The unique subgenre of the investigative medical drama hasn’t been explored that much, so it makes perfect sense for CBS to use this blend as the foundation of their second Sherlock Holmes spin off series, Watson, which focuses on the exploits of the legendary sleuth’s good friend and assistant, former army doctor John Watson. Any Sherlock Holmes narrative set in the present day runs the risk of feeling outdated, which clearly affected the BBC’s Sherlock during its final season, a problem that Watson tackles by focusing on the titular character’s deductive abilities in the professional sphere instead of the usual crime fighting scene. Despite that being the case, I didn’t find the characters to be intriguing after going through the pilot episode. Still, it’s too early to tell whether the series is going to click well with the viewers or not—it all depends on how the showrunners decide to utilize the reimagined versions of the iconic characters from Holmes lore.
Spoilers Ahead
A Tragic Beginning: Is Sherlock Holmes Dead?
Watson makes a bold choice by beginning its pilot episode by killing off Sherlock Holmes himself. The opening of the episode adapts the climactic moments of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Final Problem,” as Sherlock and his archenemy, Dr. Moriarty, engage in a scuffle near the Reichenbach Falls before falling down the torrential descent. To save his dear friend, Watson jumps into the falls as well but gets himself knocked out and turns out to be the only survivor of the fateful incident. Although readers are well aware that in the novel series Holmes eventually comes back from the dead, for now we have to assume that he isn’t going to in this context. Holmes’ demise is crucial to the series from an emotional standpoint and also allows John Watson a certain freedom as an individual character.
As Watson recuperates from his injuries, he is greeted by Shinwell Johnson, a former accomplice of Holmes—with a possible criminal background—who informs Watson about the tragic news of his friend’s passing. Shinwell also reveals that Holmes had left Watson with a hefty fortune, as he wanted his old pal not to waste his talents and restart his medical practice.
How Did Watson Help Erika Filipello?
Six months later, Watson has set up shop in Pittsburgh at the Holmes Medical Centre, with Shinwell assisting him in every way possible. His partnership with Holmes led Watson to an obsessive, relentless pursuit of investigations—which had cost him his marriage—but John is still on good terms with his ex-wife, Dr. Mary Morstan, an esteemed surgeon who occasionally helps Watson in the clinic. The good doctor has gathered brilliant minds in his clinic—beginning with Ingrid Derian, a psychologist with a shady past, who is trying her best to help Watson cope with the PTSD issues he’s been suffering from since Holmes’ death. Twin brothers Dr. Stephens and Adam Croft are not exactly two peas in a pod, as they have their disagreements with each other owing to entanglements of their personal lives. Dr. Sasha Lubbock, who was adopted by an American couple and immigrated from her birthplace in China, seems to be an intelligent, charming personality. The narrative indicates that Watson has carefully selected his team of medicos as their past intrigued him enough to want to know them as persons – a trait his late friend had inculcated in him.
The pilot episode focuses on the strange predicament of one of the patients of Holmes Medical Centre, Erika Filipello, a pregnant mother who is quite certain that she is suffering from a case of fatal insomnia—a disease that apparently runs in her family and has taken the life of her father as well. She fears for the life of her child more than her own and desperately seeks help from Watson after almost accidentally killing herself by frantically running into traffic after her physical condition starts deteriorating. Watson had suggested his team do a thorough background check of Erika’s family’s medical history, after which he seems positive that Erika doesn’t have fatal insomnia and her conviction of being afflicted by the same is driving her to a tough situation instead. Watson decides to lie to Erika about her condition, which offers a temporary solution as she is able to sleep while Watson shares details of the demons of the past he has been carrying. Mary isn’t pleased with Watson’s deceit, which she considers another trait he has picked from Holmes—but Watson doesn’t show aversion to bending a few rules and ethics if it means his patient will get cured from her afflictions.
However, the next morning, as Erika isn’t able to see anything and can’t smile either, she is diagnosed with boy in bubble syndrome as her immune system has been compromised. Erika needs an urgent bone marrow transplant, and her brother, Damon, who is the only person who can save her and her stillborn child’s life, has gotten mixed up with the wrong lot and bailed on his family. John puts his detective skills to use as he convinces Erika’s cousin, Autumn, to share the truth about Damon’s whereabouts and calls in a favor from former Scotland Yard Detective Gregson (no Lestrade this time around, it seems) to locate Damon and complete the transplant procedure. His team of medicos is in awe, quite naturally, given working with a detective doctor isn’t a commonplace affair.
However, Autumn falls ill with Erika’s condition as well—which prompts Watson to send his team to scour through their household stuff once again, and a thorough search reveals they have songbird disease carried by the dead carcass of the birds that their cat had brought into their home. Complications arise when Autumn appears resistant to the antibiotics administered to cure them, and a closer look at their genealogical history provides Watson the answer he needs. Erika and Autumn are half sisters. This is indicated by the orbital hypertelorism trait Autumn shared with Erika’s father, Paul, and the fact that she and Erika had a common biotin deficiency disorder. It turns out a bottle of biotin pills is all Erika needed to ensure the safety of her and her child, but Autumn’s case proves a bit tricky still, as abscesses in her liver cause her to suffer from septic shock due to the same immunodeficiency condition. Mary appears to be the only available surgeon in the facility at the moment, and she operates on Autumn, effectively saving her life.
Is Moriarty Alive?
As it appears, Watson hasn’t been able to recover from bouts of panic attacks and PTSD memory flashes—something which he is hiding from Ingrid while gulping down pills brought by Shinwell to keep things under control. While taking away his old stuff from Mary’s home, Watson comes across Sherlock’s casebook, which probably ignites a sense of purpose within him—which his ex-wife was asking him about.
On the other hand, Shinwell is seen riding the Duquesne Incline, which provides a bird’s-eye view of the city of Pittsburgh—and the only co-passenger present in the vehicle comments about how vulnerable the city looks from this perspective. It doesn’t take much brainstorming to deduce who this out-of-focus speaker might be, as Shinwell himself confirms that he was expecting Moriarty to look different in person. He delivers a briefcase that contains certain samples Moriarty had asked him to deliver, and the nature of this transaction remains a mystery. Moriarty’s identity is confirmed as he is shown to have joined fingers in one hand—creating an ‘M’ sign as Watson had mentioned previously in the episode. Before leaving, Moriarty reminds Shinwell that he is always observing—highlighting what seems to be a logo on his tee, which indicates he works in a surveillance company of some sort. Anyway, as the episode ends, it seems Watson has to face Sherlock’s archenemy on his own—but it will be a wise decision to not stray off too much from the medical drama premise. Without Sherlock, the prospect of a battle of wits doesn’t feel as appealing already, and I am not sure how good a replacement Watson and his team of medicos can prove to be.