Spoilers forward for Episode 8 of CBS’ Watson Season 1, known as “A Variant of Unknown Significance” and out there streaming subsequent day with a Paramount+ subscription.
Watson has been slowly however absolutely adapting well-known components of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story into its medical thriller/detective drama within the 2025 TV schedule, together with the early reveal of Randall Park as Moriarty. In “A Variant of Unknown Significance,” Watson went all out by introducing not solely Irene Adler, but additionally Mycroft Holmes. The physician himself even name-dropped Baron Adelbert Gruner, a personality from one in every of Doyle’s quick tales. The episode ended by eliminating what I believed can be the Chekhov’s gun of Season 1, however I additionally see a method that the storyline might proceed.
Unsurprisingly, Irene Adler got here to UHOP as a part of a protracted con. Her son Angus wasn’t sick with a thriller sickness in spite of everything, as Watson finally proved medically and Ingrid proved considerably extra crudely by giving the younger boy a shove. Her try to go Angus off as Sherlock’s son who he’d by no means identified about was a ploy to achieve entry to Sherlock’s DNA, which was arduous to return by on account of his cremation. Morris Chestnut’s character linked the dots that Irene wished the DNA to promote to Baron Gruner in Austria, who had a behavior of buying the DNA of exceptional individuals.
She did have a sympathetic cause, as she wanted the cash to go away to her son in mild of her analysis with an incurable illness. Watson agreed to set her up with a remedy that might give her the miracle she wanted, and is prepared to be Angus’ guardian if Irene does certainly due. I do not actually see Watson utilizing its newly-renewed standing to kill off the character and put Watson within the place of elevating her son, and the opposite aspect of the deal was extra attention-grabbing to me. Specifically, that Irene handed over the DNA pattern that she’d stolen.
And I used to be absolutely ready for that DNA pattern to be put away and forgotten till it abruptly turned completely essential to show Sherlock’s involvement in a plot sooner or later earlier than the top of the season. Think about my shock when Watson exposited to Shinwell that the DNA was courtesy of blood on a hoop belonging to Mycroft, who had handed the ring over earlier within the episode. As an alternative of placing the wring with its helpful DNA in a protected area till a finale or a premiere required it as a plot system, Watson simply dropped it in a glass of liquor to presumably do away with any residuals.
That took care of my expectation that they would want to make use of to ring to determine whether or not someone is Sherlock – since I am after all not satisfied that the character is actually useless – or different proof is tied to Sherlock! As soon as I received over my shock, although, I spotted that the potential of a storyline involving Sherlock’s DNA hasn’t been dominated out simply because Watson cleaned the ring. We simply met Mycroft Holmes earlier within the episode, and whereas brothers do not share an identical DNA, any pattern from one Holmes might be used to verify or rule out a connection to the opposite.
Does this imply that we’ll see Mycroft once more earlier than the top of Season 1 and even that DNA will matter once more any time quickly? In fact not, and it isn’t even a on condition that Sherlock is definitely alive, nevertheless it’s enjoyable to marvel now that we all know Watson is assured a second season. CBS lastly introduced the excellent news greater than a month after a number of of its different dramas had been renewed. The finale will not air till Could 11, nevertheless, so there are nonetheless a number of episodes left to go earlier than summer time hiatus begins. Maintain tuning in to CBS at 9 p.m. ET on Sundays for what’s subsequent.