Sunday, January 26, 2025

REVIEW: 'Watson' - Watson Assembles a Team to Solve Medical Mysteries After the Death of Sherlock Holmes in 'Pilot'

CBS' Watson - Episode 1.01 "Pilot"

Dr. John Watson resumes his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders six months after the death of his friend and partner, Sherlock Holmes, at the hands of Moriarty. Watson's old life isn't done with him though: Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of a story that has fascinated audiences for more than a century.

"Pilot" was written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Larry Teng


CBS returns to the world of Sherlock Holmes with a writer from its previous adaptation Elementary. This time the focus is exclusively on Dr. John Watson. His life was forever changed through his partnership with Sherlock. And now, that part of his life has come to an end. The series opens with Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty seemingly plummeting to their deaths from a waterfall. Watson dives in after his friend hoping to save him. Instead, he walks away with a traumatic brain injury and his friend's will being read to him. Sherlock mapped out what Watson should do next with his life. He needed to return to the medical profession. The Holmes family has the resources to make a clinic that solves medical mysteries possible. Watson follows through on it. Decisions are made for him. Sure, he gets to assemble the team of associates. He chooses which cases to pursue. However, this life was given to him by Holmes. The instincts from both of his lives come together to provide a service. The doctors are baffled by the requests from their new boss. Yet he carries the skills to make these demands possible. They aren't a big deal to him anymore. But again, this is a premise forced into creation instead of anything happening naturally. That creates a narrative schism right away. It's the show being less than subtle with its ambitions and focus. As a result, it hardly comes across as revolutionary at any point along the way.

The entertainment industry has already produced a great show where a Sherlock Holmes parallel solves medical mysteries. House ran for many years. Of course, it's not the only show that can exist in this space. Plenty of adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes story have been produced for both television and film. It's an iconic character the industry goes to over and over again. Here, the focus is on the life of his partner after the inevitable occurs. Sherlock and Moriarty were forever locked in a battle between life and death. It reached its conclusion. Now, Watson has to learn how to live without his friend. He sacrificed everything to solve mysteries with him in London. He returns to Pittsburgh with new purpose. It doesn't mean he can pick up the pieces of his former life with no complications. He continues to suffer from side effects of his injury. He self-medicates because he believes he knows best. He surrounds himself with people he can study. He analyzes human behavior. He takes an interest in those who fascinate him. And so, these pet projects are merely an extension of how he views them. They don't exist as anything more than that. He doesn't preside over a collaborative team. Instead, he crosses ethical lines in order to produce results. That means lying to a patient to arrive at the correct diagnosis.

It's all about the mystery being solved too. It's not an examination of humanity as seen through the eyes of those experiencing a medical crisis. Watson's patient wants to survive long enough to deliver a healthy baby. She fears her imminent death. She will die from the same genetic disease that took her father. In reality, a misdiagnosis generations ago has had a lasting impact on this family. Of course, any competent viewer probably saw the genetic connection between the cousins coming before it dawned on Watson. That's a troubling warning sign. It shows how the audience is already ahead of the action. That makes it easier to get distracted. Watson and his team can speak to the medical practicalities. But the viewer understands the structure of narrative storytelling. And so, familiar twists can be predicted. Moreover, it's expected that Watson cracks the case. He does so simply by looking at the patients. He doesn't need anything from them. He needs to examine the evidence on their bodies. He doesn't want any detail to cloud his judgment. He figures it out. Everyone is grateful for his heroics. He is ready to pick up the mantle that Sherlock started. He is eager to pursue new cases. But it's just so formulaic without offering the character dimension to provide intriguing insight.

The premiere concludes with the reveal that Moriarty also survived the waterfall in Switzerland. He too is now in Pittsburgh with a keen interest in Watson. Moreover, Shinwell Johnson is providing him with information. The former criminal was also given a new life by Sherlock. He became the office aide for Watson. The doctor knows he can count on his colleague for anything outside of what's legal. He has that experience. He trusts him. They don't spend time trying to figure each other out. Instead, Shinwell deduces Moriarty's identity. He isn't some figure who was prominent throughout the rest of the episode. Watson doesn't know what he looks like. He only recalls the fusion of two of his fingers. It's melodramatic to suggest it forms an "M." Yet that's the detail everyone fixates on. It's striking that Randall Park is the face behind this new interpretation of the infamous antagonist. That's a curious casting decision. Park has starred in dramas before. However, they have largely been infused with comedy to present as more grounded. This show takes itself completely seriously. That's what is set up with the reveal. And so, it's awkward to cast a comedian. It bucks expectations. That's thrilling. But it also requires a payoff. Right now, there just isn't enough reason to believe this show will offer anything unique to the procedural formula that has driven Sherlock Holmes stories for over a century.