Watson Season 2 Episode 3's Focus on Ingrid Bordered on Annoying During a Fascinating Case

Sasha doesn’t want to forgive Ingrid. We get it.

It would be impossible not to, with how clear she made her feelings before Ingrid returned and again on Watson Season 2 Episode 3.

This is an important subplot to be sure, but between that and the creepy guy stalking Ingrid, we had way too much of the wayward doctor.

Ingrid’s Story Is An Important Part of Watson’s Dedication To Highlighting Mental Health Issues

I’m not against Ingrid’s storyline at all — it just needs to be in better balance.

One of the things I loved best about “Expletive Deleted” was that Watson took the unusual step of treating mental health as just as important as physical health.

Watson has always taken mental health issues seriously, starting with Watson’s PTSD and TBI after the accident that allegedly killed Holmes (what happened to Watson’s TBI, by the way?)

But this storyline with Ingrid has taken that to an entirely new level.

I especially appreciate that it is dismantling myths around anti-social personality disorder.

Disorders like this one aren’t well known, and TV often gets it wrong, painting all people with it as monsters who kill with impunity.

Some people who have the disorder are evil — newcomer Beck looks like he might fit that description — but not all.

People with antisocial personality disorder often act without considering the effect of their behavior on others and tend to have little remorse or guilt if they get what they want in a way that has negative consequences for the people around them.

For this reason, many people with the disorder might get into legal trouble; however, each person is different, as Ingrid’s storyline shows.

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Ingrid, for example, has no problem acting violently towards those who have seriously hurt her (her dad, Beck, etc) but doesn’t engage in violence just for its own sake, and genuinely wants to help people.

That’s the good news: her existence helps demonstrate that people are more than their labels and that they can change.

Still, I’m not sure that this story about Beck stalking Ingrid is necessary or does people with antisocial personality disorder any favors.

The tension between Ingrid and Sasha also got to be a little much. I’d rather have had more time devoted to finding out what caused Max to stop growing when she was a pre-teen than all of that tension and drama.

It was mostly Sasha, and it was annoying. I understand she was hurt by Ingrid’s actions, but she was centering that pain when the two were supposed to be working together to find answers for Max.

Those emotions were getting in the way — plus the drama of Sasha doubting that Ingrid could change was more interesting than endless scenes of the women searching for Dr. Patel would have been — but it still annoyed me.

Does anyone else feel like that? I was never even a fan of Ingrid during Watson Season 1, but Sasha’s behavior made me Team Ingrid forever!

Ingrid’s Conversation With Stephens Was More Like It

Not the first conversation where she said she thought he had a diagnosis, too. That one left me confused.

But when she explained what she meant, it was exactly the type of mental health support that Watson does incredibly well.

Ingrid: Major depressive disorder isn’t the end of the world. But it also makes every minute of every day a burden.

Does Stephens really have Major Depressive Disorder? I’m not sure.

I’m all too familiar with depression and didn’t recognize it in him, but that might have just been me being annoyed with him in general.

In any case, Ingrid’s diagnosis sent the clear message that depression is a mental illness, not a weakness or a moral failing.

That’s an important message right now, when many people are struggling with depression or anxiety and some of them are beating themselves up over it. As a mental health advocate, I strongly approve.

Let’s Talk About The Case (Finally!)

I’m all about the medical mysteries in Watson, and this was an especially interesting one.

We had a woman who had a rare genetic condition that caused her to look permanently like a ten-year-old, and this problem caused her so much pain that she was refusing treatment for cancer and waiting for death to claim her.

I’m not sure if this condition exists in real life, though there was a case of a woman with this problem as a result of her pituitary gland being damaged during chemotherapy as a child.

Regardless, the idea of a woman struggling to live as an adult while in a child’s body was an interesting one, whether or not it was based on medical reality or was exaggerated for dramatic purposes.

I especially enjoyed Watson’s attempts to show his patient that she wasn’t alone and that, while her condition was rare, others had it.

I was surprised that, in the end, her fever and swelling were related to a more common condition, like lupus. I thought maybe her symptoms were a byproduct of whatever had caused her to stop growing.

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I do have one bone to pick. When they began investigating the cause of the condition and trying to give Max a reason to live, one of the interns said that “nobody cared” about her condition or about helping her when she was a kid.

That wasn’t true. Max had explained that her mother worked a minimum wage job and couldn’t afford to send her to the type of hospital that could study her condition and find a solution.

That’s an important distinction. Health care wasn’t available to her and her family because she didn’t have much money — something that needs to stop happening in this country.

That probably contributed to Max’s frustration and lack of interest in staying alive.

Before Watson, nobody took her condition seriously, partly because of economic circumstances.

Other Thoughts About Watson Season 2 Episode 3

• I didn’t miss Sherlock much this episode. Though I’m sure whatever Watson was researching about the Pittsburgh Mystery had to do with finding out what Sherlock was up to.
• I can’t believe Shinwell fell for the trick of leaving to get coffee so that Max could escape. It was so obvious and should have been beneath a man like him, who has dealt extensively with criminals.
• I’m not terribly interested in Watson’s relationship with Laila. Hopefully, that will improve over time.

It’s your time to shine, Watson fanatics.
I want to hear your opinions about Watson Season 2 Episode 3. I know you have thoughts, so don’t be shy. Put them in the comments, and share this article with your Watson-loving friends so they can join in the fun.

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If you enjoyed this article, check out our reviews of other CBS mystery series like Elsbeth and Matlock.

Watson airs on CBS on Mondays at 10/9c and streams on Paramount+ on Tuesdays.

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