Another Iconic Sherlock Holmes Character Arrives

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Watson Episode 10.

The last time Watson chose to introduce iconic Sherlock Holmes characters into the plot, it derailed a lot of the forward momentum the series had been starting to gain. Thankfully, with the introduction of Detective Lestrade (Rachel Hayward) in Episode 10, everything stays on track. Hayward delivers an excellent twist on a familiar character, and she and Morris Chestnut’s Dr. Watson have natural scene chemistry that makes their scenes quite fun to watch. The series is smart to introduce Lestrade as a new ally to Watson, rather than hinging their connection on an off-screen meeting that happened years ago, and leaning upon the audience’s knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes canon, as they did with Irene Adler (Whoopie Van Raam) and Moriarty (Randall Park).

This week’s episode, titled “The Man with the Alien Hand,” is about, well — a man with alien hand syndrome. It’s a favorite malady on network television, having appeared in House, Grey’s Anatomy, and more recently 9-1-1. While it is a very real (and very serious) neurological disorder that causes a patient’s hand to involuntarily move, it’s often overdramatized for dramatic effect on television series, and that works in Watson’s favor. Cameron Phipps (David Thompson) is the patient in question who comes to Dr. Watson seeking a cure for his increasingly violent left hand, even if it means amputating it. At first, Watson turns down his request for treatment, as there isn’t anything he can really do, but he is ultimately pulled into Phipps’ case after he turns up in the ER with chemical burns, following his rogue left hand throwing hydrochloric acid on him.

Phipps is an interesting character. He’s an impulsive entrepreneur who thinks money can buy him whatever he wants or needs — including Watson’s help, though Shinwell (Ritchie Coster) is quick to disabuse him of that notion. His latest entrepreneurial endeavor is lab-grown meat called “shmeat,” which is not doing as well as he had hoped. Throughout the top half of the episode, Watson introduces a subplot with Phipps and his brother, Damien, their ultra-wealthy father, and Phipps’ propensity for going bankrupt.

‘Watson’ Episode 10 Is About a Hand, an Heir, and a Bit of Hair

Amidst everything going on with the Phipps case, Moriarty’s lackey (Kacey Rohl) shows up at the clinic, once again posing as an unassuming pharma rep. She lures Shinwell outside with an ominous text and then proceeds to pluck a strand of hair from his beard. She informs him that Moriarty wants the DNA of each of the fellows, and Shinwell sets about collecting it. This is a relatively mundane task, given the fact that Shinwell was poisoning Watson for weeks, but this is perhaps the most dangerous task thus far. Why exactly does Moriarty want the fellows’ DNA? Could this be connected to his blackmail plot with Derian (Eve Harlow)? Shinwell does eventually hand over the DNA, with concern about what happens when he’s no longer needed by Moriarty and co.

Watson reluctantly decides to treat Phipps, and lives to regret that decision. After administering a treatment that should have improved Cameron’s situation while they wait for a neurosurgeon to travel from South Korea to treat him, Cameron’s “alien hand” shoves his brother into the path of an oncoming bus, killing him instantly. This is what leads Watson to Detective Lestrade’s office, who is working on booking Phipps for murder. She’s surprisingly willing to humor the idea that Phipps might actually be innocent. Phipps is released into Watson’s care at the hospital, where he learns that his father is in critical condition after learning of Damien’s death.

After speaking with the Phipps’ housekeeper, Watson becomes suspicious of the entire situation. He and Shinwell review the security footage from the accident, and discover that it was actually murder — not an accident. Cameron’s “alien hand” had nothing to do with shoving his brother into the bus’s path. He waited until the bus was coming to shove him. Lestrade is understandably pissed that she worked at convincing people that Cameron’s “alien hand” caused the crime, when it actually was a murder, and her efforts likely made it impossible to actually book him for the crime because his lawyers would use it as reasonable doubt, despite the evidence.

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Unlike other medical dramas, the bulk of Watson’s medical cases involve genetics — which makes sense, given the Holmes Clinic’s focus — and Episode 10 is no different. Watson ultimately discovers that Phipps possesses the “promiscuity gene,” which increases the chances of, yes, infidelity, but also impulsive decisions. He ultimately deduces that Phipps was hemorrhaging money due to his impulsive business decisions, and decided the only way to ensure that he inherited the Phipps fortune was to kill his brother. The linchpin of the murder plot was to convince world-class scientists that he had an “alien hand” so he could get away with murder. Phipps narrowly gets away with murder, but Watson ruins his plot by finding the student that Phipps was paying off to practice the chemical burns on, and discovering that he is not the sole heir to the Phipps fortune — the housekeeper’s son, Keith, is his half-brother, as are the countless illegitimate Phipps heirs, similarly born with the “promiscuity gene.”

Dr. Derian Is in Sore Need of a Friend in ‘Watson’ Episode 10

Last week proved to be a pivotal episode for Dr. Derian. Not only did it reveal that she killed her father (with good reason), but it set her on a new path that will likely, inevitably, take her away from the Holmes Clinic. At the top of the episode, only she, Watson, and Mary (Rochelle Aytes) are aware of the situation, but Lubbock (Inga Schlingmann) is picking up on the awkward vibes in the office, much to Derian’s annoyance. For most of the season, Lubbock has been trying to befriend Derian for some strange reason. Derian isn’t particularly nice, friendly, or receptive to her attempts, despite the great lengths Lubbock has gone to try to form a friendship with her — even going so far as to help her get into the spinal program. Lubbock voices her concern about Derian, and Derian shuts it down pretty resolutely.

She makes a snide remark about how she isn’t Lubbock’s friend, and she doesn’t want to be her friend, before following that up with a veiled threat that her “friends” get hurt. Even still, Lubbock isn’t really put off by any of this. She tells Derian that she has figured out that Derian was closely associated with her spinal patient, and that she has figured out that that’s what has caused all the weird vibes around the clinic. Naturally, Derian shuts that down and tries to avoid the conversation. But she can’t escape her past. While working on the Phipps’ case, Derian begins receiving messages from Moriarty again. He’s sending her more pictures of her father’s bones, and making it clear that he’s going to be back in town soon — suggesting that she can’t escape from whatever he’s blackmailing her over. She eventually breaks down, showing more emotion than her typical veiled disinterest in everyone and everything, and it feels like the character is finally becoming interesting.

Near the end of the episode, Derian finally snaps and asks Lubbock if she can talk to her. She admits that she needs a friend and admits to everything: killing her father, getting her sister Gigi (Kiera Allen) into the spinal program, and the fact that someone is blackmailing her. It will be interesting to see if Lubbock’s new knowledge puts her into Moriarty’s crosshairs now, too. He seems to know everything at all times, so this likely won’t slip by without notice. After all, Derian warned that people close to her would get hurt.

With only three episodes remaining in Season 1, it’s still unclear exactly where things are headed for Watson, even if the series has been prone to telegraphing future plotlines like Moriarty’s impending return. Episode 10 ends with Lestrade and Watson agreeing to work together on future cases, which aligns the series more closely with the actual Sherlock Holmes canon, and seemingly establishes that Watson may stray away from purely medical mysteries with Season 2. Perhaps Lestrade will prove useful if Moriarty reveals what Derian did to her father — especially if Derian has evidence of the abuse she and Gigi endured. The episode also ends with the introduction of a new prospective intern for the clinic, which seems like a curious late-season inclusion. Unless, of course, he will be tied to Moriarty somehow. Hopefully, Watson will be able to maintain the course for its final three episodes.

New episodes of Watson premiere Sundays on CBS and Paramount+ next-day.

Watson

The detective arrives (not that one, the other one) in Watson Episode 10.

Release Date

January 26, 2025

Network

CBS

Showrunner

Craig Sweeny

Pros & Cons

• Rachel Hayward makes a great addition as Watson’s interpretation of Inspector Lestrade.
• Eve Harlow gives a strong performance as Dr. Derian’s defenses come down.
• Episode 10 sets the stage for the series to explore criminal cases in addition to medical mysteries.