Watson Season 1 Episode 9 “Take a Family History” finally unearthed everything that Ingrid has been hiding. And while it might have destroyed her relationship with John Watson himself and made it so her position at the clinic is done, this is the most I’ve liked Ingrid. Like I’ve mentioned before, TV is art. And art is supposed to make you feel something. And what I feel for Ingrid right now is peaked interest at every single conniving thing that she has done to get to this place. Grounding a character like Ingrid in the love that she holds for her sister Gigi, is a choice. But it’s a choice that makes her one of the messiest and intriguing women characters on TV right now.
MORE: Need to catch up on last week’s episode? Read our review for Watson Season 1 Episode 8 “A Variant of Unknown Significance.”
Let’s Talk About Ingrid and Gigi
I should have known from the very start of Watson Season 1 Episode 1 that what was driving Ingrid was more powerful than just getting the job. But I have been led into a false sense of security when it comes to TV. Since I’ve watched so much, I feel like I can’t be surprised. CBS’s Watson threw me for a loop with Ingrid and the length that she’s willing to go for her family. Because before this episode I thought she was just driven. Someone wanting something is enough for them to go after it. There’s nothing behind it sometimes. But when it comes to Ingrid, it’s all about her family.
Watson also very cleverly interspersed flashbacks in Season 1 Episode 9 “Take a Family History” that tied Ingrid to Dr. Mary Morstan. Because if Ingrid had methodically planned getting treatment for her sister Gigi, she was going to go to the best. And making it so Mary was the tie, is a way of bringing her character more into the fold of things. Because personally I don’t really care as much in this little spark that we see between Mary and John. I would like for them to work on their friendship. But tying Mary to Ingrid in this manner, it creates conflict grounded in the limits of medicine and how some let pride rule everything to the point where they stop a young girl’s surgery just because they can.
Back on the Ingrid front, it makes sense that she would murder her father. She carried guilt for not protecting her sister before and after the fall. And I mistakened her brashness throughout Season 1 for rudeness for rudeness sake. But Ingrid was just protecting her heart and that of her sister’s chance to one day walk again. If anything, this episode catapulted her to the front of all the interns as to who carries the most love in their heart. Admittedly, she still annoys me sometimes. Let’s be honest about that. But I like annoying characters. They keep me on my toes. And Ingrid has kept me on my toes after presenting only one side of herself in the pilot. Now I’m looking forward to seeing how she makes it back to the clinic. Because that girl is a fighter.
Then There’s Sasha and Stephens
A couple times in Watson Season 1 I have mentioned that I felt like Watson was doing something bigger than friendship between Sasha and Stephens. As you plan out a season, you become very aware of the beats that you have to hit to create a tight weave when it comes to an ensemble cast of characters. And Watson is doing that with all of its characters, changing who they’re partnered up with from episode to episode. But I can’t help it that my favorite combination so far is Sasha and Stephens. And I feel like “Take a Family History” really cemented that there is a romantic undertone to them with the little hijinks that were part of the B storyline of this episode.
MORE: The spark between Sasha and Stephens has been there since Watson Season 1 Episode 4: Patient Question Mark.
Sasha and Stevens are trying again. They both had disastrous relationships and have not closed themselves off to intimacy with someone new. In the midst of all of that, Sasha is helping Stephens with his dating profile. And not just helping him write what she thinks could get him a date. There’s dogs involved. And I would take it a step further that their interactions mean something because of three key moments throughout this episode. There’s also the fact that Adams was looking at both of them like, “What is going on here?’ Your twin knows you the best. And Adams has clocked that there’s something going on there.
So the moments.
Moment number one, Sasha suggesting the cuter glasses. At first Stephens fights it. But then he appears later on with the glasses and she pauses before complimenting him. That pause meant something. It was a tiny hint of appreciation where she saw someone and they saw her. Moment number two is when he changed a little bit of his profile. He’s grateful for her help but also comfortable enough where he can change details of the profile they’re working on without feeling guilt or shame. That’s trust. Comfort. And moment number three is the long conversation on the way to the elevator about the dog. Every minute counts on a show. And what Watson is telling me is that these two work together and solve mysteries all day. But they also enjoy talking about the mundane things in life in their downtime.
These are romantic building blocks. I see you Watson.
Random Additional Thoughts
- I like the inclusion of Mary, but I don’t want a romance between her and John
- She’s moved on and maybe it’s time for John to do the same
- If anything, I want to see a little bit more of John’s feelings
- Or even the development of John himself outside the clinic or Sherlock. Or his interns. I want to see his anxieties outside of work and what he does on his down time. Just little bits to humanize him
- So now we know what Moriarty took from that grave
- And if Ingrid has nowhere to go, and she still wants to help her sister, is she going to go to Moriarty?
- Or is she going to lean on the people who she’s bonded with?
- My bet is on Moriarty because this is only season 1
- But Ingrid has surprised me once more in “Take a Family History.” Who’s to say she won’t surprise me again?
Watson airs on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS.
