Harlan Emple

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Harland Emple Math Professor

Character Information

Status: Alive Actor: Rich Sommer First Appearance: "Solve for X" Last Appearance: "Just a Regular Irregular" Episode Count: 2

"You know, Team Sherlock. You help him, I help him." — Harland to Kitty, "Just a Regular Irregular".

Harland Emple is one of Sherlock Holmes' "Irregulars." He helps Holmes with cases that require advanced mathematics knowledge and, he likes to work with his shirt off. In 1999, Emple devised a formula for predicting crime patterns in NYC which brought him to Holmes' attention. He is Professor for Applied Mathematics at Columbia University, and holder of the Smithfield Endowed Chair of Algebraic Geometry at the Huntington Institute.

Biography

Season Two

After Holmes finds math equations at a murder scene that are written in ink that only UV light can reveal, he calls Emple to examine the equations. Reproductions are put on a wall in The Brownstone which Emple identifies as "P versus NP". He explains that solving the problem is not only worth $1M but could also be used to render computer security useless. ("Solve for X")

It's P versus NP!

Season Three

While playing a puzzle hunt in which math problems need to be solved to identify locations, Emple comes upon a dead body. Agitated, Harland is questioned at the 11th Precinct by Detective Bell and Captain Gregson where he explains the math game. He becomes frustrated and won't talk more until Sherlock and Watson arrive. Cleared of committing the crime, Harland accompanies Sherlock and Watson to the crime scene. Holmes finds the next clue in the game and deduces that the killing was done by someone playing the game who tortured the victim. Harland surprises everyone by mentioning that the game prize is over $1.7M. Harland brings Holmes to a woman who is playing the game who identifies the dead body and knows all the other players. At the Brownstone, Harland discovers from Kitty that Sherlock used another math expert on a case, which hurts his feelings.

Not that I kept looking after the dead guy fell out of the locker.

Harland finds that the game controller changed the clues after the murder, giving a different location. At the new location another tortured, murdered body is found. Sherlock deduces that the game is a trap to kill mathematicians. Watson finds Paul Ladesma who claims that a mysterious blogger, "Mo Shellshocker", is the likely killer. Paul is also looking for him. Sherlock realizes that Mo is actually Harland as the blogger name is an anagram for "Sherlock Holmes". Harland admits he is Mo and that the blog reveals those abusing math which also includes secret military data. Harland expresses his frustration with Sherlock using another math expert. Sherlock explains that Harland had become too needy, they aren't friends which Harland takes that he's a loser. ("Just a Regular Irregular")

He uses his blog to expose bad math.

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