The latest episode of Watson in the 2025 TV schedule raised a whole new set of challenges for John and the fellows, and not just because a 21-year-old athlete very quickly came down with a cancer that defied treatments. Mycroft interfering with the Holmes Clinic wasn't just a threat after the end of the previous installment, and he cut off funding so abruptly that John had to volunteer to pay for a patient's treatment so that an urgent procedure could happen.
The end result was Mycroft giving the good doctor a high-stakes ultimatum, which is certainly bad for John but also not particularly shocking after the circumstances of Sherlock's most recent return. What was quite surprising was the lore dump that "Buying Time" delivered for both Croft brothers, and I'm newly excited to see what's ahead for the twins.
First things first, though! Mycroft revealed at the end of the episode that he wasn't cutting Watson's funding just to be petty, although the doctor was so determined to avoid dealing with his not-so-late best friend's brother that he agreed to be a concierge doctor to a pretty insufferable man. In their final scene in "Buying Time," Mycroft told John this:
And here I thought I sometimes got frustrated with my brothers! Let it not be said that Sherlock was the only Holmes brother with his wits about him; Mycroft insisting that Sherlock had to be alive would likely sound like a wild conspiracy theory to almost anybody else in the show, but John knows that Mycroft is pretty much on the money.
That presents a big problem for John. On the one hand, it's almost impossible to imagine him betraying Sherlock's confidence and telling Mycroft the truth. The doctor hasn't even told Mary, Shinwell, and/or his team that Sherlock is alive, and none of them have a revenge vendetta against him.
At the same time, though, Watson's work is his life, and he can't deliver the miraculous saves he does on a weekly basis if he doesn't have a grant to cover all the hospital expenses. He has a choice: betray Sherlock or lose his ability to save the lives of people whose conditions are baffling to everybody else.
My hope is that Sherlock comes back sooner rather than later and spares John from having to make that choice, especially since the doctor has gone through some personal changes since learning of his friend's survival. I don't foresee John telling Mycroft the truth, but he's in a tough position.
With the fall finale coming up in a few weeks, I could see the Holmes brothers reuniting as a cliffhanger leading into the 2026 TV schedule, but I may be getting ahead of myself there. Let's look at the big developments for Watson's other set of complicated brothers!
The Croft twins split up for much of "Buying Time," which meant that Peter Mark Kendall was still handling two storylines as one actor, but without having to film the same scene twice like he did when both Crofts were dying in the Season 1 finale. While Adam was with Watson to cater to the obscenely wealthy Joseph Bell (and learn more about his innovations), Stephens was working back at the clinic with Sasha and later Ingrid.
The first reveal about the twins came when Stephens and Sasha discovered the Joseph Bell's Instagram post had tagged "Adams Croft" instead of Adam Croft. His brother said:
Adam(s) generally seemed like the more confident twin in Season 1, but the reveal that he changed the spelling of his name to hide his background adds an interesting layer to his character, especially since Stephens didn't bother doing it with his own name.
Of course, Stephens might have had a harder time attempting it, since he went on to reveal to Ingrid that he's actually Stephens Croft V, a.k.a. the fifth Croft to be named Stephens. He opened up about his family history when explaining to Ingrid why he's resisting Sasha's push for him to get an official diagnosis from a therapist.
According to the elder Croft twin, his dad "didn't do much with everything life handed to him," and "was depressed as hell" even though he "smiled a lot." Stephens went on:
Not only do fans have more background about Stephens after his speech to Ingrid, but it could shift the dynamics within the team. He told the truth to Ingrid because he knew she'd understand, but is hiding it from Sasha as she continues to push for him to get an official diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, Sasha now knows something about Adam(s) that he wanted kept secret. And Adam is completely in the dark!
There are now new secrets between the fellows, and I for one hope that we see how they affect the group. More of Mycroft and John is all but guaranteed; more about the twins and how they've complicated the group is less certain.
The promo for the next episode, called "Giant Steps," doesn't give away any of what we can expect from the character dynamics, but it could be more of a John-centric episode with the arrival of his father Hamish (Clarke Peters). Check out a taste of the case that's up next:
The case seems pretty compelling, but I'm more curious to learn more about John himself via his father. Mary's mom (along with her unexpected half brother) appeared in the Season 2 premiere; add in the Holmes brothers and more depth about the Crofts, and the second season seems like more of a family affair than the first. (An exception is that Ingrid's sister seems unlikely to return, but that may be for the best.)