Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of Watson Season 2, called “Giant Steps” and available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
Watson became a family affair yet again in “Giant Steps” with the arrival of John‘s father, a renowned musician by the name of Hamish. The two men clearly had a complicated relationship that put them at odds about the treatment of saxophone protegy Annabelle. I won’t pretend to fully understand the detailed ins and outs of the problem that led to Annabelle having a stroke and needing brain surgery, but I did catch a mistake made by two other doctors while one of them was definitely suffering. Fortunately, neither Stephens nor Sasha‘s life was actually in danger for this mishap as the 2025 TV schedule winds down.
Sasha’s supposed uncle, Jun, was back in town, and the doctor got some commentary from the other fellows before meeting up with him. Since Jun claimed to be the husband of her birth mother’s sister, Ingrid pointed out that he’s not actually a blood relative whose identity they could verify. He claimed that her birth mother is still in China, but he just wanted to give her her cooking lessons and get to know her. As expected, Ingrid was skeptical, and Stephens clearly had some reservations but was determined to support a hopeful Sasha. (Do we have a bond growing between Ingrid and Stephens after what he told her last episode?)
And this led to a dinner at Sasha’s place, featuring authentic Chinese cooking from Jun that led to a mistake that didn’t have Stephens feeling too great. It turned out that Jun’s authentic Hunanese food came with quite a spice level, and I knew that the elder Croft twin was in trouble as soon as he said “I refuse to ask for water.” If you, like me, have ever accidentally taken a big bite of something that you didn’t think would be that spicy, you might know where I’m going with this.
My diagnosis of the situation? In real life, Stephens would have just made his pain worse by drinking water when he finally broke down and started coughing from the spiciness. Proper treatment? A nice glass of milk, or spoonful of yogurt, and even just a lick of ice cream. You use dairy for spicy food, not water. If Watson was true to life on this front, then Stephens would have gotten worse with the water and I’d probably be judging two brilliant doctors for not knowing the proper cure for spice.
Instead, I can’t help but suspect that perhaps the writer of the episode isn’t aware of the distinction, because the water didn’t do Stephens any harm, and neither he nor Sasha said anything about milk. Now, did this ruin this episode for me? Of course not, and I really got a kick out of Peter Mark Kendall‘s performance as Stephens desperately trying to keep his composure. He hadn’t looked that miserable since he was literally dying last season! It’s just fun to see the show tackle an ailment that I actually know, unlike the usual wild cases of the week.
Unfortunately, Sasha’s storyline with Jun didn’t come to as funny an ending. She cracked the truth about who he really was by using genetics, proving that he lied about knowing her birth mother well enough to say she had a skin condition. Before she could walk away from him, he told her:
I’m not your uncle, but I don’t want the money. I have enough. Aren’t you wondering how I got that photo of you and your birth mom? I know I can find her identity. I’m lonely, Sasha. I’m alone. That’s why I did this. If you ever want to see her, I can help.
If only the episode had stopped with Stephens trying and failing to eat a spicy dish, Sasha might have had nothing but happy memories from a visit with her “uncle.” Now, she’s in a tricky position, and looked tempted by Jun’s offer to find her birth mother. Hopefully she’ll confide in her friends (or at least Stephens) before doing anything too drastic, but the stage is set for more family drama for Sasha in the 2026 TV schedule.
As for whether Stephens will be foolishly guzzling water after spicy food in the new year, I doubt that will be necessary. After how desperate he looked, he may have a sudden craving for the blandest and palest food possible.
In all seriousness, be sure tune in to CBS on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of Watson, and stream any you might have missed on Paramount+.