Watson Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Patient Question Mark

Our case of the week is tied to a main character on Watson Season 1 Episode 4, “Patient Question Mark.” Finally, we have the opportunity to start getting to know them in more depth.

We briefly witness a consultation on another patient—and I do mean briefly, as he’s dead within the opening scenes. His symptoms remind Sasha of those present in the cadaver she worked on while learning anatomy as a student.

They could be a marker the cancer he died of and that could extend risks to his entire family. Sasha and the others feel the duty to warn them, but the fact many of them are Amish makes any contact through modern methods more difficult.

One woman, Rachel, left the fold. When found, she recognizes the symptoms in her young son, Amos. While John travels with her to screen Amos for cancer, the boy starts to go into respatory distress, supposedly from a tumor pressing on his neck.

But Amos doesn’t have cancer. The “tumor” is a reaction to unpasteurized milk. After several dire moments, the boy is breathing well again, and he and Rachel get a chance to reconnect with their family, who arrive for their health screenings.

It took a few episodes, but we’re finally starting to connect with our main crew the way I’d like to have in the pilot. True, that’s largely due to the direct connection between them and the case of the week, but I’ll take this time however we can get it.

Not only do we get to see how passionate Sasha is and always has been about her patients, we’re offered some more bonding moments in a group that has often been tense with each other as everyone rallies around her to get the job done.

Though we don’t spend a huge amount of time in the Amish community, the representation here is welcome: where media often portrays these populations as judgmental and terrified of technology, this family welcomes the care, dutifully going to a modern medical facility for testing.

There’s also respect given to those who do leave the community: Rachel is technically ostracized, but her family loves and misses her. Both sides are thrilled to meet again and happy for the chance to reconnect, even under the circumstances.

Never fear, though– with a marriage being dissolved and Moroarty’s people in the wings, there’s still plenty of chances for these characters to bicker. And as John repeatedly forgets to follow up on divorce paperwork, we can hardly blame Mary.

Thankfully, she’s also quick to let it slide when his distraction comes in the form of a child’s medical emergency. I love the honesty between these two and I love that we can feel it while recognizing it likely won’t save their romantic relationship.

Meanwhile, I’m not sure what to anticipate from Shinwell’s unwilling but ongoing practice of giving into the bidding of Moriarty’s henchwoman. It feels like we’re just waiting for that to boil over and wondering how long can keep Watson in the dark.

I’m optimistic we’ll be getting more episodes focusing on individual characters through the rest of this first season. In the few touches we’ve gotten on everyone’s back stories before now, there’s plenty I’d like to explore in more detail.

 

What did you think of this episode of Watson? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Watson airs Sundays at 9/8c on CBS

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