Critic’s Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
3.5
In this golden age of broadcast television, medical procedurals are a dime a dozen, and new ones are released every season.
So, leave it to CBS to revive the classic character Watson and give audiences something ironically refreshing.
It also doesn’t hurt that the network has given viewers the tall drink of water, Morris Chestnut.
Making it all the way to the end of the pilot episode certainly had its benefits.
However, despite numerous things that work for Waston, a few ends still need tightening if this show is to become a long-standing series.
Watson Rounds Out Its Cast with Some Truly Interesting, Albeit Odd, Character Choices
The story itself seems pretty cut and dry. Holmes left Watson a bunch of money so the doctor could return to medicine. It’s all very straightforward, which is exactly what Sherlock Holmes is NOT known for.
The show worked hard in the pilot to establish that nothing is as it seems. I don’t even want to make assumptions because I’ll be dead wrong, but something is definitely afoot.
The mysterious aspects of the story and the characters helped elevate the episode from feeling like any run-of-the-mill medical show — particularly the situation concerning the other doctors at the clinic.
By the end of the episode, it was more than alluded to that Watson had specifically hired doctors who shared traits with the one and only James Moriarty — more on him later.
We have Inga Schlingmann’s (So Help Me Todd) Dr. Sasha Lubbock, who hails from the great state of Texas, from a rich Dallas family that adopted her from China.
Then there is the impeccably dressed, with a killer haircut, Eve Harlow’s (Star Trek: Discovery) Dr. Ingrid Derian, who is so talented and intelligent that she felt the need to lie on her resume about being in the arts.
Finally, Doctors Stephens and Adam Croft are identical twin brothers because they’re played by the same actor, Peter Mark Kendall (Chicago Med). One brother seems like a budding sociopath, while the other looks like he has human-sized cages in his basement.
At least we can say the characters are certainly interesting.
You Can’t Have a Medical Genius Without the Bitter Ex to Act as the Voice of Reason
Of course, no brilliant medical genius would be complete without the disgruntled ex-partner. Everyone knows you must have a broken relationship to be good at medicine.
Every show, from Nurse Jackie to Grey’s Anatomy, proves that the cost of a successful healthcare career is a volatile love life.
Luckily, Watson got the memo and delivered Dr. Mary Morstan to fill the position of the main character’s voice of reason.
Then again, this might be a trope I can accept because at least the show brought in the ridiculously talented Rochelle Aytes to play the character.
Granted, Aytes tends to play different shades of the same character, but she does it with the skill of someone who has been making the television rounds for over twenty years.
However, despite playing characters that seem similar, Rochelle Aytes is not afraid to diversify her project choices.
She has starred in film titles like Trick ‘ Treat and White Chicks and TV shows like S.W.A.T. and Hawaii Five-0.
Granted, I could be a little biased because she’s been in many of the shows and movies I love, but she’s still a talented actor. She brings all of that to Dr. Mary Morstan, who is very calm and collected.
She also serves as a great anchor for the main character, as it seems that Watson already has something set in motion regarding the events at the start of the episode.
Watson Is a Good Window into How Even a Sidekick Is the Protagonist of His Own Story
The show took a big swing with that opening shot at Reichenbach Falls, Switzerland, which was just Vancouver, but it helped set the series’ stakes and tone.
When it comes to medical procedurals, things can feel a little claustrophobic because every scene takes place in a hospital or clinic.
By starting the story so far from where it ends up, the world feels bigger; thus, the plot automatically feels larger than the episodic cases. The bigger the universe, the bigger the possibilities.
The story will need a lot of room as Watson explores the events that led up to his injury, but audiences would do well to remember that, like the character, the CBS series will likely only show us what it wants us to know.
Who doesn’t love a little misdirection? It’s why everyone loves magic shows.
More to the point, the series shows that, through the life Watson returns to, while he may have been a sidekick to Sherlock Holmes, he is still the protagonist of his own story.
And with the big reveal at the end of the pilot, it’s shaping up to be a hell of a show. Readers be warned, it’s spoiler time.
There’s no denying the fact that most of us were pretty damn excited during that reveal at the very end. For one thing, we didn’t have to wait to find out who Moriarty was.
That immediately freed up sleuthing time, so we didn’t waste any time suspecting he was someone at the Holmes Clinic, though someone could still be working for him.
The real treat was to see who would take on the mantle of Sherlock Holmes’ greatest rival. It doesn’t get more out-of-left-field than Randall Park.
Known for endless and hilarious comedic roles, Park has been gracing the big and small screens for over twenty years in shows like Veep, Young Rock, and Fresh Off the Boat.
So, seeing him play against the kind of characters he is known for will be interesting. Sure, he could be the wrong choice for the character, but I am holding out hope.
In his scene, he delivered a pretty creepy performance with the only Scottish man in Pittsburgh.
I would have to imagine Park will bring some form of his trademark comedy to the character but in a more sinister capacity. It wouldn’t hurt if he went the Disney villain route just to add some levity to what will be a drama-heavy show.
All in all, if Watson keeps things twisty and interesting, I see no reason audiences couldn’t enjoy this series past its freshman season.
Besides, no one will complain about more shirtless shots of Morris Chestnut.
What did you think of the Watson premiere?
What characters from the Sherlock Holmes stories are you hoping will show up?
Drop a comment below to let me know what you liked about this episode, and join me again when I review another episode of Watson!