Describing John Watson as a bit of a do-gooder is practically uncontroversial. He is not exactly known for moral ambiguity—in the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories, he served as a guiding compass for Sherlock, who could sometimes get carried away. And now, with one and a half seasons of his namesake show to support this notion, it's clear that Watson's underlying sense of righteousness has not taken any risks. At least until Episode 6, which takes a decidedly disconcerting pleasure in killing a rich dude for being a moron.
Let me be clear—I wasn't mourning the rich dude. But I still found the jaunty delight the show takes in his demise to be rather curious, especially for a medical drama about finding outside-the-box solutions to unusual ailments. It's a very strange way to cap off what is fundamentally a pastiche of the Bryan Johnson-type longevity-obsessed biohacker, which has already been parodied in this season of Brilliant Minds (Watson just can't escape comparisons with that show, can it?).
There's another component here, which is the generally abysmal way that poor folks are treated within healthcare systems designed to profit from their illnesses. This creates a dovetailing quality to the fate of Casey, a young athlete whose sudden deterioration in health he can't afford to treat, and Joseph Bell, the ultra-wealthy bro who wants to live a record-breaking long life. Bell is fittingly played by Johnno Wilson, who also played a dorky gym-bro in that influencer episode of High Potential.
Casey and Bell are deliberately paralleled multiple times in sometimes very obvious split-screen juxtaposition, even before the episode's plot progresses and reveals that Casey's predicament is a direct consequence of Bell's efforts to extend his own life. Casey had volunteered for all kinds of medical trials to drum up some cash, and one of them was conducted by one of Bell's shell companies. He had been injected with one of Bell's experimental life-prolonging treatments that caused him to develop an indestructible cancer in his spine.
Initially, Bell had approached Watson to become part of his ridiculous expert team, all devoted to developing new ways to keep him alive for longer. It was an offer that Watson found galling until Mycroft's meddling meant that the clinic wouldn't fund Casey's treatment, forcing Watson to work for Bell for a month in exchange for him footing the bill. This is taken a step further later, when it's revealed that Bell is at fault for Casey's cancer and that, predictably, he also tested the same product on himself. Watson essentially blackmails Bell into writing Casey a blank check to create a life of luxury for himself when he recovers; in exchange, Watson, who is the only doctor in the world to have developed a cure for this particular type of cancer, will treat Bell.
The sixth episode of Watson Season 2 takes a peculiar turn as Watson is portrayed to be willing to extort Bell for money by holding his own life hostage. This unorthodox behavior from a doctor is indeed peculiar, and the following scenes, where Casey improves while Bell gradually fades away, add an ironic twist. The irony is palpable, as the man who was adamant about living forever ultimately perishes, while the young man he exploited for his own immortality ends up better than ever on his dime. However, it's strange that the show takes such pleasure in Bell's demise, as if it's implying that being rich and arrogant warrants execution.
Aside from the main plot, "Buying Time" also indulges in the typical Watson trait of injecting a character subplot out of nowhere that we're supposed to care deeply about, despite no build-up for it. This subplot involves Stephens' aversion to therapy, which Sasha - for some reason - asks Ingrid to try and talk him into. Stephens believes that therapy drove his father to suicide, a bombshell revelation that comes out of nowhere in a throwaway conversation, and there's simply no time to give it the proper attention it deserves.
The same can be said of Watson's incredibly hostile relationship with Mycroft, who is meddling in the operation of the clinic for reasons that eventually become obvious at the end of the episode - he believes that Sherlock is alive, and if Watson only confirms it, he'll back away from the clinic entirely. This is on-brand for Mycroft in other adaptations, but we've barely met him in this one, so it's bizarre to see him spring up during video calls out of nowhere.
Will Watson rat Sherlock out? Before this episode, I would have said definitely not. But now we know he isn't as morally squeaky-clean as he likes to pretend, I guess anything's possible.
