Interview
‘Watson’: Morris Chestnut & Rochelle Aytes Detail Layers of Watson & Mary’s Relationship
“They’re not done with each other yet,” executive producer Craig Sweeny says of the titular iconic doctor and his ex-wife in the new CBS drama.
Watson, following a special premiere in January, returns for its second episode in its regular time slot on February 16. After the first episode, we know that Dr. John Watson (Morris Chestnut) left behind his then-wife, Dr. Mary Morton (Rochelle Aytes), to join his friend and partner Sherlock Holmes; their work together ended when Sherlock and the villain Moriarty (revealed to be alive and played by Randall Park) fell at Reichenbach Falls. Sherlock is presumed dead. Watson, following the pair into the water, has been left with a traumatic brain injury. Now, Mary’s his boss as he works at a clinic funded by Sherlock Holmes with a team of fellows as they tackle medical mysteries. (But it’s not House 2.o.)
“It’s so complicated,” Sweeny agrees of their dynamic as part of our sister site TV Insider’s latest digital cover story. “The performers and I are always checking in on which facet of the relationship is most present in this scene? They’re not ready to move on. It’s not a no contact kind of situation. That doesn’t happen that much when a marriage ends. And so they’re in this hesitant process of, okay, who are we now? They’re both trying to figure it out and in trying to figure it out, might they see the qualities that made this relationship worth preserving in the first place, and might that tempt them to put things in a different context? It is such a delicate balance, and they’re both such formidable professionals that it has just been really fun to write them find their way with each other.”
Chestnut is enjoying playing the many levels of their relationship with Aytes. “Sometimes Watson knows what he did was something that he can’t take back and he’s really remorseful for his behavior in following Sherlock,” he says. “But Mary doesn’t want to let him in. The fun is trying to get her to crack, to loosen up a little bit when it comes to Watson and what he did with their marriage. And there are going to be a few things that are revealed about the relationship later on in the season that I think will shock the audience.”
It falls on Mary to try to maintain any semblance of balance when he tries to bring their personal relationship into the mix at work. Aytes spoke with Sweeny about the couple’s timeline (how long they’ve been separated and why) before filming the pilot. “He explained to me that Watson, over and over again, has chosen Holmes over our relationship, and I think Mary just had had enough,” she shares. “There’s still love there between the two of them. Mary respects him so much as a doctor. He’s got such a brilliant mind. She even says in the pilot, ‘You’ve learned so much with Holmes,’ and it’s made him a better doctor. She definitely appreciates him and works with him because he is so good at his job and helping patients.” That’s especially true now that “he can see into these human beings’ souls and he’s helping in a way that he’s never been able to before.”
Chestnut also notes that Mary can now see that “after Sherlock’s death, he can relate to patients a little bit better now because he himself has been in bad shape and has been a patient after the traumatic brain injury.”
The series premiere also revealed that Mary’s in a new relationship with a woman that Watson does not know. A secret that will be revealed to Watson later in the season does explain, in part, why she has moved on. “She’s been hurt,” Aytes says. “She’s definitely moved on, but we’ll see how serious or not that other relationship is.”
Her new relationship is with someone in the hospital. “The relationship is a source of solace for her, but it’s tension between her and Watson,” previews Sweeny. We’ll see Watson’s jealous side there.
“It’s quite funny to see him trying to, because he’s a detective at heart, do some digging and investigating into who I could possibly be seeing,” adds Aytes. “He’s really fixated on it and Mary finds it intriguing, but then it’s also kind of upsetting because he crosses the line as well.”
What do you think of Watson and Mary’s dynamic so far? Let us know in the comments section below.
Watson, Time Period Premiere, Sunday, February 16, 9/8c, CBS
