Watson opened with a major moment from one of Arthur Conan Doyle’s books. In The Final Problem, Sherlock and Moriarty went over the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, presumably killing them both. The show opened with both of them and Watson going over the falls.
Conan Doyle later revived Sherlock Holmes, but that doesn’t seem to be the case in the series. Instead, Watson is the one to survive the fall over the falls—and we later find out Moriarty survived as well. Is this a twist to the story, or is it something that will come up later.
Sherlock Holmes is dead in Watson…for now…
Creator of the series, Craig Sweeny, talked with Deadline about the opening of the series. When asked about Holmes and whether he’ll come back from the dead, Sweeny made it clear that the character is definitely dead.
At least, for now he is. The fate has been left somewhat open. Sweeny shared that he doesn’t want to say that Holmes is definitely dead and then realize that there is a twist that could lead to him coming back to life later on.
What we do know about Holmes is that he’s an Englishman, just like the Holmes in the books and so many other versions of the characters that have come before. Watson is an American, and Moriarty is a chameleon who seems to be American for now but may not be.
Should Watson keep Holmes dead?
The benefit of the series is that we didn’t see Holmes’s body. This is the art of TV, right? It’s why so many people question whether he’s actually dead or not. If you don’t see a body, then the character is still alive. There are a couple of exceptions to this, but that doesn’t mean Watson is going to be one of those exceptions.
Maybe it should, though. One thing I do dislike about the “I’m still alive” storylines is that it negates the grieving that characters have done. People mourn the losses of friends and relatives, and to see them then come back to life sends characters in a whirlwind of emotions. That’s great for drama, but it’s not the best for storytelling.
As fans, we’ve also mourned the loss of characters. Bringing them back means that the deaths don’t hit as hard in the future. What’s to say that the characters won’t come back again?
On top of that, Sherlock Holmes is one of those characters all fans of shows know. He ends up taking over in a series, as people want to see him more and more. Well, how about allowing other characters to shine? The best way to do that is to make sure Holmes remains dead.
Watson returns on Sunday, Feb. 16 with its next new episode at 9/8c on CBS.
Stay up to date with the latest TV news with Hidden Remote.