Watson Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Watson Uncovers a Shocking Medical Mystery in Pittsburgh

Mary’s having an on-the-go consultation with colleagues at UHOP, University Hospital of Pittsburgh. Her two doctors ask for her input on an unusual case. They show her their patient who says she’s thirty years old but doesn’t look it, and curses a lot. She is in Pittsburgh without her parents. Her parents are in Maine. The doctors are leaving something unsaid, and let Mary see for herself. Mary’s surprised to see a young girl who definitely looks like she’s no older than ten years old.

Ingrid is in a group session with her therapist and other members of her group. She tells him about her return to work with the fellows and Dr. Watson. She explains why she wants to be back. They are interrupted by the late arrival of a new member, Beck Wythe. Ingrid continues telling them why she wanted to return to her workplace. 

Sasha, Adam and Stephens talk about Ingrid in their office when she walks in. Sasha knew she overheard them and told her they were talking about her. Ingrid doesn’t seem to mind. She gives her a gift, her favorite cake.  Sasha looks at the cake with trepidation. Adam tells Ingrid about Watson’s pea plants experiment growing in the office. Stephens is wary of Ingrid’s return for good reason.

Meanwhile, Watson is asleep on the couch in his office. Shinwell wakes him when he brings him some tea, and tells him all the fellows are back. Watson says he was in very early. Shinwell notices words Watson had written on his office window, “The Pittsburgh Mystery”, and asks about it. Watson says it’s nothing and half-heartedly tries to wipe it off. He leaves to see the fellows, but tells them he’s got to get to the ER for a consult on a case with Mary. He selects Adam to do a remote consult on a case. He’s sure they will do well without him there. Adam sardonically thanks him for his confidence in him.

Watson looks at the x-rays from Mary’s patient. She needs his expertise with this case. Mary tells him her patient is thirty and was driving a Mustang that got t-boned in an accident. She says they need to operate on her, but really needs to know how old she is. Mary shows him her patient.  Watson is visibly surprised when he meets her. Max introduces herself and adamantly states she is thirty. Watson asks her to open her mouth and he sees fully erupted third molars that show they have been there for decades. Max looks like she’s ten years old, but her teeth prove otherwise. Watson says she’s indeed thirty. Mary preps for her surgery. 

Max asks Watson how long she has to stay in the hospital. He asks her when she noticed her body stopped aging. Max is sarcastic, but likes Watson’s straight forward attitude and honesty. She tells him her story. She says when she was ten she stopped growing. She went to several clinics and the Mayo clinic, and was given growth hormones. Nothing helped. She got emotional and abruptly ended recanting her story to Watson. She does tell him she was on her way to Oregon, somewhere her mother never got to go. 

Watson presents Max’s case to the fellows. He explains that no one sees her the way she really is. He presents them with all her history. He’s fascinated by what Max Bowers has, and isn’t sure if they have a name for her condition. He wants to help her, and assigns everyone a task that will help solve their new medical mystery. \Watson returns to monitor Max’s surgery. 

Dr. Morstan’s method of preparing herself to do surgery is intriguing.  She begins the surgery on Max and discovers something unusual. Things change and the surgery is halted. Dr. Watson and Dr. Laila Bynum meet in UHOP and discussed getting together later. Watson invites her to consult on Max’s case. She is a pediatric oncologist and isn’t sure why Mary and Watson needed her opinion on a thirty year old woman. She finds out when they introduce her to the patient. 

Watson calls an emergency meeting with the fellows and Shinwell. They establish two teams to help Max in a 24-hour timeline. There are two problems they have to solve to give Max hope. He fights for her and wants to give her something to live for. The teams established are Team How to Stay Alive and Team Why Stay Alive at All. Watson goes to map Max’s genome. 

Why did Mary stop Max’s surgery? What did they find out was also wrong with Max? How does Shinwell help Max?  What does she really want to do in life?  Why does Max need to get to Oregon?  Do they find others like Max? Do Stephens and Ingrid work out their issues? What is Ingrid’s diagnosis of Stephens? 

Watson's energized intention to help a patient is wonderful to see. The fellows interaction once Ingrid returned to their group was like a psychological experiment in real-time. Great to see how things happened as they tried to reconnect. They were surely uneasy with Ingrid’s return and she realized how much she needed to earn their trust again. The science and medical investigation is totally their thing. Add to that some detective work, and they have a formula that works in this show. It’s fun to watch how they all work to piece the science together to explain how the medical mystery occurred.  It guides them to a viable solution.

It’s also nice to see Watson and Laila’s budding romance getting serious. I’m not mad at that, even though I wished he and Mary would have worked out, just like Sherlock. The different twists and turns in this episode certainly are enthralling, and the humorous moments add to this. Lestrade, a homicide detective in Oakland, Sherlock Holmes-like mention is also unique to this series. They continue it as an underlying consistent thread. The introduction of a new character, Beck Wythe, is a question mark as to how he fits into the series. Another question is why Shinwell is looking at the material Watson is reviewing on his computer, as he sits in his car. The words “The Pittsburgh Mystery” Watson wrote on his office window were never explained either.

This episode ended with more questions than expected, and created a great lead into future episodes. It was very good and I gave it 4.5 out of 5 Stars. 

What did you think?

Change Image

• Loved it
• Hated it
• So/So