Watson
Molly and Dr John Watson do not interact much, and when Sherlock is around she sometimes neglects to remember his name.[7] However, it is obvious that John likes Molly platonically and holds her in high esteem. This is not only for her various efforts in helping he and Sherlock solve cases, but also because of her sweet, unassuming personality. Moreover, John – aware of her crush on Sherlock as well his friend's lack of reciprocation of these feelings – feels sorry for Molly for all the times Sherlock uses her infatuation to manipulate her into doing whatever he asks. He often chides Sherlock for his behavior against Molly and tries to make him treat her better.
Molly was a guest at John's wedding.[4]
Jim Moriarty
Molly and Jim Moriarty dated briefly, however she only knew him as 'Jim from IT'. After 'Jim's' attempt at giving Sherlock his phone number, she broke up with him.[7] She describes their meeting as an 'office romance', as Jim was posing as an IT worker at the time. He did this to get close to her and, through doing so, meet Sherlock Holmes. She is furious when Sherlock announces Jim is gay, pointing out bluntly that Jim has left his number for Sherlock to call. Frustrated and humiliated, Molly tries to deny Sherlock's deductions, but is unable to do so. Near to tears, she abruptly storms off, leaving Sherlock startled and unsure of what happened. She breaks up with Jim some time afterwards. Jim then meets Sherlock and John, mocking him for falling for his act.
Molly tries to contact him via her blog, but after she discovers his true identity she discontinues it because "it was all a lie".
Neither of the two mention each other again, and although their interactions are limited, Jim chose to spare her life when targeting Sherlock's closest friends, selecting DI Greg Lestrade instead.[7]
Irene Adler
Molly and Irene have never met, although Molly barely contains her jealousy when Sherlock mentions her (and x-rays her possessions). She comes to the conclusion that Irene is Sherlock's girlfriend. This is something he neither confirms nor denies, which only puts Molly further on edge.
Greg Lestrade
Molly and Greg share a friendly relationship. He gawks at Molly's appearance, suggesting that he found her attractive, and offered her a glass of wine.[8] However, he has not been seen expressing feelings towards her again other than that.
Tom
For most of Series 3, Molly is engaged to Tom. She says that they met through friends. It is implied that she is attracted to him because he looks and dresses a lot like Sherlock. They attend John's and Mary's wedding together. However, Molly is embarrassed when Tom attempts to solve the case of The Bloody Guardsman, ordering him to sit down after he suggests the weapon was a knife made of meat and bone. She later stabs him mildly in the hand with her fork when he speaks and further embarrasses her. Despite the strained appearance of the couple, they pose for photographs and dance together. Not long after, the relationship faltered and they broke it off.[5]
Gallery
Trivia
- Like Sherlock and John, Molly has her own blog.
- Molly states on her blog that she has a cat called Toby.
- Molly is one of the few recurring characters not based on a character from the canon stories. Steven Moffat said that Louise Brealey was "so fantastic" in the role of Molly that they broke their rule of not adding any regular characters not from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jones, Arwel Wyn Jones (2013-12-10). "Yay! Molly.".
- ↑ Moffat, Steven (writer) & McGuigan, Paul (director). (25 July, 2010). "A Study in Pink". Sherlock (2010). Series 1. Episode 1. BBC One.
- ↑ Thompson, Steve (writer) & Haynes, Toby (director). (15 January, 2012). "The Reichenbach Fall". Sherlock (2010). Series 2. Episode 3. BBC One.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Thompson, Steve; Moffat, Steven; Gatiss, Mark (writers) & McCarthy, Colm (director). (5 January, 2014). "The Sign of Three". Sherlock (2010). Series 3. Episode 2. BBC One.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Moffat, Steven (writer) & Hurran, Nick (director). (12 January, 2014). "His Last Vow". Sherlock (2010). Series 3. Episode 3. BBC One.
- ↑ Thompson, Steve (writer) & Haynes, Toby (director). (15 January, 2012). "The Reichenbach Fall". Sherlock (2010). Series 2. Episode 3. BBC One.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Gatiss, Mark (writer) & McGuigan, Paul (director). (8 August, 2010). "The Great Game". Sherlock (2010). Series 1. Episode 3. BBC One.
- ↑ Moffat, Steven (writer) & McGuigan, Paul (director). (1 January, 2012). "A Scandal in Belgravia". Sherlock (2010). Series 2. Episode 1. BBC One.
- ↑ Sherlock showrunner Steven Moffat: 'Molly broke our first rule', Mayer Nissim, Digital Spy, 9 December, 2013.