Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Watson Episode 8.For better or worse, Watson is a loose adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. Unlike other medical dramas that have drawn inspiration from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective and his loyal companion Dr. Watson, the CBS series is taking a surprisingly straightforward approach. Just two episodes ago, Watson (Morris Chesnut) name-dropped Irene Adler and, like clockwork, she makes her grand appearance in Episode 8, aptly named “A Variant of Unknown Significance.” The results of her arrival and the way in which Watson is choosing to draw in familiar characters — and plotlines — from Doyle’s work will likely have varying degrees of mileage for viewers. For the astute “Sherlockian,” there are certainly reasons to have qualms about the direction the series is headed — though those concerns have been ever-present since the pilot, when Watson chose to begin the series in the midst of one of the most iconic narrative arcs, without any emotional attachment.
The episode opens with Watson’s fellows being tasked with studying strangers who are coming and going through one of the hospital’s many causeways. It seems like any other lesson that the series has opened with, right up until the point that Watson spots Irene Adler (Whoopie Van Raam). Her arrival and the clear connection between Irene and Watson send the fellows into a speculative tizzy, especially after she reveals that she’s come with her young son, Angus, seeking Watson’s medical guidance. Angus (Colin Bentley) is a clever and verbose child, and it’s clear that the series’ writing desperately wants audiences to draw the exact same conclusion that Watson does. In Episode 6, Watson detailed Irene and Sherlock’s romantic relationship, while underscoring the fact that she is a con artist. These are two lore-accurate details, but also clearly delivered for the benefit of those less studied in Holmes lore. It also telegraphed exactly what was going to happen here, in Episode 8, leading to a lackluster episode filled with red herrings and obvious plot twists.
Nature Versus Nurture Doesn’t Apply in ‘Watson’ Episode 8

Image via CBS

Shortly after Irene and Angus arrive at the clinic, Watson deduces that Angus must be Sherlock’s son. Irene leads him to that conclusion by talking wistfully about Angus’ late father, who died last year, and was cremated. Sherlock’s untimely death complicates the diagnostic process for Angus. He has a cacophony of problems: muscular weakness, petit mal seizures, and breathing issues while sleeping. Given that Watson is a geneticist, the conclusion they arrive at is that there’s something wrong genetically with the child, which was likely passed on by Sherlock.
While Watson desperately wants to believe that the clever child is one of the last remaining pieces of his best friend, Shinwell (Ritchie Coster) provides him with a much-needed reality check by refusing to let him (or Irene) forget about what kind of person Irene Adler is. She’s a con artist, and they have no reason to believe that Angus is Sherlock’s child, considering he never even knew about him. However, last week’s episode dropped a crucial piece of Watson’s backstory, which now makes him even more willing to believe that a woman might keep her pregnancy from her significant other. It’s convenient, isn’t it? To get to the bottom of the mystery, Watson splits the interns into two teams: Derian (Eve Harlow) and Stephens (Peter Mark Kendall), who are skeptical of Irene’s story; and Lubbock (Inga Schlingmann) and Adam, who believe her story.
Irene and Angus stay at Watson’s home, fully ingratiating themselves into his life, and making it impossible for him to see what’s staring him in the face. But the proximity also allows him to recognize subtle flaws in Irene’s health, which helps him eventually discover the truth of Irene’s con. And it is a con, no matter how badly Watson wants to see his best friend in Angus’ intelligence or natural predisposition toward genetic science. To prove once and for all that Angus isn’t Sherlock’s offspring, Watson sends Shinwell to England to find Sherlock’s super-secretive brother, Mycroft, to procure a genetic sample to test. However, this plan plays right into Irene’s hands. Angus isn’t sick; she just wanted Sherlock’s DNA to sell off to a rich accomplice.

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“They Had Me When They Told Me the Mythology of It All”: ‘Watson’s Morris Chestnut on Who the Doctor Detective is Without Sherlock Holmes

Chestnut also talks about how important Moriarty will be to Watson’s story this season.

‘Watson’ Episode 8 Fails To Move the Needle

Image via CBS

Everything comes together quite quickly in the final moments of the episode. As Watson discovers definitive proof that Angus is faking his illness and the paternity test results come in, Irene and Angus flee UHOP with Sherlock’s DNA. Luckily, Shinwell had the foresight to place a tracking device on Irene, so Watson is able to intercept them at the airport. Watson questions Irene about her own health, and she admits that she was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma and her entire scheme was to guarantee that Angus was taken care of after she died, as she has no one else in the world. Despite being deceived, Watson offers to get Irene into a treatment facility in Texas that might be able to cure her cancer, and she accepts — with the caveat that Watson will agree to be Angus’ guardian if the treatments fail, which he agrees to.
Episode 8 derails a lot of the momentum that the last few episodes brought to the series. The Irene Adler plotline proves tedious and predictable thanks to the way the series previously telegraphed her characteristics, and the end result doesn’t even upset the status quo. The series spends a lot of time trying to justify why audiences should care about Watson’s emotional reaction to Angus’ potential paternity, rather than fleshing out the characters that viewers have been slowly getting to know. There were small moments throughout the episode where the series doled out little details about the interns (Lubbock getting back with her artistic ex, Derian being concerned that Stephens and Lubbock might get together, and Adam and Stephens being wealthy), but none of it amounts to anything of note.
After last week’s jaw-dropping final act and Derian’s meeting with Moriarty (Randall Park), this episode feels very out of place. If anything, the introduction of Irene Adler and Mycroft Holmes comes across as very self-important, as if to remind audiences that this is a Sherlock Holmes adaptation rather than something that can stand on its own. With five episodes remaining this season, hopefully Watson can reclaim the momentum that last week delivered, especially now that the series has been renewed for a second season. There are so many great ideas being lost in the allure of Sherlockian characters, rather than investing in the existing cast — who were finally becoming compelling characters — that the audience is still only just getting to know.
New episodes of Watson premiere Sundays on CBS and Paramount+ next-day.

Watson

Watson Episode 8 introduces Irene Adler’s least interesting con.

Release Date

January 26, 2025

Network

CBS

Showrunner

Craig Sweeny

Pros & Cons

Whoopie Van Raam is an excellent Irene Alder, entirely underserved by the series.

Watson undercuts its own progress by introducing classic Sherlock Holmes characters that fall short.
Episode 8 feels rushed, predictable, and unsatisfying, which is disappointing after the upswing of the last few episodes.
The ensemble cast is relegated to the background, setting back the headway the show had been making with their personal arcs.