Watson Season 2 Episode 9 “Shannon Says Bex Loves Micah” lost the plot after the first half hour. I entered this episode thinking that we were going to have an existential and prolonged conversation about the dangers of AI. And even I can admit as a reviewer that I don’t understand how people form complex relationships with a virtual companion. And that’s exactly why I think Watson should have spent a little bit more time focusing on the psychosis of why people form such strong bonds with chatbots instead of everything that was happening with this girl Bex.
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If shows are meant to teach us stuff, I entered Watson Season 2 Episode 9 thinking that we were going to delve into what made this kid Micah reach out so desperately to an AI version of Shannon Purser from Stranger Things and Riverdale. But instead of getting an exploration of his home life, his relationship with his mother, a possible absent father, or his struggles in school or daily life, his problems or dependency with AI was used as a vehicle to tell someone else’s story.
Overall, I appreciate that Watson didn’t go so heavy-handed with the AI story to the point that we felt like we were being preached to. That never achieves what the show intends, when you try to smash them over the head with an idea. But I think Watson could have done better with a balance that didn’t make me forget about this AI story. Because as soon as they went in on the Bex of it all, I was like “Wait, where’s Micah? Oh, I forgot about him.” And I shouldn’t forget him when he was a central part of the promo for “Shannon Says Bex Loves Micah” and a good chunk of the hour.
I even think that John and his relationship with Laila was put on the back burner for this medical mystery of the episode. This is something that often happens in procedurals with a brilliant doctor. The emergency takes priority and everything else happens around the outer perimeter. If so, the show should have spent more time on Micah. And I didn’t like how they just threw Micah a bone at the end with John’s secret about Sherlock because reasons and thought that they had cured his AI psychosis by just taking away his phone for 31 days.
I’m not an expert on what happens when someone connects so deeply with AI. And I’m not going to pretend I am. But even I can see the solution to “fixing” Micah’s dependency on a virtual “person” as being lazy.
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A story like the one we were exploring with Micah is imperative to this day and age. People have developed strong relationships with these AI chatbots that have endangered them, endangered others, and led to devastating consequences. And I know that this episode is going to get eyes on it because Purser plays a (kinda) chat bot version of herself at the center of this just as Stranger Things is airing its final season. But I’m not sure if what Watson did in the episode is going to deliver the message the network intended.
Outside of the whole AI chatbot of it all, there were some really interesting character moments sprinkled throughout Season 2 Episode 9.
I really loved the banter between Stephens and Ingrid. I have been abundantly clear in my previous reviews that Ingrid is a complex and oftentimes frustrating character. But I love her for it. And I’ve also expressed that I don’t really like Ingrid diagnosing Stephens. So this episode set out to fix that. And what I ended up with was a realization that Watson as a show is setting up Stephens and Ingrid as kind of a brother and sister duo. That moment when they were on the front porch arguing and Stephens looked at her and said “You’re a hot mess,” that’s a brother bugging his sister. And the way that Ingrid smiled, that’s a sister satisfied with the upset she’s caused.
On the Sasha front, someone who is deeply involved with Stephens and Ingrid, I like that Sasha asked the question that some of us have asked ourselves as viewers. Because we love Ingrid and what she brings to the show. But we have not forgotten the events of Season 1. So we can enjoy seeing Ingrid on our screens will also acknowledging that she, in many ways, is still a question mark that hovers over all of them. Will she go back to her old ways? And is she close to having a relapse after the events of Episode 8 with her new and dangerous boytoy?
And finally there is Stephens himself, who is afforded a little bit of time to shine on his own just as Sasha and Ingrid were.
There is power in asking for what you need. And we have seen Ingrid joke back and forth about Stephens needing some mental health help. We’ve even seen Sasha take part in this conversation. But I don’t think we’ve seen such a blanket and honest admission from Stephens. After the events of Season 1 of Watson, who wouldn’t be depressed? Admittedly though, his depression could’ve started before the finale due to his crashing out with his ex and his brother then dating her. Admitting that you need help is a form of self-care.
All together, Watson Season 2 Episode 9 “Shannon Says Bex Loves Micah” could have been a little tighter when it comes to their message. But the interactions between our main cast of characters makes up for that. We’re interested in them even if everything that’s happening with the emergencies is kind of a dud. And unfortunately “Shannon Says Bex Loves Micah” was a dud when it came to the medical emergency and the dangers of AI message they were trying to send out.
Watson airs new episodes Mondays at 10pm on CBS.
