Sheer luck

MANILA, Philippines - How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth? —Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of the Four

My father introduced Sherlock Holmes to me when I was in grade school. Since then, The Great Cases of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has become one of my favorite books. For a long time, I have been a fan of the genius maverick archetype he seemed to inspire. And being on the good side fighting evil, Sherlock Holmes was my childhood hero.

Being the only “consulting detective” in the world, for it is a job which he himself invented, Sherlock Holmes has mastered the science of deduction to turn every mystery into a palpable truth even through the slightest of clues. Living with him in Mrs. Hudson’s quaint flat at 221 Baker Street, is his faithful cohort and chronicler, Dr. John Watson. Together, they pinpoint culprits and solve crimes, unmask cahoots and conspiracies, and wade through puddles of perplexing conundrums along the darkest backstreets. Together, they solve a string of high-profile cases permeating the curling opium fog of Victorian London.

Detective stories are fascinating — tickling man’s natural curiosity of the unknown — that we have all been fond of them at some point of our lives. After being presented with a puzzling dilemma and pieces of evidence, we will not be calmed down until the case is closed. Some of the original whodunit stories were probably the all-time favorite cases of Sherlock. What I love most about Sherlock Holmes, aside from his exceptional ability to deduce facts through keen observation, is his multi-faceted character. He has always been depicted as the Superman who saves the day yet he remains very human. Oh, how we love discovering the soft spot of a hero!

No matter how good he is at feigning indifference, his grapple with his arch nemesis (and his discreet love affair with Irene Adler) gradually exposed his well-concealed humanity. However, amid his constant struggles, his unshakable refuge in his genius and chiseled cheekbones gave us that sheer confidence that he is still the superhuman we adore through and through.

One proof of the overwhelming success of Conan Doyle’s fiction is its many adaptations. It is always interesting to see a favorite book come to life. Sherlock Holmes was first adapted in a chain of movies in the 1940s through the ‘70s until a TV series with Jeremy Jones as the title role started. A Japanese animé called Detective Conan was also based on and inspired by Conan Doyle’s fiction. Sherlock also graced the big screen with a British-American film in 2010 and the most popular Hollywood versions starring Robert Downey Jr. in 2009 and its sequel in 2011. Finally, in 2010, when BBC heralded Sherlock, a British television drama that presents a contemporary update of Conan Doyle’s stories, I knew I was in for some cliffhanger thrills again. My verdict: Sherlock outweighs all the other TV and film adaptations, even other detective stories of the same assiduously exploited theme that I’ve seen.

Even in the way he bemoans the world, BBC’s Sherlock depicts him as the extraordinary, the fearless and the unbeatable, laughing in the face of death. Clad in expensive suits, high-collar coats and fine knit scarves, Sherlock can get away even with a linen blanket and pass it off as sophistication. He is queerly unique in the fact that he probably doubts that a counterpart of him exists in a parallel universe — not even someone who wears his loathed deerstalker hat incognito.

All in all, our fascination for reveling in the unfathomable genius with a heart of gold wins out in the recurring stories of Sherlock Holmes. His penchant and skill to save the innocent and convict the cleverest criminals enable him to solve an endless tangle of mysteries, one after another. Through Conan Doyle’s eloquent prose and language, he unweaves knotty problems in the vilest alleys of London and lifts us out of ourselves, then sets us in his lofty chambers beside the cheery fireplace.

THIS WEEK’S WINNER

Regina Starr B. Abelardo, 25, is a blogger and content writer for an upcoming travel app. She is taking her master’s degree in Philippine Studies at the University of the Philippines and plans to pursue a teaching career in the university.