Watson (2024) s02e02 Episode Script
Back from the Dead
1
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
LAILA: Dr. Watson, what is this place?
WATSON: Well, let's just say it comes
from a man named Sherlock Holmes.
He played the violin
and he died by falling
- over a waterfall.
- Holmes!
I might want to hear
that story sometime.
Sherlock?
My dear Watson.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
I don't suppose
you've any horseradish?
How are you alive?
Trickery. Some sleight of hand.
A dash of skullduggery.
Do you have
an overnight guest, my friend?
Is that why we're whispering?
Trickery.
On me?
On everyone.
Not an easy decision, but I do
believe it had to be taken.
Why?
I'm closer to the end now
than I am to the beginning.
And if I'm to spend
my remaining energy
in the way that I intend,
I had to clear the stage.
How else can one spring
a third act surprise?
Would you like to hit me, Watson?
A single blow, perhaps, from that
misshapen cricket bat?
I could hardly blame you.
And I won't resist.
(BAT CLATTERS)
(LAUGHS)
You're alive.
- You're alive.
- (LAUGHING)
You're here.
And you're alive.
HOLMES: Inclement weather.
The company of a friend.
Sandwich meats of unknown origin.
I'd say it's an evening
to remind one of Baker Street.
All we need's a cracking
mystery, and we're off.
Oh, a mystery, yes, yes. A mystery.
Maybe kind of like how
you survived the waterfall?
You look well, Watson.
The arrogance of the world
slides off you as ever.
That sounds like a compliment.
I assume you're tracking
the state of things.
The deafening boorishness.
Revolting displays of excess.
Why won't you tell me
where you've been?
It's rather an immense topic.
I was hoping we could start small.
The whole of a person can be read
from a single strand of DNA, yes?
Why can't a conversation
work the same way?
Maybe because you've been gone
for more than a year.
Or because I left my life behind
to help you.
Or how about the fact
that you abandoned me
to deal with Moriarty on my own?
I'm nervous, John.
I'm afraid I may have ruined
things with my best friend.
I don't have any right
to ask you for a break.
But I am nervous,
and I was hoping to start small.
Okay. All right.
Let's start small.
How was your day?
How was my day?
That's a dumbass question.
(LAUGHS) How was my day?
- Not my finest work, true.
- No, it's not, it's not.
All right. How was my day?
- My day was
- (THUNDER RUMBLES)
- (STEADY TONE)
- Come on, stay with me, buddy.
Stay with me.
It was busy.
Oh, you want to know the whole story?
You tell me. Do I?
Well, there was
an expedition to Siberia,
there's a baby woolly mammoth,
and people say the word "zombie"
way too much by the way.
But it all starts with a psychiatrist.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
WATSON: Dr. Ferry?
John Watson. I'm a clinical
geneticist and internist
with the Holmes Clinic here at UHOP.
- We're practically neighbors.
- I know your work.
- Very impressive.
- Well, allow me to return the compliment.
I just finished your book.
- Fascinating.
- I hope so.
Quite a few years of research
went into that doorstop.
Well, ego-syntonic
personality disorders
are notoriously difficult to treat.
You are one of the few practitioners
who claims to see their patients
making improvements.
And I don't know,
I guess I'm just curious.
Do you really believe
people with these
conditions can change?
Is this a professional curiosity
or do you have someone
particular in mind?
I wouldn't ask you
to violate confidentiality.
What are you asking, Dr. Watson?
HOLMES: Seems a fair question.
What were you asking?
WATSON: Dr. Ferry is
treating a colleague of mine.
Well, it's a it's a former
colleague, a neurologist.
I can't find anybody to replace her,
but I can't hire her back, either.
A sociopath? In therapy?
Well, that's an imprecise term.
"Sociopath" is
Look, it doesn't matter.
The point is the call I got.
- Thanks for coming so fast.
- Mm-hmm.
The patient's name is Amelia Woodward.
Yeah, you said she had
symptoms similar to the flu.
Not something
I'd normally worry about
but then I spoke to her.
This is a list of everyone
I have interacted with
in the past few days.
You should start
contact tracing immediately.
You have the flu.
This file is important.
It pertains to my brother,
James Woodward.
He is in a long-term
care facility in Highland Park.
I'm the last close family he has left.
I need you to get his information
to my cousins in Campbell, Ohio.
Someone has to take care
of him when I'm gone.
Miss Woodward, slow down.
You have the flu.
It is Dr. Woodward.
I'm a professor of infectious diseases
and microbiology at Pitt.
I'm not sure that you
have dealt with anything like
what I have brought to your door.
Okay.
Tell me.
I have spent my life studying
the Arctic permafrost.
It's melting, we're losing
more of it every year.
I'm aware.
In my line of work, Dr. Watson,
we worry about what is down there.
Pathogens,
frozen for thousands of years,
released into the air
when the ice thaws.
Exotic viruses,
strangers to our immune system
that could rip through
an entire population.
There's a term for it.
I'm familiar with it, yes.
I got back from Siberia two days ago.
My team and I,
we came into close contact
with the remains
of six recently thawed
woolly mammoths.
How do you think they died,
Dr. Watson?
HOLMES: A zombie virus,
frozen for millennia.
WATSON: That's another imprecise term.
You're better than that.
Seems apt to me.
Why the fear of vivid language?
"The Case of the Zombie Virus."
- I'm in.
- (THUNDER CRASHING)
- ADAM: Zombie virus.
- That's an imprecise term.
You're better than that.
Um, resurrected virus.
Hibernating virus.
Okay, call it whatever.
We really think
this is some ancient pathogen
back from the dead?
We have to consider it.
Over the past decade,
both anthrax and smallpox
have been found
in Siberian permafrost.
How do we treat something
that human beings
haven't encountered in 50,000 years?
Whatever it is,
it's an infectious disease,
so we follow the protocols
and listen to our expert.
Well, the good news is Amelia Woodward
keeps detailed records.
Her interactions
are limited to colleagues.
The bad news is all of them now
could be vectors of contagion.
For what it's worth, guv,
the rumor mill is in full swing.
Those nurses, they do love a chat.
The word "pandemic"
has been bandied about.
HOLMES: Shinwell Johnson,
in the company of doctors.
Who would believe it?
You've done well there, Watson.
The rest,
worthy of the name on the door?
Well, in one way or another,
they each remind me of you.
STEPHENS: I ordered a full
infectious workup: CBC, blood cultures
and a respiratory viral panel.
Also started empiric antibiotics.
WATSON: Stephens Croft,
he flaunts his intellect, still
learning to be a team player.
His twin brother Adam just kind
of glides through the world.
Learning to pick the harder path.
So I have to stay here contact tracing
while you guys get to go see
a baby woolly mammoth?
This is not fun, it's work.
Oh, whatever.
You get to go to Jurassic Park.
I'm stuck here like Cinderella.
Oh, does that make me
the belle of the ball
or evil stepsister?
Sasha Lubbock. Failure's sworn enemy.
If she wasn't so nice, I could
see her being a dictator.
ADAM: Send pictures of the pachyderm.
How are we on the interviews
with Amelia's coworkers?
I just got an email
from one guy, Rob Mallory,
says he's symptom-free.
All right, we need
to talk to all of them.
ADAM: Mm-hmm. Nate Hermannson,
Fariba Ahmadi, Tunde Sipewe.
Perfect. Hello?
Adam, hold off.
I know where they are.
- This will help Mr. Hermannson.
- (COUGHING)
How long have you been
feeling like this, Ms. Ahmadi?
(FARIBA COUGHING WEAKLY)
Mr. Sipewe.
(TUNDE COUGHING)
♪
HOLMES: Have you
got a tenner, by chance?
- It's just I'm a bit skint.
- You want money?
Only till Tuesday.
You see, I'm dead, my friend.
Can't be using a bank card.
But you funded my clinic.
You're rich.
I was rich. Gave it all away.
I never told you
about my money. Sorry.
It's actually quite
embarrassing, having means.
A certain formula emerged
from my dabblings in the lab.
I made the mistake
of sharing it with my brother.
Mycroft created a company,
et cetera, et cetera.
So you cofounded
a publicly traded corporation?
Don't rub my face in it, Watson.
I'm sheepish enough as it is.
So, this zombie virus.
Should you have taken it
a bit more seriously?
I took the virus seriously.
I didn't take the term seriously.
Amelia's labs are back. All normal.
So we can cross off influenza.
Okay, so as of now, we don't know
what we're facing, how
contagious it is, or how deadly.
- Correct.
- (SIGHS)
Do you think we need to lock down?
Well, I recommend enhanced
isolation precautions for now.
Meanwhile, I sent Stephens and Sasha
to examine
this woolly mammoth specimen.
I've been reading
Dr. Woodward's newest book.
- Mm-hmm?
- She predicted this exact scenario.
I don't want to tell you
how bad she thinks
it'll go from here.
HOLMES: Mary Morstan.
If I'm being honest, Watson,
I'd hoped you two
would have found your way
back to each other by now.
Yeah, I know that.
I mean, why else would you
set up the clinic
in the hospital she runs?
We're divorced.
The woman in my bedroom
is Dr. Laila Bynum.
And you're all right, my friend?
Why wouldn't I be?
Because she's Mary
and you're Watson.
Apologies. We're starting small.
Now
I believe I was promised
a woolly mammoth?
SASHA: Oh, here it
is. The mother lode.
"Siberian expedition,
August to October 2025."
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Oh.
(SIGHS, CLICKS TONGUE)
Is everything okay?
Just, uh, I made a silly mistake.
Silly how?
(SIGHS)
A month ago, I got an email from a man
claiming to have tracked me down
via some sort of
adoption records program.
Said he was my birth uncle.
I have known I've been adopted
my whole life, made peace with it
when I was in grade school.
But then I saw
how happy Dr. Morstan was
when she met her brother,
and I thought to myself
what if I have people out there?
You know, nieces and nephews, a
a whole family I never knew.
A part of me I forgot I was missing.
So you wrote him back?
I sent him one
tiny email with my info,
and then he overwhelmed me with
replies and texts and calls.
It was just too much. So, like I said,
silly mistake.
But you didn't block him.
It's clearly something
you want to investigate.
I'm glad you did.
I'm glad you told me.
Yeah, I actually,
I'd rather just forget about it.
What do you say we go
take a look at the main attraction?
(HISSING)
That right there
is a baby woolly mammoth.
STEPHENS: 48,000 years old.
Everything that happened
between then and now,
this little gal was
on her inevitable journey
to this moment.
All things considered,
she weathered the road pretty well.
It's a miracle.
What do you make of that?
Can barely make it out.
STEPHENS: Looks like scabs.
Maybe tissue damage,
part of the thawing process?
Or pustules indicative of disease.
Smallpox?
I should get some samples.
Says here she was found
with five adults,
all in one location.
Implies a pack traveling together.
Probably died suddenly.
Maybe predators?
Or a rapid onset of a viral infection.
Mammoth promised, mammoth delivered.
Did you get the chance to
examine the creature personally?
Nope. Things got
a little busy on my end.
(SNIFFS, SIGHS)
It was a ten-week expedition.
We followed every protocol,
safety first all the way.
And no one displayed any symptoms?
(SIGHS) I'm not a doctor.
I build drilling equipment.
To me, everyone seemed great.
Right now, Professor Woodward
and the rest of her team
are experiencing fever,
fatigue, loss of appetite.
Are you having any of these symptoms?
I'm fine.
Mr. Mallory, so far,
the virus doesn't appear
to be spreading,
but that could change very quickly.
I need to know
What? That I got the flu
on our flight home?
(CHUCKLES) Let's not be overdramatic.
Excuse me.
Ingrid.
Dr. Watson. Good to see you.
Same.
I like the, um
the, uh
Did you go see my psychiatrist?
I did.
Kind of weird, don't you think?
Well, I see how you could think that,
but I wasn't there because
he was your psychiatrist.
I was I was there because
he's the author of a book
that I'm interested in.
And the topic of said book is?
People like you.
(ROB MOANING)
He's gone into cardiac arrest.
Starting compressions.
I'll get the crash cart.
Come on, stay with me, buddy.
Stay with me.
We did everything we could,
but the virus
induced a heart attack.
WATSON: Pulse check.
(STEADY TONE)
Restarting compressions.
Prepare another
- dose of epinephrine.
- Watson.
- Give me another dose of epi!
- John.
We did five rounds of epi already.
He's gone.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And whatever virus
triggered his heart attack
We just exposed ourselves.
Well, a newly unfrozen virus
on the loose.
You and your nemesis
stand exposed. You can't stop now.
She's not my nemesis.
She's my neurologist.
She has the qualities of a nemesis.
No, no, no. I'm done with
the story time for now.
We started small,
now I think I'd like to know
how you survived the waterfall,
if, in fact, you went over.
No, that-that-that's just cruel.
Got me on your hook,
then you deny me my climax.
That sounds weird, but yes.
Yes, I deny you your climax.
I did plunge over
the falls, my friend.
- As for the rest
- Shh, keep it down.
I promise you'll know
everything by first light.
Now, please,
grant me release.
I'm gonna finish telling my story,
but only to keep you
from talking like that.
(LAUGHS)
So, our immediate issue was exposure.
So now I had a new problem.
That was brave, jumping in like that.
That was very brave.
I didn't know the guy
had a zombie virus.
- That's an imprecise
- I know,
it's an imprecise term.
Don't correct me.
If I had to do it again,
who knows what happens?
I was glad to hear that
you're seeing Dr. Ferry.
How did you hear that, exactly?
I figured out
what floor you're visiting,
I did a little math.
So I've been on your mind.
Is that why you can't replace me?
(TAPPING ON GLASS)
(BEEPS)
John, how are you both feeling?
- (BEEPS)
- So far, we don't have any symptoms.
Good.
Do you know anything
about a leak to the press
that this outbreak is getting worse?
- No.
- I've been fielding nonstop calls,
media from all over the country.
The mayor contacted me in a panic,
he's advising us
to lock down the hospital.
I told him we're not there yet.
We just need more time.
ADAM: These viral test
results don't make any sense.
RSV's negative.
That's what the test does,
it shows you positive or negative.
A resident asked me if we were
gonna lock down the hospital.
- Maybe we should.
- That would impact the treatment
of every patient here.
Incoming emergencies
would be rerouted,
life-saving measures delayed.
People could die.
SHINWELL: You lot need
anything? Aside from caffeine,
from which you should all
consider yourselves cut off.
We're all just a little wired.
Feels like we're in over our heads.
We just need to focus.
Cross off every possible alternative.
It's scary and tedious, I know.
And it doesn't help that Watson
is confined to an iso room.
Stuck in there with Ingrid.
What are they even talking about?
It's fine.
I'm sure they're fine. Right?
(COMPUTER CHIMING)
Hello?
Before you ask, Ingrid and I are fine.
Great, that's awesome.
That being said, we have to assume
that the clock is ticking.
If we're gonna get sick,
I would love to get a sense
that we know what we're up against.
What's our progress?
Well, we know what it's not.
Negative viral panels for
the four surviving patients.
And yet,
Rob Mallory was under
so much duress, his heart arrested.
The media's not helping either.
There are reporters
out in the parking lot,
stopping UHOP staff
and asking questions.
People out here
are on the verge of panic.
Could be worse.
You could, I don't know,
be exposed and trapped in a room
with the guy who fired you.
WATSON: Our patients
need a breakthrough
and so do our colleagues.
Who's got some ideas?
Lab work on the baby mammoth
was inconclusive.
As for our patients' labs,
I could put a call in to micro,
see what comes up on blood cultures.
No other hospitals
are reporting mystery flu.
If it's not spreading,
maybe it's not viral.
Could be exposure
to some foreign substance.
I can keep fishing around
to see if we missed anything.
Great, but tread carefully.
I don't want some
overeager reporter getting a sense
that we are grasping for straws.
I'm due for supervised rounds.
I can go in, casual,
ask whatever you need me to.
Great.
Any other ideas?
What? I don't work for you, remember?
So, how are we feeling today?
Still stunned.
I've known Mallory for years.
We worked together often.
I keep thinking about my twins.
When they were born, I
I stopped taking trips.
Which makes it hard
when your focus is glaciology.
Can't sleep.
Which is kind of my default setting.
Might try some New Orleans jazz.
Little taste of home.
(MOANING)
You want me to call for the doctor?
Could-could you just
would you sit with me
for a few minutes?
Of course I will.
Can't believe he's gone.
And-and I'm scared
I'm next
My husband, he
he goes away all the time,
nonstop.
I got so jealous.
How about Amelia?
Is she okay after what happened
to Mr. Mallory?
She's holding up best she can.
AMELIA: Can I tell you something?
I did it for the money.
My book.
I mean, yes,
the permafrost
is my life's work, but
I wrote the book
so I could make money.
I'm a caregiver, and
the cost for my brother
(SIGHS)
it comes every month.
It's gonna come every month,
whether I'm dead or alive.
And if there's no one
to pay it, then
that's it for Jimmy.
No one's gonna keep him alive
just because
it's the right thing to do.
That's an awful burden.
I wrote the book
so I could make a pile of money
big enough for anything.
And I went back to Siberia
and I just kept digging.
Now it's gonna kill us.
(CELL PHONE VIBRATING)
(SIGHS)
Another one. It's just
it's too much.
Maybe just tell him that.
Start a dialogue?
Just seems so daunting.
Well, yeah. Sure.
Believe me,
I'm exhausted from dealing with
the one sibling I'm 99% sure is legit.
But this job reminds you
that life is short.
Connecting with people
is intimidating,
but it's worth it.
ADAM: Hey, lovebirds.
- Found something.
- SASHA: We went over the field journal.
Twice. Most of it's barely legible.
I can read it fine.
And, yes, there's a lot here,
from temperature data
to glacial measurements,
but look at this.
It's a meal log.
Oh, wow. Talk about fastidious.
There are dates, recipes
and initials for who handled prep.
Check out the last entry.
On the final night
of their expedition,
they celebrated
with a meat and veggie stew.
Onions, carrots, bell peppers.
The exact meal isn't
as vital as the fact
that it was a communal dish,
and it was paired with,
of all things
Soda bread.
Yeah, it's an
interesting choice, right?
So, on a hunch, I checked out
the list of cooking supplies.
Along with everything else,
they brought a 50-pound bag
of baking soda.
(CHUCKLES)
How much baking soda?
Of course. Thanks.
What is it?
It's the breakthrough that I needed.
And if I'm right,
you won't be here much longer.
I won't be here? Where are you going?
Mary.
What are you doing out of isolation?
This isn't a virus.
That expedition team was infected
by a foodborne pathogen.
How can you be so sure?
If my theory is right,
this whole situation,
the illness,
the media frenzy, all of it,
was just an elaborate ruse.
That team was poisoned.
HOLMES: Poisoned?
Well, well.
Now, that'd make Mr. Mallory's death
- a premeditated murder.
- Exactly.
My dear Watson
you've only gone
and dipped your spoon
into my favorite porridge.
We won't need
these candles much longer.
I imagine you'll wrap this up by dawn.
Oh, no, no, no, no, my friend.
I wasn't the one who promised
to tell my story before sunrise.
True. But what's the saying?
You show me yours, I'll show you mine.
You're doing the weird thing again.
I thought I'd hear a theory by now.
I mean, are you or aren't you
the world's greatest detective?
I am that.
Bit soggy from the falls,
maybe, bit broke,
but very much intact.
I mean, when you lay it
all out, it is a bit obvious.
Start with the media.
Professor Woodward and her team
return from Siberia.
Two days later, they're sick.
Immediately, the national press
grab onto the story.
Now, how can that be?
The idea of a zombie virus
hadn't even left the hospital.
Yeah, but that's easy.
I mean, they knew it was coming.
Someone leaked the story to the media.
Next clue:
The disease struck no one
outside the expedition.
Basic epidemiology.
Infected carriers spread the virus.
Those newly infected
spread it further still.
So why was there no spread
beyond the original group?
Did anything else
catch your attention?
You didn't seriously think I'd
miss the soda bread, did you?
- (CHUCKLES) Okay, okay.
- (SNAPS FINGERS)
Soda bread.
PRIME INGREDIENT: Baking soda.
It serves to neutralize stomach acid,
which is why I suspect
your killer used it as cover.
The tainted meal
was laced with baking soda,
leaving every member of the expedition
more susceptible to contamination.
How am I doing?
Well, I've heard
a lot of quality deductions,
but I have yet to hear a diagnosis.
A diagnosis?
Well, your academics don't
have a zombie virus, Watson.
They were infected,
but most likely by
Typhoid fever.
Based on what you've said,
it's the only thing that makes sense.
Tell me why.
Typhoid's a food-borne
bacterial infection
notoriously slow
to show up on blood cultures.
If your theory's right,
whoever did this
must've bioengineered
an antibiotic-resistant strain.
To side-step any medicine
we might use as treatment,
thus lengthening the ruse.
So it seems all the more
spooky and mysterious.
A true zombie virus.
I'll understand you might want to wait
until typhoid shows up
in the blood cultures,
at which point, you will
know with absolute certainty
it's safe to go home.
Home.
You really think
you can finish this without me?
HOLMES: Of course your nemesis
got there first. It's perfect.
She's not my nemesis.
She's my neurologist.
Stop quibbling over details, Watson.
The gods of story demand sacrifice,
and they demand it
upon the altar of irony.
Your nemesis led you
to the method of murder.
And now, on to motive, I suppose.
Hoping to inspire a media firestorm
and draw attention to the perils
of the thawing permafrost,
and thus raise money
for research that might
curb the threat
of resurrected viruses,
someone on the expedition
laced the proverbial
last supper with typhoid,
giving the team an unsettling,
mysterious illness.
No one was intended to die,
but Mr. Mallory's infection
proved fatal.
So you need a suspect.
- Any thoughts?
- Watson,
I'm positively made of thoughts.
I'm a mediocre geologist
in a midlife crisis.
My work's plateaued,
I take no joy in my classes.
But a bout with zombie virus
could mean notoriety,
and with it, speaking engagements,
publishing opportunities,
a chance for relevance.
I have no life. Work is a grind,
nonstop pressure
to put out new research.
My husband? He's always gone.
I think he's having an affair.
But this new crisis, it could generate
everything I want.
Money, time off.
And maybe even some sympathy.
I'm an insomniac.
I just stay up all night
and obsesses over what's coming.
Floods, hurricanes.
I saw it myself in New Orleans.
Amelia's my hero,
and I would do anything
to win her approval
or amplify her cause,
even put myself
and the others at risk.
No one else sees the impact
climate change will have,
especially on people with
disabilities like my brother.
So I needed to spread the warning,
and if that drives up
sales of my book,
well, mo' money,
mo' health care for Jimbo.
WATSON: She did not say that.
Professor Amelia Woodward did not say,
"mo' money, mo' health
care for Jimbo."
We're working quickly here.
You get the gist.
I take it you zeroed in on a culprit?
Well, all the facts point
in one direction.
Now, according to this expedition log,
you yourself
prepped the final meal of that trip.
A meal that I suspect got you sick.
Meat and vegetable stew
paired with Irish soda bread.
Oh, you have to remember, right?
Because all of these notes
are in your handwriting.
O-okay. And?
Over the past 12 hours,
the sales of your book
have skyrocketed, right in line
with the buzz about this zombie virus.
Wait. What what are you saying?
I'm saying that you've been
dedicated to a cause
- that's been gone ignored.
- (SCOFFS)
You need money for your brother
because of all the issues
(GROANING IN PAIN)
- (CRIES OUT)
- (MONITOR BEEPING RAPIDLY)
Need some help in here!
HOLMES: A medical crisis,
just as you confront your suspect.
My dear Watson,
you do give good climax.
Now, you're sure the professor
wasn't faking it?
It's a handy way
to avoid a murder accusation.
Oh, no. Yes, it was, it was real.
Professor Woodward's typhoid infection
developed into a splenic abscess.
She was headed
into surgery when I left.
The police are gonna be
waiting for her in the morning.
Brilliant, Watson. Utterly brilliant.
- Now, I was wondering
- No.
My story's over, okay?
The sun is coming up.
Tell me.
As best friends, I deserve to know.
I lived a life in need
of an escape hatch.
Chasing criminals,
a nemesis lurking in every alleyway.
I always knew that one day,
it might all get to be a bit too much.
Too much plotting, too much danger
to the people I love.
I kept the secrets
of my DNA from the world.
That way,
when I needed an escape,
the world might well believe I'm gone.
You spent your whole life
planning to fake your own death?
Well, a man needs projects, Watson.
How else can one stave off boredom?
That day at Reichenbach,
I engineered a meeting between
my two most loathed enemies:
Moriarty and Stapleton.
Each of them arrived at the falls
believing they were approaching
a confrontation with me.
It's a tidy bit of business.
A trap carefully sprung.
Two dangerous criminals
pitted against each other
in a fight to the death.
Holmes!
HOLMES: It was them you saw go over
the cliff, Watson.
- (GUNSHOT)
- Moriarty and Stapleton.
My plan was to watch
to allow the world
to believe I'd been lost
in the confrontation
and to make good my exit.
I accounted for everything.
Except
your intrepid nature.
I showed up too early.
You thought you saw me
tumble into the river
in a final conflict with Moriarty.
And in you went after me.
What else could I do
but return the favor?
I did go over the falls
that day, Watson.
But I did it to save you.
Thank you.
You shouldn't have lied to me.
Thank you.
Listen, Laila's gonna
be up any second now.
There was one thing I wanted to ask.
And don't take this
the wrong way, my friend.
Are you entirely sure
you've got the right suspect?
Yes, Amelia Woodward.
I mean, like I said,
the police are gonna be there
to question her in the morning.
That's all very well, but I've been
looking at this field journal,
and they'll be interrogating
the wrong person.
I can't speak
for Amelia Woodward's
medical prognosis,
but on the question of murder,
she is entirely innocent.
I should have seen it.
HOLMES: You had a full plate.
Dying patient,
potential global outbreak,
chatty nemesis.
Sometimes it helps to get
a second opinion
from a trusted friend.
SHINWELL: Dr. Watson,
allow me to introduce your patient,
Dr. Nathan Hermannson.
Good morning, Nate.
Good to see you up and about.
Dr. Hermannson was wondering
about the treatment
you've been giving him
and the other members
- of the expedition.
- Oh, yes.
Meropenem.
We use it to treat typhoid infections
that are resistant
to other medications.
You should be as good as new soon.
Well
thank you.
Yeah, these have been a difficult
few days for you, huh?
The illness,
the loss of Rob Mallory.
It's it's-it's terrible.
I can imagine.
The grief, the guilt.
I feel sad, of course.
I'm not sure why I'd feel guilty.
Well, I believe I traced
the source of your illness
to the final meal served
on that Siberian expedition.
In fact, I'm convinced that
that meal was intentionally infected.
- What?
- Yeah.
Why-why why would anyone do that?
Amelia's my hero,
and I would do anything
to win her approval
or amplify her cause.
To draw attention
to the cause, of course.
Something that would
cut through all of the clutter
and get the world to pay attention.
Professor Woodward
cooked that last meal,
but a closer look reveals
that you
washed the ingredients
and prepped the cookware.
In fact, you even offered up
your family's old recipe
for the main dish.
Meat and vegetable stew,
aka gumbo.
You are from New Orleans, yes?
I don't like this.
Well, it had to be you.
You needed the knowledge base
to breed an antibiotic-resistant
strain of typhoid.
You're a chemist. You had access
to all of the equipment.
Now, listen,
I don't think you meant
to kill Rob Mallory.
I don't.
But he's gone just the same, Nate.
And that's what I meant by "guilty."
Can you prove any of this?
The police are working on this
as we speak.
Hey, that reminds me
there's a couple of 'em
waiting in your room.
Do you feel up to a little chat?
(SIGHS)
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
(KNOCKING)
(SOFT CHATTER)
I hear you're doing better.
Why are you smiling at me?
You accused me of murder.
I was wrong.
I'm sorry.
Your associate
laced the meal with typhoid.
Dr. Hermannson.
He's with the detectives now.
Are you sure?
It's all in there.
Your brother is lucky
to have you, Dr. Woodward.
Jimmy.
I'm all he has.
Maybe that doesn't have
to be true anymore.
James Woodward.
My team and I,
we can check in on his care.
I don't know
the staff at this facility,
I assume they're good,
but even if they aren't
it'll help if they know
someone's looking on.
Thank you.
If you're serious, thank you.
I'm serious.
(SIGHS)
Oh. Th-There's a note in here.
This isn't mine.
Thank you.
(SOFT CHATTER)
HOLMES: My dear Watson,
stop dragging your feet
and hire your nemesis back already.
Life's more fun with a little spice.
WATSON: You all know that
I've been thinking about this
for a while now.
Nobody can help this clinic
as much as Ingrid.
Nobody can help our patients
as much as Ingrid.
Who disagrees?
She is dangerous.
She almost killed my brother.
In a very roundabout kind of way, yes.
Are you asking me?
'Cause I'd rather die
than vet another neurologist for you.
I'm good.
I'm actually asking all of you.
Should've done this ages ago, guv.
You see, we're all colleagues
and ain't that lovely?
but
we all did for Moriarty together,
and that's called a conspiracy.
And with all successful conspiracies,
the perpetrators stick close.
And that's why you brought me
into the room.
I'll reach out to Dr. Derian
in the morning.
- (DOOR OPENS)
- (ENTRY BELL JINGLES)
(MAN CLEARS THROAT)
Sasha?
Hi.
My name is Jun.
And I'm your uncle.
Hello.
I'm very pleased to meet you, Jun.
What a beautiful accent.
Why, thank you very much.
- Oh, please, have a seat.
- Oh. Thank you.
SASHA: So, how-how did you find me?
- (CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)
- (MESSAGE WHOOSHES)
(BELL JINGLES)
♪
Shinwell.
This gentleman here for you?
Beg pardon, guv.
The old man that was just right here,
was he waiting for me?
Uh, not sure.
You want I should go track him down?
No.
Thanks. I got it.
♪
Holmes?
HOLMES: What do you say?
Impressive, no?
(SIGHS) What are you doing here,
aside from showing off?
You call it showing off.
I call it testing myself.
If I can fool Shinwell,
I can fool anyone.
You made your arrest?
I did. Thanks for your help.
You'd have gotten there
in your own good time.
Goodbye.
That's the reason we're here.
But what are you doing back, Holmes?
You said you had plans.
I do indeed.
There's a mystery here
that's caught my attention.
"The Pittsburgh Mystery,"
let's call it.
So you faked your own death
to poke around in Pittsburgh?
It's all part of a bigger project.
I could catch criminals
until the day I die,
but it's all just a cycle.
And in the end
there's only one crime
that truly matters.
Who stole the world, Watson?
The world is out there, Holmes.
It's not an easy place.
Not even a fair place.
But nobody stole it.
It's theirs now.
The oligarchs.
The fairway fiddlers.
The spray-tanned smilers,
foreheads frozen in place.
Cake eaters.
My brother.
The whole Jenga tower could use
a bit of a rattle, I'd say.
What are you planning?
A third act surprise.
I've missed you dearly, my friend.
Goodbye for now, Watson.
("FEAR OF THE DARK"
BY IRON MAIDEN PLAYING)
sync & corrections awaqeded
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
LAILA: Dr. Watson, what is this place?
WATSON: Well, let's just say it comes
from a man named Sherlock Holmes.
He played the violin
and he died by falling
- over a waterfall.
- Holmes!
I might want to hear
that story sometime.
Sherlock?
My dear Watson.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
I don't suppose
you've any horseradish?
How are you alive?
Trickery. Some sleight of hand.
A dash of skullduggery.
Do you have
an overnight guest, my friend?
Is that why we're whispering?
Trickery.
On me?
On everyone.
Not an easy decision, but I do
believe it had to be taken.
Why?
I'm closer to the end now
than I am to the beginning.
And if I'm to spend
my remaining energy
in the way that I intend,
I had to clear the stage.
How else can one spring
a third act surprise?
Would you like to hit me, Watson?
A single blow, perhaps, from that
misshapen cricket bat?
I could hardly blame you.
And I won't resist.
(BAT CLATTERS)
(LAUGHS)
You're alive.
- You're alive.
- (LAUGHING)
You're here.
And you're alive.
HOLMES: Inclement weather.
The company of a friend.
Sandwich meats of unknown origin.
I'd say it's an evening
to remind one of Baker Street.
All we need's a cracking
mystery, and we're off.
Oh, a mystery, yes, yes. A mystery.
Maybe kind of like how
you survived the waterfall?
You look well, Watson.
The arrogance of the world
slides off you as ever.
That sounds like a compliment.
I assume you're tracking
the state of things.
The deafening boorishness.
Revolting displays of excess.
Why won't you tell me
where you've been?
It's rather an immense topic.
I was hoping we could start small.
The whole of a person can be read
from a single strand of DNA, yes?
Why can't a conversation
work the same way?
Maybe because you've been gone
for more than a year.
Or because I left my life behind
to help you.
Or how about the fact
that you abandoned me
to deal with Moriarty on my own?
I'm nervous, John.
I'm afraid I may have ruined
things with my best friend.
I don't have any right
to ask you for a break.
But I am nervous,
and I was hoping to start small.
Okay. All right.
Let's start small.
How was your day?
How was my day?
That's a dumbass question.
(LAUGHS) How was my day?
- Not my finest work, true.
- No, it's not, it's not.
All right. How was my day?
- My day was
- (THUNDER RUMBLES)
- (STEADY TONE)
- Come on, stay with me, buddy.
Stay with me.
It was busy.
Oh, you want to know the whole story?
You tell me. Do I?
Well, there was
an expedition to Siberia,
there's a baby woolly mammoth,
and people say the word "zombie"
way too much by the way.
But it all starts with a psychiatrist.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
WATSON: Dr. Ferry?
John Watson. I'm a clinical
geneticist and internist
with the Holmes Clinic here at UHOP.
- We're practically neighbors.
- I know your work.
- Very impressive.
- Well, allow me to return the compliment.
I just finished your book.
- Fascinating.
- I hope so.
Quite a few years of research
went into that doorstop.
Well, ego-syntonic
personality disorders
are notoriously difficult to treat.
You are one of the few practitioners
who claims to see their patients
making improvements.
And I don't know,
I guess I'm just curious.
Do you really believe
people with these
conditions can change?
Is this a professional curiosity
or do you have someone
particular in mind?
I wouldn't ask you
to violate confidentiality.
What are you asking, Dr. Watson?
HOLMES: Seems a fair question.
What were you asking?
WATSON: Dr. Ferry is
treating a colleague of mine.
Well, it's a it's a former
colleague, a neurologist.
I can't find anybody to replace her,
but I can't hire her back, either.
A sociopath? In therapy?
Well, that's an imprecise term.
"Sociopath" is
Look, it doesn't matter.
The point is the call I got.
- Thanks for coming so fast.
- Mm-hmm.
The patient's name is Amelia Woodward.
Yeah, you said she had
symptoms similar to the flu.
Not something
I'd normally worry about
but then I spoke to her.
This is a list of everyone
I have interacted with
in the past few days.
You should start
contact tracing immediately.
You have the flu.
This file is important.
It pertains to my brother,
James Woodward.
He is in a long-term
care facility in Highland Park.
I'm the last close family he has left.
I need you to get his information
to my cousins in Campbell, Ohio.
Someone has to take care
of him when I'm gone.
Miss Woodward, slow down.
You have the flu.
It is Dr. Woodward.
I'm a professor of infectious diseases
and microbiology at Pitt.
I'm not sure that you
have dealt with anything like
what I have brought to your door.
Okay.
Tell me.
I have spent my life studying
the Arctic permafrost.
It's melting, we're losing
more of it every year.
I'm aware.
In my line of work, Dr. Watson,
we worry about what is down there.
Pathogens,
frozen for thousands of years,
released into the air
when the ice thaws.
Exotic viruses,
strangers to our immune system
that could rip through
an entire population.
There's a term for it.
I'm familiar with it, yes.
I got back from Siberia two days ago.
My team and I,
we came into close contact
with the remains
of six recently thawed
woolly mammoths.
How do you think they died,
Dr. Watson?
HOLMES: A zombie virus,
frozen for millennia.
WATSON: That's another imprecise term.
You're better than that.
Seems apt to me.
Why the fear of vivid language?
"The Case of the Zombie Virus."
- I'm in.
- (THUNDER CRASHING)
- ADAM: Zombie virus.
- That's an imprecise term.
You're better than that.
Um, resurrected virus.
Hibernating virus.
Okay, call it whatever.
We really think
this is some ancient pathogen
back from the dead?
We have to consider it.
Over the past decade,
both anthrax and smallpox
have been found
in Siberian permafrost.
How do we treat something
that human beings
haven't encountered in 50,000 years?
Whatever it is,
it's an infectious disease,
so we follow the protocols
and listen to our expert.
Well, the good news is Amelia Woodward
keeps detailed records.
Her interactions
are limited to colleagues.
The bad news is all of them now
could be vectors of contagion.
For what it's worth, guv,
the rumor mill is in full swing.
Those nurses, they do love a chat.
The word "pandemic"
has been bandied about.
HOLMES: Shinwell Johnson,
in the company of doctors.
Who would believe it?
You've done well there, Watson.
The rest,
worthy of the name on the door?
Well, in one way or another,
they each remind me of you.
STEPHENS: I ordered a full
infectious workup: CBC, blood cultures
and a respiratory viral panel.
Also started empiric antibiotics.
WATSON: Stephens Croft,
he flaunts his intellect, still
learning to be a team player.
His twin brother Adam just kind
of glides through the world.
Learning to pick the harder path.
So I have to stay here contact tracing
while you guys get to go see
a baby woolly mammoth?
This is not fun, it's work.
Oh, whatever.
You get to go to Jurassic Park.
I'm stuck here like Cinderella.
Oh, does that make me
the belle of the ball
or evil stepsister?
Sasha Lubbock. Failure's sworn enemy.
If she wasn't so nice, I could
see her being a dictator.
ADAM: Send pictures of the pachyderm.
How are we on the interviews
with Amelia's coworkers?
I just got an email
from one guy, Rob Mallory,
says he's symptom-free.
All right, we need
to talk to all of them.
ADAM: Mm-hmm. Nate Hermannson,
Fariba Ahmadi, Tunde Sipewe.
Perfect. Hello?
Adam, hold off.
I know where they are.
- This will help Mr. Hermannson.
- (COUGHING)
How long have you been
feeling like this, Ms. Ahmadi?
(FARIBA COUGHING WEAKLY)
Mr. Sipewe.
(TUNDE COUGHING)
♪
HOLMES: Have you
got a tenner, by chance?
- It's just I'm a bit skint.
- You want money?
Only till Tuesday.
You see, I'm dead, my friend.
Can't be using a bank card.
But you funded my clinic.
You're rich.
I was rich. Gave it all away.
I never told you
about my money. Sorry.
It's actually quite
embarrassing, having means.
A certain formula emerged
from my dabblings in the lab.
I made the mistake
of sharing it with my brother.
Mycroft created a company,
et cetera, et cetera.
So you cofounded
a publicly traded corporation?
Don't rub my face in it, Watson.
I'm sheepish enough as it is.
So, this zombie virus.
Should you have taken it
a bit more seriously?
I took the virus seriously.
I didn't take the term seriously.
Amelia's labs are back. All normal.
So we can cross off influenza.
Okay, so as of now, we don't know
what we're facing, how
contagious it is, or how deadly.
- Correct.
- (SIGHS)
Do you think we need to lock down?
Well, I recommend enhanced
isolation precautions for now.
Meanwhile, I sent Stephens and Sasha
to examine
this woolly mammoth specimen.
I've been reading
Dr. Woodward's newest book.
- Mm-hmm?
- She predicted this exact scenario.
I don't want to tell you
how bad she thinks
it'll go from here.
HOLMES: Mary Morstan.
If I'm being honest, Watson,
I'd hoped you two
would have found your way
back to each other by now.
Yeah, I know that.
I mean, why else would you
set up the clinic
in the hospital she runs?
We're divorced.
The woman in my bedroom
is Dr. Laila Bynum.
And you're all right, my friend?
Why wouldn't I be?
Because she's Mary
and you're Watson.
Apologies. We're starting small.
Now
I believe I was promised
a woolly mammoth?
SASHA: Oh, here it
is. The mother lode.
"Siberian expedition,
August to October 2025."
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Oh.
(SIGHS, CLICKS TONGUE)
Is everything okay?
Just, uh, I made a silly mistake.
Silly how?
(SIGHS)
A month ago, I got an email from a man
claiming to have tracked me down
via some sort of
adoption records program.
Said he was my birth uncle.
I have known I've been adopted
my whole life, made peace with it
when I was in grade school.
But then I saw
how happy Dr. Morstan was
when she met her brother,
and I thought to myself
what if I have people out there?
You know, nieces and nephews, a
a whole family I never knew.
A part of me I forgot I was missing.
So you wrote him back?
I sent him one
tiny email with my info,
and then he overwhelmed me with
replies and texts and calls.
It was just too much. So, like I said,
silly mistake.
But you didn't block him.
It's clearly something
you want to investigate.
I'm glad you did.
I'm glad you told me.
Yeah, I actually,
I'd rather just forget about it.
What do you say we go
take a look at the main attraction?
(HISSING)
That right there
is a baby woolly mammoth.
STEPHENS: 48,000 years old.
Everything that happened
between then and now,
this little gal was
on her inevitable journey
to this moment.
All things considered,
she weathered the road pretty well.
It's a miracle.
What do you make of that?
Can barely make it out.
STEPHENS: Looks like scabs.
Maybe tissue damage,
part of the thawing process?
Or pustules indicative of disease.
Smallpox?
I should get some samples.
Says here she was found
with five adults,
all in one location.
Implies a pack traveling together.
Probably died suddenly.
Maybe predators?
Or a rapid onset of a viral infection.
Mammoth promised, mammoth delivered.
Did you get the chance to
examine the creature personally?
Nope. Things got
a little busy on my end.
(SNIFFS, SIGHS)
It was a ten-week expedition.
We followed every protocol,
safety first all the way.
And no one displayed any symptoms?
(SIGHS) I'm not a doctor.
I build drilling equipment.
To me, everyone seemed great.
Right now, Professor Woodward
and the rest of her team
are experiencing fever,
fatigue, loss of appetite.
Are you having any of these symptoms?
I'm fine.
Mr. Mallory, so far,
the virus doesn't appear
to be spreading,
but that could change very quickly.
I need to know
What? That I got the flu
on our flight home?
(CHUCKLES) Let's not be overdramatic.
Excuse me.
Ingrid.
Dr. Watson. Good to see you.
Same.
I like the, um
the, uh
Did you go see my psychiatrist?
I did.
Kind of weird, don't you think?
Well, I see how you could think that,
but I wasn't there because
he was your psychiatrist.
I was I was there because
he's the author of a book
that I'm interested in.
And the topic of said book is?
People like you.
(ROB MOANING)
He's gone into cardiac arrest.
Starting compressions.
I'll get the crash cart.
Come on, stay with me, buddy.
Stay with me.
We did everything we could,
but the virus
induced a heart attack.
WATSON: Pulse check.
(STEADY TONE)
Restarting compressions.
Prepare another
- dose of epinephrine.
- Watson.
- Give me another dose of epi!
- John.
We did five rounds of epi already.
He's gone.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And whatever virus
triggered his heart attack
We just exposed ourselves.
Well, a newly unfrozen virus
on the loose.
You and your nemesis
stand exposed. You can't stop now.
She's not my nemesis.
She's my neurologist.
She has the qualities of a nemesis.
No, no, no. I'm done with
the story time for now.
We started small,
now I think I'd like to know
how you survived the waterfall,
if, in fact, you went over.
No, that-that-that's just cruel.
Got me on your hook,
then you deny me my climax.
That sounds weird, but yes.
Yes, I deny you your climax.
I did plunge over
the falls, my friend.
- As for the rest
- Shh, keep it down.
I promise you'll know
everything by first light.
Now, please,
grant me release.
I'm gonna finish telling my story,
but only to keep you
from talking like that.
(LAUGHS)
So, our immediate issue was exposure.
So now I had a new problem.
That was brave, jumping in like that.
That was very brave.
I didn't know the guy
had a zombie virus.
- That's an imprecise
- I know,
it's an imprecise term.
Don't correct me.
If I had to do it again,
who knows what happens?
I was glad to hear that
you're seeing Dr. Ferry.
How did you hear that, exactly?
I figured out
what floor you're visiting,
I did a little math.
So I've been on your mind.
Is that why you can't replace me?
(TAPPING ON GLASS)
(BEEPS)
John, how are you both feeling?
- (BEEPS)
- So far, we don't have any symptoms.
Good.
Do you know anything
about a leak to the press
that this outbreak is getting worse?
- No.
- I've been fielding nonstop calls,
media from all over the country.
The mayor contacted me in a panic,
he's advising us
to lock down the hospital.
I told him we're not there yet.
We just need more time.
ADAM: These viral test
results don't make any sense.
RSV's negative.
That's what the test does,
it shows you positive or negative.
A resident asked me if we were
gonna lock down the hospital.
- Maybe we should.
- That would impact the treatment
of every patient here.
Incoming emergencies
would be rerouted,
life-saving measures delayed.
People could die.
SHINWELL: You lot need
anything? Aside from caffeine,
from which you should all
consider yourselves cut off.
We're all just a little wired.
Feels like we're in over our heads.
We just need to focus.
Cross off every possible alternative.
It's scary and tedious, I know.
And it doesn't help that Watson
is confined to an iso room.
Stuck in there with Ingrid.
What are they even talking about?
It's fine.
I'm sure they're fine. Right?
(COMPUTER CHIMING)
Hello?
Before you ask, Ingrid and I are fine.
Great, that's awesome.
That being said, we have to assume
that the clock is ticking.
If we're gonna get sick,
I would love to get a sense
that we know what we're up against.
What's our progress?
Well, we know what it's not.
Negative viral panels for
the four surviving patients.
And yet,
Rob Mallory was under
so much duress, his heart arrested.
The media's not helping either.
There are reporters
out in the parking lot,
stopping UHOP staff
and asking questions.
People out here
are on the verge of panic.
Could be worse.
You could, I don't know,
be exposed and trapped in a room
with the guy who fired you.
WATSON: Our patients
need a breakthrough
and so do our colleagues.
Who's got some ideas?
Lab work on the baby mammoth
was inconclusive.
As for our patients' labs,
I could put a call in to micro,
see what comes up on blood cultures.
No other hospitals
are reporting mystery flu.
If it's not spreading,
maybe it's not viral.
Could be exposure
to some foreign substance.
I can keep fishing around
to see if we missed anything.
Great, but tread carefully.
I don't want some
overeager reporter getting a sense
that we are grasping for straws.
I'm due for supervised rounds.
I can go in, casual,
ask whatever you need me to.
Great.
Any other ideas?
What? I don't work for you, remember?
So, how are we feeling today?
Still stunned.
I've known Mallory for years.
We worked together often.
I keep thinking about my twins.
When they were born, I
I stopped taking trips.
Which makes it hard
when your focus is glaciology.
Can't sleep.
Which is kind of my default setting.
Might try some New Orleans jazz.
Little taste of home.
(MOANING)
You want me to call for the doctor?
Could-could you just
would you sit with me
for a few minutes?
Of course I will.
Can't believe he's gone.
And-and I'm scared
I'm next
My husband, he
he goes away all the time,
nonstop.
I got so jealous.
How about Amelia?
Is she okay after what happened
to Mr. Mallory?
She's holding up best she can.
AMELIA: Can I tell you something?
I did it for the money.
My book.
I mean, yes,
the permafrost
is my life's work, but
I wrote the book
so I could make money.
I'm a caregiver, and
the cost for my brother
(SIGHS)
it comes every month.
It's gonna come every month,
whether I'm dead or alive.
And if there's no one
to pay it, then
that's it for Jimmy.
No one's gonna keep him alive
just because
it's the right thing to do.
That's an awful burden.
I wrote the book
so I could make a pile of money
big enough for anything.
And I went back to Siberia
and I just kept digging.
Now it's gonna kill us.
(CELL PHONE VIBRATING)
(SIGHS)
Another one. It's just
it's too much.
Maybe just tell him that.
Start a dialogue?
Just seems so daunting.
Well, yeah. Sure.
Believe me,
I'm exhausted from dealing with
the one sibling I'm 99% sure is legit.
But this job reminds you
that life is short.
Connecting with people
is intimidating,
but it's worth it.
ADAM: Hey, lovebirds.
- Found something.
- SASHA: We went over the field journal.
Twice. Most of it's barely legible.
I can read it fine.
And, yes, there's a lot here,
from temperature data
to glacial measurements,
but look at this.
It's a meal log.
Oh, wow. Talk about fastidious.
There are dates, recipes
and initials for who handled prep.
Check out the last entry.
On the final night
of their expedition,
they celebrated
with a meat and veggie stew.
Onions, carrots, bell peppers.
The exact meal isn't
as vital as the fact
that it was a communal dish,
and it was paired with,
of all things
Soda bread.
Yeah, it's an
interesting choice, right?
So, on a hunch, I checked out
the list of cooking supplies.
Along with everything else,
they brought a 50-pound bag
of baking soda.
(CHUCKLES)
How much baking soda?
Of course. Thanks.
What is it?
It's the breakthrough that I needed.
And if I'm right,
you won't be here much longer.
I won't be here? Where are you going?
Mary.
What are you doing out of isolation?
This isn't a virus.
That expedition team was infected
by a foodborne pathogen.
How can you be so sure?
If my theory is right,
this whole situation,
the illness,
the media frenzy, all of it,
was just an elaborate ruse.
That team was poisoned.
HOLMES: Poisoned?
Well, well.
Now, that'd make Mr. Mallory's death
- a premeditated murder.
- Exactly.
My dear Watson
you've only gone
and dipped your spoon
into my favorite porridge.
We won't need
these candles much longer.
I imagine you'll wrap this up by dawn.
Oh, no, no, no, no, my friend.
I wasn't the one who promised
to tell my story before sunrise.
True. But what's the saying?
You show me yours, I'll show you mine.
You're doing the weird thing again.
I thought I'd hear a theory by now.
I mean, are you or aren't you
the world's greatest detective?
I am that.
Bit soggy from the falls,
maybe, bit broke,
but very much intact.
I mean, when you lay it
all out, it is a bit obvious.
Start with the media.
Professor Woodward and her team
return from Siberia.
Two days later, they're sick.
Immediately, the national press
grab onto the story.
Now, how can that be?
The idea of a zombie virus
hadn't even left the hospital.
Yeah, but that's easy.
I mean, they knew it was coming.
Someone leaked the story to the media.
Next clue:
The disease struck no one
outside the expedition.
Basic epidemiology.
Infected carriers spread the virus.
Those newly infected
spread it further still.
So why was there no spread
beyond the original group?
Did anything else
catch your attention?
You didn't seriously think I'd
miss the soda bread, did you?
- (CHUCKLES) Okay, okay.
- (SNAPS FINGERS)
Soda bread.
PRIME INGREDIENT: Baking soda.
It serves to neutralize stomach acid,
which is why I suspect
your killer used it as cover.
The tainted meal
was laced with baking soda,
leaving every member of the expedition
more susceptible to contamination.
How am I doing?
Well, I've heard
a lot of quality deductions,
but I have yet to hear a diagnosis.
A diagnosis?
Well, your academics don't
have a zombie virus, Watson.
They were infected,
but most likely by
Typhoid fever.
Based on what you've said,
it's the only thing that makes sense.
Tell me why.
Typhoid's a food-borne
bacterial infection
notoriously slow
to show up on blood cultures.
If your theory's right,
whoever did this
must've bioengineered
an antibiotic-resistant strain.
To side-step any medicine
we might use as treatment,
thus lengthening the ruse.
So it seems all the more
spooky and mysterious.
A true zombie virus.
I'll understand you might want to wait
until typhoid shows up
in the blood cultures,
at which point, you will
know with absolute certainty
it's safe to go home.
Home.
You really think
you can finish this without me?
HOLMES: Of course your nemesis
got there first. It's perfect.
She's not my nemesis.
She's my neurologist.
Stop quibbling over details, Watson.
The gods of story demand sacrifice,
and they demand it
upon the altar of irony.
Your nemesis led you
to the method of murder.
And now, on to motive, I suppose.
Hoping to inspire a media firestorm
and draw attention to the perils
of the thawing permafrost,
and thus raise money
for research that might
curb the threat
of resurrected viruses,
someone on the expedition
laced the proverbial
last supper with typhoid,
giving the team an unsettling,
mysterious illness.
No one was intended to die,
but Mr. Mallory's infection
proved fatal.
So you need a suspect.
- Any thoughts?
- Watson,
I'm positively made of thoughts.
I'm a mediocre geologist
in a midlife crisis.
My work's plateaued,
I take no joy in my classes.
But a bout with zombie virus
could mean notoriety,
and with it, speaking engagements,
publishing opportunities,
a chance for relevance.
I have no life. Work is a grind,
nonstop pressure
to put out new research.
My husband? He's always gone.
I think he's having an affair.
But this new crisis, it could generate
everything I want.
Money, time off.
And maybe even some sympathy.
I'm an insomniac.
I just stay up all night
and obsesses over what's coming.
Floods, hurricanes.
I saw it myself in New Orleans.
Amelia's my hero,
and I would do anything
to win her approval
or amplify her cause,
even put myself
and the others at risk.
No one else sees the impact
climate change will have,
especially on people with
disabilities like my brother.
So I needed to spread the warning,
and if that drives up
sales of my book,
well, mo' money,
mo' health care for Jimbo.
WATSON: She did not say that.
Professor Amelia Woodward did not say,
"mo' money, mo' health
care for Jimbo."
We're working quickly here.
You get the gist.
I take it you zeroed in on a culprit?
Well, all the facts point
in one direction.
Now, according to this expedition log,
you yourself
prepped the final meal of that trip.
A meal that I suspect got you sick.
Meat and vegetable stew
paired with Irish soda bread.
Oh, you have to remember, right?
Because all of these notes
are in your handwriting.
O-okay. And?
Over the past 12 hours,
the sales of your book
have skyrocketed, right in line
with the buzz about this zombie virus.
Wait. What what are you saying?
I'm saying that you've been
dedicated to a cause
- that's been gone ignored.
- (SCOFFS)
You need money for your brother
because of all the issues
(GROANING IN PAIN)
- (CRIES OUT)
- (MONITOR BEEPING RAPIDLY)
Need some help in here!
HOLMES: A medical crisis,
just as you confront your suspect.
My dear Watson,
you do give good climax.
Now, you're sure the professor
wasn't faking it?
It's a handy way
to avoid a murder accusation.
Oh, no. Yes, it was, it was real.
Professor Woodward's typhoid infection
developed into a splenic abscess.
She was headed
into surgery when I left.
The police are gonna be
waiting for her in the morning.
Brilliant, Watson. Utterly brilliant.
- Now, I was wondering
- No.
My story's over, okay?
The sun is coming up.
Tell me.
As best friends, I deserve to know.
I lived a life in need
of an escape hatch.
Chasing criminals,
a nemesis lurking in every alleyway.
I always knew that one day,
it might all get to be a bit too much.
Too much plotting, too much danger
to the people I love.
I kept the secrets
of my DNA from the world.
That way,
when I needed an escape,
the world might well believe I'm gone.
You spent your whole life
planning to fake your own death?
Well, a man needs projects, Watson.
How else can one stave off boredom?
That day at Reichenbach,
I engineered a meeting between
my two most loathed enemies:
Moriarty and Stapleton.
Each of them arrived at the falls
believing they were approaching
a confrontation with me.
It's a tidy bit of business.
A trap carefully sprung.
Two dangerous criminals
pitted against each other
in a fight to the death.
Holmes!
HOLMES: It was them you saw go over
the cliff, Watson.
- (GUNSHOT)
- Moriarty and Stapleton.
My plan was to watch
to allow the world
to believe I'd been lost
in the confrontation
and to make good my exit.
I accounted for everything.
Except
your intrepid nature.
I showed up too early.
You thought you saw me
tumble into the river
in a final conflict with Moriarty.
And in you went after me.
What else could I do
but return the favor?
I did go over the falls
that day, Watson.
But I did it to save you.
Thank you.
You shouldn't have lied to me.
Thank you.
Listen, Laila's gonna
be up any second now.
There was one thing I wanted to ask.
And don't take this
the wrong way, my friend.
Are you entirely sure
you've got the right suspect?
Yes, Amelia Woodward.
I mean, like I said,
the police are gonna be there
to question her in the morning.
That's all very well, but I've been
looking at this field journal,
and they'll be interrogating
the wrong person.
I can't speak
for Amelia Woodward's
medical prognosis,
but on the question of murder,
she is entirely innocent.
I should have seen it.
HOLMES: You had a full plate.
Dying patient,
potential global outbreak,
chatty nemesis.
Sometimes it helps to get
a second opinion
from a trusted friend.
SHINWELL: Dr. Watson,
allow me to introduce your patient,
Dr. Nathan Hermannson.
Good morning, Nate.
Good to see you up and about.
Dr. Hermannson was wondering
about the treatment
you've been giving him
and the other members
- of the expedition.
- Oh, yes.
Meropenem.
We use it to treat typhoid infections
that are resistant
to other medications.
You should be as good as new soon.
Well
thank you.
Yeah, these have been a difficult
few days for you, huh?
The illness,
the loss of Rob Mallory.
It's it's-it's terrible.
I can imagine.
The grief, the guilt.
I feel sad, of course.
I'm not sure why I'd feel guilty.
Well, I believe I traced
the source of your illness
to the final meal served
on that Siberian expedition.
In fact, I'm convinced that
that meal was intentionally infected.
- What?
- Yeah.
Why-why why would anyone do that?
Amelia's my hero,
and I would do anything
to win her approval
or amplify her cause.
To draw attention
to the cause, of course.
Something that would
cut through all of the clutter
and get the world to pay attention.
Professor Woodward
cooked that last meal,
but a closer look reveals
that you
washed the ingredients
and prepped the cookware.
In fact, you even offered up
your family's old recipe
for the main dish.
Meat and vegetable stew,
aka gumbo.
You are from New Orleans, yes?
I don't like this.
Well, it had to be you.
You needed the knowledge base
to breed an antibiotic-resistant
strain of typhoid.
You're a chemist. You had access
to all of the equipment.
Now, listen,
I don't think you meant
to kill Rob Mallory.
I don't.
But he's gone just the same, Nate.
And that's what I meant by "guilty."
Can you prove any of this?
The police are working on this
as we speak.
Hey, that reminds me
there's a couple of 'em
waiting in your room.
Do you feel up to a little chat?
(SIGHS)
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
(KNOCKING)
(SOFT CHATTER)
I hear you're doing better.
Why are you smiling at me?
You accused me of murder.
I was wrong.
I'm sorry.
Your associate
laced the meal with typhoid.
Dr. Hermannson.
He's with the detectives now.
Are you sure?
It's all in there.
Your brother is lucky
to have you, Dr. Woodward.
Jimmy.
I'm all he has.
Maybe that doesn't have
to be true anymore.
James Woodward.
My team and I,
we can check in on his care.
I don't know
the staff at this facility,
I assume they're good,
but even if they aren't
it'll help if they know
someone's looking on.
Thank you.
If you're serious, thank you.
I'm serious.
(SIGHS)
Oh. Th-There's a note in here.
This isn't mine.
Thank you.
(SOFT CHATTER)
HOLMES: My dear Watson,
stop dragging your feet
and hire your nemesis back already.
Life's more fun with a little spice.
WATSON: You all know that
I've been thinking about this
for a while now.
Nobody can help this clinic
as much as Ingrid.
Nobody can help our patients
as much as Ingrid.
Who disagrees?
She is dangerous.
She almost killed my brother.
In a very roundabout kind of way, yes.
Are you asking me?
'Cause I'd rather die
than vet another neurologist for you.
I'm good.
I'm actually asking all of you.
Should've done this ages ago, guv.
You see, we're all colleagues
and ain't that lovely?
but
we all did for Moriarty together,
and that's called a conspiracy.
And with all successful conspiracies,
the perpetrators stick close.
And that's why you brought me
into the room.
I'll reach out to Dr. Derian
in the morning.
- (DOOR OPENS)
- (ENTRY BELL JINGLES)
(MAN CLEARS THROAT)
Sasha?
Hi.
My name is Jun.
And I'm your uncle.
Hello.
I'm very pleased to meet you, Jun.
What a beautiful accent.
Why, thank you very much.
- Oh, please, have a seat.
- Oh. Thank you.
SASHA: So, how-how did you find me?
- (CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)
- (MESSAGE WHOOSHES)
(BELL JINGLES)
♪
Shinwell.
This gentleman here for you?
Beg pardon, guv.
The old man that was just right here,
was he waiting for me?
Uh, not sure.
You want I should go track him down?
No.
Thanks. I got it.
♪
Holmes?
HOLMES: What do you say?
Impressive, no?
(SIGHS) What are you doing here,
aside from showing off?
You call it showing off.
I call it testing myself.
If I can fool Shinwell,
I can fool anyone.
You made your arrest?
I did. Thanks for your help.
You'd have gotten there
in your own good time.
Goodbye.
That's the reason we're here.
But what are you doing back, Holmes?
You said you had plans.
I do indeed.
There's a mystery here
that's caught my attention.
"The Pittsburgh Mystery,"
let's call it.
So you faked your own death
to poke around in Pittsburgh?
It's all part of a bigger project.
I could catch criminals
until the day I die,
but it's all just a cycle.
And in the end
there's only one crime
that truly matters.
Who stole the world, Watson?
The world is out there, Holmes.
It's not an easy place.
Not even a fair place.
But nobody stole it.
It's theirs now.
The oligarchs.
The fairway fiddlers.
The spray-tanned smilers,
foreheads frozen in place.
Cake eaters.
My brother.
The whole Jenga tower could use
a bit of a rattle, I'd say.
What are you planning?
A third act surprise.
I've missed you dearly, my friend.
Goodbye for now, Watson.
("FEAR OF THE DARK"
BY IRON MAIDEN PLAYING)
sync & corrections awaqeded