'Watson' Season 1 Episode 10 "The Man with the Alien Hand" Recap
- Barbara
- Apr 21
- 5 min read
In Watson, The Man with the Alien Hand, this was a truly unusual case with a murderous twist for Watson and the Fellows Team. Always lurking in the background is the shadow of Moriarty and his agent. One new light is a new investigative mind, and a possible fellow team member.
Watson gets a visit from Mr. Cameron Phipps. He was diagnosed with epilepsy. He underwent surgery severing a base of his brain to control it. That surgery results in his alien hands condition, a rare case. It causes uncontrollable movements in his left hand. Cameron Phipps asks Watson to amputate his left arm. Phipps already asked 8 other doctors to cut off his hand. Shinwell comes into Watson's office and escorts him out. Afterwards, Shinwell gets a visit from Moriarty's agent. She takes a hair from his beard, to collect his DNA. She walks off and doesn't tell him why.
Ingrid gives Dr. Watson a document with her concessions. She assures him she is actively looking for a new job as Dr. Morstan requested. Ingrid asks Watson to give Dr. Morstan her document. They are interrupted by an ER Nurse who tells Watson Cameron is in the ER asking for him. Watson meets Cameron’s brother, Damian Phipps. He tells him Cameron poured hydrochloric (HCL) acid on himself when touring a lab.
Cameron Phipps’ left arm keeps doing unexpected things while they talk. Watson asks Cameron to let him and his team find an answer to his problem. Watson presents the case of Alien Hand Syndrome Amputation to his Team. Ingrid wants to amputate his hand, while the others remind her of their Hippocratic Oath as physicians. They assess the current symptoms, and how to alter his motor functions. Watson decides to do a partial amputation. Cameron is a little hesitant, but acquiesces after Watson gives him and Damian a detailed explanation of the procedure to him and Damian. This operation will be the first ever done.
Ingrid is interviewing candidates to replace her on the spinal project, and her Fellows position. Ingrid tells Sasha to stay out of her business and that they can't be friends. Cameron’s procedure was done, and 36 hours later he and Damian are out walking when his left hand starts radically moving again. He can't control as it latches onto his brother’s neck and shoves him backwards into traffic, killing him.
At the police station, Watson explains Cameron Phipps' Alien Hand Syndrome to an unconvinced Detective LaStrade. (She’s like Inspector LaStrade in the old Sherlock Holmes movies.) She thinks Cameron intentionally killed his brother for their shared family fortune. LaStrade finds Dr. Watson's involvement suspicious, too. Watson tells LaStrade that Cameron's condition is a rare medical condition.
Watson gets to speak with Cameron. He's distraught. Watson says he didn't kill his brother intentionally. Shinwell interrupts Watson telling him about the arrival of fake meat products, Phipps Shmeat. Watson's confused, but Cameron says it was a gift from him. Watson gets the Team to destroy it later.
Watson and the team Zoom with an expert, Dr. Choi from South Korea, familiar with a condition like Cameron’s. Ingrid gets a message from a stranger which frightens her. Cameron is released in Watson’s custody after he's released from jail. Cameron's ready for the surgery. He thanks Watson. Mrs. Cromartie, his father’s housekeeper, comes to tell Cameron that his Dad was admitted to ICU in critical condition. Watson leaves Cameron and Mrs. Cromartie. She follows him to warn him about the fake meat products, and him not to eat it.
In his office, Watson has second thoughts about Cameron’s innocence. The fake meat prompts him to reconsider the facts about the accident where Damian was killed. He reviews camera footage, and sees something that proves Cameron was guilty of murder. After reviewing with Shinwell, they both are sure of it. He thinks there's more to Cameron's story that he's not telling. He believes Cameron’s broke. Watson goes to see Detective LaStrade again, and tells her his theory. She believes he got played, but agrees to talk to the DA.
Watson tells his Team his theory that Cameron murdered his brother. They agree Watson got used. Instead of investigating a medical problem, he assigns them tasks to find evidence that proves a murder. They check the ER for a patient with recent acid burns, and Watson checks Cameron for a milkman gene, DRD4. It’s a mutation linked to promiscuity, impulsive behavior.
Meanwhile, Dr. Choi performs the surgery that improves Cameron’s hand control. Cameron practically admits how he planned and committed his brother’s murder to Watson, later. The DA dropped the case. Ingrid and Stephens talk to a student, Vijay Diwan, who came to the ER with acid burns, but won’t help them. He’s sticking with the deal he has from Cameron. Moriarty wants Shinwell to collect DNA samples from all the Fellows on the Team. He decides to give him fake samples. Shinwell delivers the DNA samples to Moriarty’s agent.
Later, Detective LaStrade comes to the clinic with the Phipps Family Board Meeting records. They're to help with the Phipps murder investigation. Sasha walks in and talks to the guy helping transport the records. He's Keith Cromartie. They see the Phipps Family resemblance in Keith. He's an unknown heir to the Phipps Family fortune.
Mrs. Cromartie comes in to talk with Watson. Her NDA prevents her from talking to him about the Phipps Family. Watson tells her Keith might have the promiscuity gene, and he wants to test him to check. Mrs. Cromartie said Keith had his DNA checked on a lineage site, and discovered he had 36.half-siblings. John Phipps was very promiscuous. Watson gets Ms. Cromartie to allow them access to that lineage site to gather information.
The Team goes to Cameron's Father's hospital room, along with Detective LaStrade. They tell Cameron he has multiple business failures, ex-wives and the amount of money in the family fortune. Watson tells him about the children his father fathered. Stephens annotates the Phipps Family Tree on a wipe board. He has 136 half-siblings. Cameron is devastated by the number of family members who get a cut of the family fortune. Keith already notified them.
In the team's office, Ingrid cries out for Sasha after being startled at every loud sound. Sasha returns. Ingrid wants to be friends. She shares that she killed her Father because he hurt her and her sister. She tells Sasha she's being blackmailed and doesn't know what to do. She falls apart, and Sasha tries to comfort her.
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Detective LaStrade meets with Watson at his office. She says she’d be honored to help if he needed it. They are walking out when Vijay Diwan appears. He's there because he can give Watson the whole story about Cameron Phipps paying him to burn himself in exchange for an internship. He's upset because he was paid in Phipps Shmeat, not cash. LaStrade asks Vijay to wait while they arrest Cameron Phipps.
This episode gained possibly two new future characters.They seem to add mystery and new absorbing back stories to the already intriguing ones. They bring a good, compelling vibe. Ingrid breaking down and confessing her dire problems to Sasha was a surprise! How would Moriarty's need for Shinwell and the Fellows’ DNA remove them from the playing field? This episode ended with mystery and unfinished business. A change that encourages one to return.
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