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S01.E01: Pilot

Trini

By Trini
in Watson

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Trini

Trini

Morris Chestnut stars as Dr. John Watson, who resumes his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders six months after the death of his friend and partner, Sherlock Holmes, at the hands of Moriarty. Watson's old life isn't done with him, though: Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of a story that has fascinated audiences for more than a century.

Airdate: January 26, 2025

agathapenny

agathapenny

There was a lot of exposition in this episode, even for a pilot. And this was a lot like (a bit of an inferior version) of House. The Moriarty/Shinwell crime story seemed tacked on and didn't fit.

I also found Morris Chestnut mumbled a lot — it was hard to catch what he was saying a bunch of times. Some of the others did it too. So here's for better enunciation going forward. More of a problem was that I didn't get a very good idea of who Watson is. The character seemed all over the place.

The medical case was distinctly underwhelming. I guessed the solution long before they did.

The twins are a cliche so far and the Texas woman is a non-entity at this point. I rolled my eyes at the sociopath reveal.

All of that said, I'm willing to give the show another episode or two to find its footing.

But at this point Brilliant Minds is a similar, but much better show. Though from previews it looks like Watson is going to attempt to break the mould a bit and also be something of a crime drama at the same time? Don't know how that's going to work....

  • Like 6
Chicago Redshirt

Chicago Redshirt

I'm here for the premise of House crossed with the Sherlock Holmes mythos and Morris Chestnut. It was going to be difficult to screw that up. 

I do feel like I would prefer it if Watson's team of doctor-detectives were slimmed down somehow. The sibling bickering has already gotten old, methinks. 

Couldn't place my finger on why Ingrid seemed familiar until I visited IMDB and found that she was Moll on the last season of Star Trek: Discovery.

The role of Watson's estranged wife is a thankless one, it seems.

I expected that Moriarty survived but I kinda hoped that it would be at least a while before he showed up. But nope, here he is. Wonder why he's not just running his crime syndicate in London with no Holmes to foil him. Wonder how long it will be before we find out that Holmes survived too. (I take it for granted that there will be a Holmes).

Any idea why Pittsburgh?

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Cress

Cress

(edited)
8 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Any idea why Pittsburgh?

According to this interview with Craig Sweeny, he has a personal connection to Pittsburgh.

Quote

I am from Pittsburgh, that’s my hometown, and my mother worked as an administrator in the transplant department at a hospital system called UPMC, which is a loosely analogous to UHOP, which is in our show.

For me, it was just natural. Pittsburgh is a hub of medicine, human transplantation was refined there, polio vaccine was invented there, there is a great hospital system in Pittsburgh that attracts people from all over the region. So I was attracted to it as a way to write what I know and a city that I’m very passionate about I believe has a lot to offer the world.

Also, apparently there are tech companies in Pittsburgh and Moriarty is trying to "blend in" as a tech worker.

Quote

Google, companies like that, have all set up branches in Pittsburgh. He has a front called Always and Everywhere that is a mock tech company. It’s just his way of moving through the world in a way that doesn’t attract attention.

The article also mentions spoilery bits about other characters and stories in future episodes.

It's okay, but was wondering why the nonsequitor scene of a robot, just for Watson to call it Clyde, as in the tortoise from Elementary. There's referencing the books, and then there's referencing yourself.

Edited by Cress
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babyrambo

babyrambo

(edited)

It’s only the pilot, but this was still pretty routine. Even the reveal at the end felt predictable.

The case was fine but none of the doctors stands out as particularly interesting, not even Watson himself. And the ex wife, who was a better actress in this than anything else I’ve ever seen her in, is definitely a thankless role. 

The House comparisons are inevitable with any show that has a doctor working with a team (like Brilliant Minds from last year, which had a similar premise and was also very tame plot wise) but that’s pretty much where the similarities end for me, because so far, Watson has none of the bite of House. It’s not bad, just bland. 

Edited by babyrambo
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agathapenny

agathapenny

1 hour ago, DanaK said:

Though I question that real doctors would do a bone marrow donation from an active drug addict and right away

Yeah, it sounded like they considered it a done deal before ever testing him for any diseases/infections (and compatibility), which, given how rough he looked and the fact they know he's a heavy drug user, would be nuts.

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Silver-hyren

Silver-hyren

Meh.  I was looking forward to this but was left underwhelmed.  The comparisons with House are inevitable, so it was always going to have an uphill battle proving itself.  Focusing the story around Watson (who actually is a doctor) is a unique approach to reinterpreting/adapting the Sherlock universe but the character Watson here left zero impression on me.  Enjoying Randall Park continuing to apply his affable persona to sleazy characters, though.   

  • Like 6
leighdear

leighdear

(edited)

Bickering exes have to work together - trope.  She left him, but for another woman - twist.  Moriarty is an Asian guy - twist.  Adopted Asian woman with Texas accent - twist.  Pregnant woman names unborn baby after living sister - trope (Did it on "E.R.")  Twin competitive brother doctors - twist. (Should have made them conjoined).  Therapist threatening her patient to quit - trope.  British sidekick with a past - trope.

All we're missing is the handicapped, Native American receptionist that was kidnapped at birth and the Russian office cleaner with a deadly secret and a transvestite sugar daddy.  

This was tortuous.  They threw EVERYTHING in there.   However, Morris C. is very attractive, so a little eye candy helps.  I dunno, I may have to be drinking heavily to watch the next episode. 

Edited by leighdear
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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

54 minutes ago, leighdear said:

  I dunno, I may have to be drinking heavily to watch the next episode. 

I "watched" this while multitasking, and that's the most I'm willing to do. Occasionally. Doctor shows annoy me. And it doesn't have any comic relief.

When I went to Pittsburgh for my daughter's graduation from Carnegie Mellon (like the t-shirt Watson slept in) we road the Duquesne Incline (where Shinwell met Moriarity). If Pittsburgh was a kind of character in the show, I would give it a chance.

 

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Trini

Trini

  • Author
(edited)

This wasn't bad, but it's still very Standard Medical Procedural, outside of the Sherlock Holmes lore. Willing to give it a chance, though. (I might end up watching this in any case; my mom will watch anything Sherlock Holmes -related. Anything.)

Downsides: I already hate the twins, and I'm so over the 'exes working together' trope. Randall Park is going to have to work hard to get me to buy him as an evil mastermind.

Morris Chestnut is pretty; but I need more than eye candy to stick with something. (Looking at you, Tracker.)

Moriarty has a M-shaped hand -- ha ha, cute -- but seriously; I wonder if they'll ever give an explanation about why he never got his hand fixed.

Edited by Trini
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Cress

Cress

Yeah I think they're supposed to be DNA samples. Craig Sweeny mentions them in the spoilery Deadline article I linked above. Moriarty apparently has some evil genius plan to use the DNA for something, but we won't know details until later.

Overall I am annoyed by many of the doctors and I don't like that Watson is using one of the doctors as his neurologist. Plus the previews for upcoming episodes keep showing some sinister female henchwoman of Moriarty making threats, and I worry that will be Irene Adler. I'm so sick of her being associated with Moriarty, let alone willingly evil--unlike Shinwell who at least looks like he's reluctantly cooperating.

But still, the show might improve after the pilot so I'll give it a chance. I do like Morris Chestnut and that actress playing Dr. Lubbock, so hopefully they'll develop her more.

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kitmerlot1213

kitmerlot1213

I liked all the homages to ACD canon and to the show Elementary:  the license plate on the car Watson was driving was 221BSSH, the name of the cleaning robot was Clyde and Inspector Gregson gets a Scotland Yard shout out, but I am kind of annoyed we were shown that Shinwell was compromised and that Moriarty was alive.  That should have been a bigger reveal.  Instead, we're going to have to watch episodes of him sabotaging Watson--that's going to be obnoxious.

The other doctors were all blending together and I know I found the sociopath neurologist particularly annoying, even more then the twins--Look, one has glasses and the other curly hair, that's how we can tell them apart!!  I hope we get more interactions with Mary Morstan though, especially if the show has her being great at crossword puzzles and cypher texts :)

Cress

Cress

(edited)
12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

His meds that he prescribed to Shinwell. He said something about they were narcotics so highly illegal. 

No Watson said they aren't controlled substances. He said he was using the meds for "off-label" purposes. That doesn't mean it's illegal. For example, Trazodone is approved for depression, but has a side effect of sleepiness. So a doctor might prescribe Trazodone for your insomnia. That's off-label use. Doctors can do that legally, and sometimes off-label uses eventually get approved. I didn't get a good look at all the meds Watson got from Shinwell, so I don't know what "off-label" use he was trying to prescribe for.

I do agree that Watson hiding his meds and using Shinwell's name is suspicious. A doctor should not be prescribing for himself anyway. With his traumatic brain injury, I wouldn't trust his objectiveness and clear-thinking when it came to diagnosing himself. I assumed from the end of the pilot that Watson would start complying more with the neurologist and not hiding things. But I guess we don't know until next episode.

Edited by Cress
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Linda956

Linda956

As a Sherlock Holmes fan from birth, I was interested to see what they would do with this.  But I absolutely hated it.  If this were just a regular medical series, I might have enjoyed it.  Chestnut is attractive and I liked his character.  But Holmes let everyone think he died at the Reichenbach Falls (including Watson) to escape M's henchmen.  He returned when only Col. Sebastan Moran was left.  Mary died early on.  Watson never left her or she him.  I could see M's gang shadowing Watson in case Holmes survived to find out his whereabouts, but one gets the impression that Moriarty has a personal grudge against Watson, which was never the case in the books.  It was all about the superior mind and Holmes being his equal.

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KaveDweller

KaveDweller

On 1/29/2025 at 11:15 PM, Driad said:

Morris Chestnut was in some other series (can't remember which) and left me unimpressed.  We'll see.

The Resident? He joined that show and played kind of an asshole.

He was more likable here. But the other characters are pretty boring and the medical storyline was not as compelling as others I've seen recently. But I will give it another shot.

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possibilities

possibilities

My problem with Morris Chestnut is that he plays everything exactly the same, whether he's supposed to be a good guy or a bad guy. I've seen him in a few things, and each time I like him less because he seems to same and I'm realizing he's not a good actor. He hlooks appealing, and that works for the first time you see him in a role, but then after his affect is the same for every future character, it gets boring and annoying because it's so obviously fake and he's trying to preen off his physique with nothing else there. 

Surely there are other hunky dudes who can also act?

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