CBS‘s new Sherlock Holmes show, Watson, is a gripping drama that shifts the focus from the famous detective to his loyal friend, Dr. John Watson, played by Morris Chestnut. The show starts right after the NFL’s AFC Championship Game and goes into a world of mystery, emotion, and high-stakes diagnoses. Fans can’t wait for more episodes because the first one sets the tone for a show with complicated medical cases and unanswered questions about Holmes’s fate.
THE BEGINNING: A MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY
The show starts with a scary scene: It looks like John Watson is running through the woods, trying very hard to save Sherlock Holmes. Both men jump into a river that flows over a waterfall. Watson wakes up in the hospital with bandages on his head and no idea where he is or what happened. Shinwell Johnson (Ritchie Coster), who greets him, tells him that he has a traumatic brain injury. When Watson asks Shinwell about Holmes, he tells him the terrible news: Holmes, Watson, and their enemy James Moriarty all fell off the cliff. One person lived and it wasn’t Sherlock.
Shinwell tries to make Watson feel better by telling him that he was Holmes’ best friend and that Holmes left Watson a lot of money to open a medical clinic. Not only does this emotional beginning set the stakes, but it also gives away some of the mysteries that are still to come.
WATTSON’S NEW LIFE SIX MONTHS LATER
It’s been six months, and Watson has now moved to Pittsburgh and set up a custom diagnostic clinic there. Even though he seems to be physically better, he still has trouble remembering Moriarty and the events that led to the accident. Watson is determined to carry on Holmes’s work by solving difficult medical mysteries. He is now working with a skilled group of doctors.
The team has Dr. Ingrid Derian (Eve Harlow), Dr. Stephens, Dr. Adam Croft (twin brothers played by Peter Mark Kendall and Inga Schlingmann), and Dr. Sasha Lubbock (Inga Schlingmann). Doctor Mary Morse, played by Rochelle Aytes in S.W.A.T. and ex-wife of Watson, is the medical director of the facility. This adds personal tension to the professional situation.
THE CASE OF ERICA: A MEDICAL MYTH
Erica is the clinic’s first big case. She is a young pregnant woman who has scary hallucinations that make her run away from her ultrasound appointment and get hit by a car. Erica is taken to Watson’s clinic, where she tells him that fatal familial insomnia runs in her family. She is scared that she will die before giving birth, so she begs Watson to keep her alive long enough to safely give birth.
Watson and his team look into Erica’s case. At first, they think that her anxiety and belief that she has FFI are making her symptoms worse. Even though there isn’t a surefire test for FFI, they decide to lie to Erica and tell her she doesn’t have the disorder to make her feel-better. When Mary finds out about the lie, she talks to Watson about it. During their fight, Watson says that his need to solve one more case with Sherlock is what caused their marriage to end. At the same time, Erica gets a much-needed nap, which is a short-term win for Watson’s controversial approach.
A WRONG DIAGNOSIS
The next morning, Erica wakes up with new symptoms: she is blind and her facial muscles don’t move. When her cousin Autumn comes to the clinic with the same symptoms, her condition gets much worse. At first, Watson thinks that both women got songbird fever from handling birds that Erica’s cat killed. But more tests show that Autumn’s illness can’t be cured with antibiotics and Erica’s symptoms have nothing to do with songbird fever.
As Watson looks at the two women, he notices something strange: both of their toes are webbed. Together with other physical traits, this leads Watson to a big discovery: Autumn and Erica are half-sisters who both have biotinidase deficiency, a rare genetic condition. A simple biotin supplement could help them get better, but Erica’s condition gets much worse, and abscesses start to form near her liver.
The resident surgeon couldn’t get to the hospital because of a bad storm, so Mary did the emergency surgery that saved Erica’s life. The tense surgery shows how skilled and calm Mary is, as well as how determined Watson is to keep his patient safe. In the end, Erica and her unborn child are saved-which is a satisfying ending to a case that had a lot of unknowns and turns.
PERSONAL REVELATIONS AND NEW THREATS
As the episode comes to a close, Watson goes to see Mary to get his last few things. Watson thinks Mary is seeing someone new, so their conversation is full of unresolved tension. She answers in a mysterious way, “You never met her,” and then tells him the sad truth: Watson is a better doctor because he worked with Sherlock, but they can’t get back together.
At the same time, Shinwell’s story takes a scary turn. While riding the funiculars in Pittsburgh, a man who doesn’t seem important at first approaches him. But the man’s scary words about how weak the city is catch Shinwell’s attention. This man turns out to be Professor Moriarty (Randall Park) and he seems to be very much alive. Moriarty tells Shinwell in a vague way that he’s “always watching,” which points to a bigger plot and sets the stage for future fights.
Watson gives us an exciting first episode that mixes deep emotional themes with tricky medical puzzles and the ominous threat of Moriarty. The show looks like it will explore the complexities of Watson’s character while solving the mysteries left behind by Sherlock Holmes. It has strong performances, especially from Morris Chestnut, and an interesting plot.
WATSON SEASON ONE CAST
• Morris Chestnut as John Watson • Eve Harlow as Ingrid Derian • Peter Mark Kendall as Stephens Croft / Adam Croft (identical twin brothers) • Inga Schlingmann as Sasha Lubbock • Ritchie Coster as Shinwell Johnson • Rochelle Aytes as Mary Morstan • Randall Park as Moriarty • Inspector Lestrade (Actor not specified) • Irene Adler (Actor not specified)
Visit tvacute.com often for more Watson news, recaps, and sneak peeks. It looks like this is just the start of an exciting journey!
