Watson Season 1 Episode 10 “The Man with the Alien Hand” finally gave me something that I have been wanting all season: John being bamboozled. John is a brilliant doctor and detective. But when we have characters like him, who flawlessly walk through life, that’s not interesting. And that’s not to mean that I don’t want our characters to succeed. I do. But having flaws makes characters better. And I love that Watson presented a case where John thought he knew what was happening and was proven wrong. Even better, when he was proven wrong he didn’t wallow in it. He kept moving forward and looked for justice.
The Man with the Alien Hand and John
Watson is a show that has set a precedent where each episode has a case where the person at the heart of it is innocent. Even what happened with Irene Adler in Watson Season 1 Episode 8 “A Variant of Unknown Significance,” there was an innocence to that case. She was conning John and the gang. But John knew that going on. And by the end of the episode, he treated Irene with kindness. In “The Man with the Alien Hand,” things are flipped on its head because the kindness was taken advantage of.
Playing the devious Cameron Phillips is David Thompson. He’s an actor that hasn’t had as many roles under his belt but every single time I see him, I know he’s going to cause trouble. He’s just that good at playing a character with an innocent face and malicious intentions. Seriously, go and watch the film It’s What’s Inside. Chef’s kiss. So when I saw him on Watson 2×10, I knew he was up to something. The chess pieces were just laid out so perfectly for John to walk right in and fix things. And John did fall for it. But he didn’t stay down long.
Watson Season 1 Episode 10 felt more like a character defining episode for John himself than any other episode yet. You can tell the measure of a man by how he reacts to being wrong. John could have responded with irritation and scorn that he wasn’t right. And that would have made him an egotistical character. Instead, what John did elevated the character to a new level of likability. Because yes, he can get frustrated. It’s his right as a character. But I like how he expressed a bit of frustration while also leaning on his team, a new detective, and his own wits to fix the problem but also set this injustice right.
Ingrid Finally Cracks
It took until Watson 2×10 for Ingrid to crack. And like John, what she did in the face of new circumstances, defined her. The entirety of the show she has been very self-assured, cutthroat, and full of purpose. But now, she doesn’t know what to do. And it makes sense for someone like her. She’s never had people to lean on. And the one person that she thought she could lean on, her father, ended up abusing her and causing irreparable damage to her sister.
The fact that Ingrid felt so discombobulated and scared that she reached out to Sasha says something too. It says something about her state of mind and how she’s hit a wall. But it also shows that no matter what she says to Sasha, she knows that Sasha is strong. And when you’re surrounded by strong people, you can either push back and prove that you are stronger or you can let your walls down and let them carry you or the weight that you have on your shoulders. Ingrid breaking down in Sasha’s arms changes Ingrid, Sasha, and the bond that they have.
A small part of me thought, “Well what if Ingrid is tricking Sasha under Moriarty’s instruction?” No one was watching Ingrid when she was by herself in the office after Sasha left. She had no one to pretend for. When she called out to Sasha, and Sasha came running, it also showed the kind of woman Sasha is too. She’s not helping Ingrid because she’s a sap. She’s there because she is strong enough to not allow herself to be hurt by Ingrid. But she’s also there to help the people that she considers friends. So Moriarty might think that he has one up on Ingrid. But Sasha and Ingrid are united now. A united force is harder to take down.
I’m Still on the Sasha and Stephens Train
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is something brewing between Sasha and Stephens. And while Watson Season 1 Episode 10 wasn’t as obvious as previous episodes in their connection, I feel like I caught things. For one, Stephens’ phone going off constantly. Adams wasn’t the only person giving Stephens looks. Sasha was too. And in the previous episode, Watson Season 1 Episode 9 “Take a Family History” she was all for helping him set up this dating profile. Maybe something has shifted in her that she doesn’t know how to express what this shift in attention means. Basically feelings are complicated.
Also there’s the promo for Watson 1×11. In it they show someone in a hospital bed being examined while Sasha is looking in through the glass wall. Now this could be Adams and it’s just Sasha showing general concern for a coworker. But the show has continuously given us moments where a connection between Sasha and Stepens that feels like there is something more to them than just casual office mates. There’s romance in the air. And I am on the watch out for the show to deliver on what it has clearly set up between Sasha and Stephens. Maybe not this season or the next. But I sense it and I’m patient.
Watson airs on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS.
I thought they were going for Sasha and Stephen’s in the beginning but with her and Ingrid getting closer I also see a connection there. There’s definitely chemistry.
Ohhhh you are so right. I can see that too!