WATSON
written & directed by Jaime Robledo

Elementary!

CAST

Scott Leggett

Joe Fria

Natasha Norman

Mary Alton

Carrie Wiita

Henry Dittman

Jaime Robledo

JJ Mayes

Colin Willkie

Eric Curtis Johnson

Jaime Andrews

Vanessa Claire Smith

French Stewart

Matt Valle

Tifanie McQueen

CJ Merriman

Michael Holmes

Bryan Krasner

Vivian Kerr

Alexis Wolfe

KJ Middlebrooks

Aaron Mendelson

PHOTOS
by C.M. Gonzalez

EPISODE ONE (10/24/09)

Dr. John H. Watson, M.D. (Scott Leggett) expounds upon
the peculiarities of the adventure he's about to relate.

A cocaine-addled Sherlock Holmes (Joe Fria).

Holmes dreams of the Woman in White (Natasha Norman).

Holmes' mania leads to some uncomfortable situations.

EPISODE TWO (12/5/09)

Watson expounds upon the vagaries of memory.

Watson can't recall why Sherlock is pointing a gun at him.
He traces his memory back, back to their arrival at Victoria Station.

Holmes often collapses suddenly in the midst of his mania.

A train ride - first leg of a journey en route to Cyprus, to investigate what
Holmes claims are the machinations of his shadowy enemy, Professor Moriarty.
Watson is not sure that the Professor even exists.

Holmes thinks Watson looks troubled.

Holmes attempts to deduce the cause of Watson's mood.

Watson is missing his wife, Mary (Mary Alton).

Holmes hears a noise above the train.

Holmes battles Turks atop the train.

Holmes is exhausted but triumphant.

Holmes is convinced that Watson is actually Moriarty.
"Moriarty - I will send thee to hell, or die trying."
"Holmes, if memory serves you as well as it serves me,
then you know that I also always come prepared."

The battle atop the train - live on stage with no budget - and the subsequent standoff.

EPISODE THREE (12/12/09)

The standoff is resolved by a battle of wits - Watson keeps Holmes
occupied with a riddle contest until his cocaine high gives way to
yet another cocaine low and he crashes once again.

At Dover Priory, Holmes thinks every single person might be Moriarty (Henry Dittman)
in disguise.  Pictured: just some of the many possible Moriartys Holmes sees.

Holmes sees Moriarty in everyone.

Watson again opines that he does not believe that Moriarty exists.

But he does.  "My name is Professor James Moriarty.
And I believe you have been looking for me."

EPISODE FOUR (12/19/09)

Holmes' obsession with Professor Moriarty is getting out of hand.

"Holmes dangles over a precipice, and I might be his only salvation."
"But is he yours?"

Holmes confronts a rather aggrieved Moriarty, to Watson's distress.

"Holmes was falling deeper and deeper into the precipice
of insanity... that same insanity that would soon engulf me."

Watson can't take it any more... he informs a
wounded Holmes that he'll be going home.

"Holmes was falling deeper and deeper into the precipice
of insanity... that same insanity that would soon engulf me."

Holmes and Moriarty speak at last, as they walk along the cliffs of Dover.  Moriarty accuses Holmes
Of merely being jealous, as a paper the Professor once published overshadowed Holmes' academic accolades.
 "Sherlock, I will not be the outlet for your lack of self-esteem, old friend."  Holmes nearly
believes him - but finally puts the clues together that tell him that Moriarty is lying.
But, he wonders aloud, what do the Turks have to do with...

Suddenly, Moriarty attacks Holmes!
The two struggle, then fall off the cliff.

Meanwhile, a pair of Turks kidnap Mary,
while in Dover, Watson sends her a telegram.

"Dearest Mary. Stop. Not coming home just yet. Stop. Sherlock Holmes
may be many things, but the one thing he never is... is wrong.  Stop.
I must see this journey through to the end. Stop. Sherlock Holmes may
not be my salvation... but he is my one true friend. Stop.
I love you dearly. I will take care and always remember to write.
Hamish. End of message."

EPISODE FIVE (1/16/10)

A dripping wet Holmes clambers out of the Channel.

Watson asks a sodden Holmes some questions that are not terribly astute.

Holmes has Watson use his powers of deduction to determine why
Holmes was in the Channel.  "You know my methods, Watson..."

Watson has sought outside assistance from Holmes'
smarter but disorganized and over-excitable brother Mycroft
(Eric Johnson), who agrees to meet them in Paris.

Watson philosophizes on the wisdom of whether or not to fight life's currents,
but events soon make the course of action he must take clear.

Mycroft's postscript reveals that Mary has been kidnapped.
A note was left: "Stop looking, or the wife will never be found."

Watson will not turn back to Baker Street - it's exactly
what they want him to do.  He will have his vengeance
on Moriarty.  But first - the Channel!

EPISODE SIX (1/23/10)

In Paris, Holmes and Watson visit a Turkish bazaar.

At the bazaar, they spy Moriarty, but he gets away.

Mycroft arrives. Sherlock hates it when he calls him his "baby brother."

Mycroft deduces that Sherlock didn't find Moriarty... Moriarty found him.
Moriarty knew that Sherlock would be drawn to the Turkish
bazaar, looking for an injectable fix.  "Primary!"
(He can't very well say "Elementary," since
Sherlock's pilfered it from his lexicon.)

Suddenly, a female voice calls out.  "Sherlock Holmes? In Paris?"
It is Irene Adler (Jaime Andrews), and Sherlock falls to his knees before her.

EPISODE SEVEN (1/30/10)

Holmes attempts to woo Irene Adler (Vanessa Claire Smith).

Holmes fumbles his romantic advances.

Hearing they're on a mission of life and death, Irene offers
her services. After all, she's the only woman who has
ever outwitted Holmes... much to Holmes' chagrin.

Time to head for Orl?ans. Mycroft will travel on the
Orient Express under Sherlock's name as a distraction,
while Holmes, Watson and Irene travel on horseback.

A gripping horseback chase, live on stage with no budget!

The stagehands (Jaime Robledo, Colin Willkie and JJ Mayes)
who help make theater magic - this week as pursuing Turks.

Holmes is injured, so they head to Austria to get
treatment... from Sigmund Freud (French Stewart).

Meet Dr. Freud.

EPISODE EIGHT (2/6/10)

Strict Freudian analysis.

Holmes has heard stories of Dr. Freud, and uses them to try to dismiss
his attempts to help.  "They say you're boorish, analytical and self-absorbed."
"Yah - they say I am a lot like you. TRANSFERENCE!"

Freud begins to break down Holmes' resistance.

Watson, listening outside the door, feels regret for all the times he turned
a blind eye to Holmes' tumult, and his thoughts turn to his abducted wife.

Professor Moriarty attempts to charm his captive, but she insults him.

Moriarty, incensed, begins to strangle her.  "If it's
a villain you want, then a villain you shall have!"

EPISODE NINE (2/13/10)

"For a short while, Mary Morstan Watson was my whole world..."
Watson ruminates on how Holmes has never had any time for
love, and regards Irene Adler "coolly, as under a Petri dish."

When Irene (Jaime Andrews) meets Dr. Freud, he gives her a Freudian kiss.

Holmes is "as good as can be expected." He's off the cocaine for now, but he'll need to be watched
closely. Boredom, heartbreak, frustration... all these things might send him back to his addiction.

Freud's diagnosis.

Mycroft is waiting outside Budapest. With Turks
waiting at the train stations and ground transport
being too slow, they travel by hot air balloon.

By balloon to Budapest.

A trembling Holmes, bored with being idle while waiting for Mycroft,
wants to go out alone. Watson, mindful of Freud's dictate to keep Holmes
under observation, tries to stop him... and the two get into a brawl.
"Your wife - like your enormous figure - only serves to weigh us down!"

EPISODE TEN (2/20/10)
Photos this week by Emily Donn

Holmes and Watson engage in a terrible battle.

All heroes must eventually face some obstacle in their journey.

Holmes and Watson have a savage battle... but when they are
attacked by Turks, the two bond together once more to defeat them.

However, any celebration is cut short; Moriarty has gotten the drop on them.

Mycroft is captured as well.

Moriarty forces Holmes to make an agonizing choice: kill his
only living blood... or his best and most trusted friend.

EPISODE ELEVEN (3/20/10)
Photos this week by Emily Donn

Watson's father, at major points in his life, told him, "Son, someday you
will be a great man... but not today."  So when, then?  When, father?

Moriarty, tired of Mycroft's constant insults and jokes at his expense,
put him in a bit of an... uncomfortable position, shall we say.

Holmes nearly talks his way out of the standoff by playing on Moriarty's insecurities.
However, when he deduces that Moriarty is in the employ of the Tsar, and is unable to
decide between revenge or serving his master, it's a step too far.  Moriarty, declaring
angrily that he can do both, shoots Holmes at point blank range, and then forces
Watson at gunpoint into a hansom cab.  If Watson is ever to be a great man,
it would seem that the time is now... or never.

EPISODE TWELVE (3/27/10)

What, wonders Watson, is the measure of a man? Perhaps the compilation of his actions?
Watson has always chronicled the life of Sherlock Holmes while he stands in the background.
Who, after all, would be interested in hearing a story simply called "Watson"?

Mycroft tends to the mortally wounded Holmes...
who begs him to bear an important message without delay.

Watson, imprisoned by Moriarty, has deduced that the Turks Moriarty is employing are not really Turks.
He goads Moriarty that he's not the criminal mastermind that Sherlock Holmes has made up in his head.

Moriarty injects Watson with cocaine, inducing hallucinations of the woman in white.
"In your writings, you often wonder what makes Sherlock Holmes tick. Well... this is it."

Watson is reduced to a shivering addict. If he wants
another injection, he must tell Moriarty everything he wants
to know about his mission with Sherlock Holmes.

EPISODE THIRTEEN (4/3/10)

Mary and Watson, separated, write in their journals of their love for one another,
and their fear that death is closing in and they may never see one another again.
"I am saddened," writes Mary, "knowing that you will blame yourself for my loss."

Moriarty claims he's not a monster.

Watson has deduced that Moriarty is out to foment war between
the Turks and the Russians, who are one slip away from conflict.

Holmes runs into Irene while dragging himself
through the streets seeking medical attention.

They happen to run into Dr. Freud, who protests that
he's not a surgeon, but is pressed into service anyway.

>
The unhelpful Dr. Freud.

Queen Victoria (Tifanie McQueen) and her attendant (Matt Valle),
who informs her that Mycroft Holmes seeks an audience with her.

"If Sherlock Holmes is in trouble, then so is his mission.
If his mission falters, that can mean only one thing.
If Sherlock Holmes fails, we must prepare... for war."

EPISODE FOURTEEN (4/10/10)

Watson expounds that every story has
a Beginning, a Middle and an End.

Queen Victoria's attendant polishes her shoes.

Mycroft delivers a message to Queen Victoria: Alexander III has sent agents of
his own to Cyprus.  It was Holmes' mission to keep the new British emissary to
Cyprus safe, in the wake of the war the Russians and Turks fought over the island.
If Sherlock fails, she will have to take up arms against both nations.
And that would ultimately mean... world war.

Dr. Freud inexpertly tries to remove
the bullet as Sherlock screams in pain.

Moriarty prepares to kill Watson... but not before
revealing that Mary is alive, and in Russian hands.

Moriarty and Watson struggle while scaling a sheer stone wall,
100 feet off the ground... live on stage with no budget!

After a struggle with Moriarty, Watson scales the
minaret where he was being held, climbing to safety.

Yes, all stories have a Beginning, a Middle and an End.
"The Beginning of the End starts now," declares Watson.
"My love... I AM COMING!"

EPISODE FIFTEEN (4/17/10)

Watson travels by ferry to Cyprus to find and rescue Mary.

On the ferry.

Inspector Hopkins (Michael Holmes) of Scotland Yard is also on the ferry. He is the emissary
that Holmes was meant to protect. He's now Watson's responsibility.  He knows where
where Mary is... but needs a message carried to the Russians in exchange.

Irene is emotionally exhausted after Holmes' surgery.
Freud once again makes an inappropriate pass at her.

Holmes is out of his sickbed at last. Freud tells him he should not be walking around.
"There's a lot of internal bleeding. Trust me, I caused, like, 50 percent."
But Holmes is determined to complete his mission. He declares he's
going to Cyprus to help Watson... and promptly passes out.

Tsar Alexander III (Bryan Krasner) should never
be interrupted while he is eating his chicken.

Mary falls foul of this rule.

Watson and Mary are reunited at last, but Tsar Alexander holds a knife to her throat.

"You have something I want, and I have something you want.
You want happy ever after, da?  So... what will it be?"

EPISODE SIXTEEN (4/24/10)

"A story never truly ends. When a novel is completed, one needs
only to flip back to the first page to start the journey all over again."

Holmes lies dying in Irene's arms.

Freud is being inappropriate, as usual, but Irene
finally persuades him to leave them alone.

Can this be the end of Sherlock Holmes?

Meanwhile, Mary (Carrie Wiita) is still the Tsar's captive.

Watson informs an outraged Tsar that Moriarty was also employed by the Turks.

Inspector Hopkins bears a promise from Queen Victoria that if the Tsar backs off of his claim on Cypress,
the British will keep it out of Turkish hands.  Otherwise, he may find himself at war with England.

The Tsar relents. Mary is released, and the two are in one another's arms again at last.

However, the reunion was fated to be short-lived.  Several months later,
Mary fell victim to consumption. Though he had taken steps out of Holmes'
shadow, he could never step into the light without his love by his side.

But what's this? Holmes? Alive? "That ending there with
me and Miss Adler... I didn't know I was such a romantic!"
It seems that Watson has been... embellishing the truth.

Holmes points out that even if Watson does kill him off
in his fiction, a hue and cry from the public would
force Watson to resurrect him for more tales.

Watson reflects on all the players in the story of his life.

"My journey was really just beginning. I HAD taken that
first step. The rest would be merely... elementary."

EPISODE SEVENTEEN  (5/29/10) - PLAYOFFS WEEK TWO!

Beginning a new tale: "Watson and the Dark Arts of Harry Houdini"

The new tale begins with a mysterious letter... and tragedy.

The mysterious "E.W." (Michael Holmes) intones a dark poem by H.P. Lovecraft.  He sends the poem
in a letter to Holmes and Watson, and tells them that somebody close to them has been killed.

That someone, Irene Adler, was brutally murdered by assailants unknown.

Watson attempts to hide the letter from Holmes, but he finds it and deduces who has died.
"Irene's death will not go unpunished... I will, if necessary crawl through Hell, and bring all of Heaven down with it!"

"The death of the only woman that Sherlock Holmes ever truly loved would fuel a descent into
darkness that would test us both... and in the end, it would be a test only one of us would pass."

EPISODE EIGHTEEN  (6/5/10) - PLAYOFFS WEEK THREE!

Watson is haunted by thoughts of Mary and Irene.  Mary is forgiving, but Irene is accusatory.
"You were my life," says Mary.  "You were the death of me," says Irene.
"It's not your fault," consoles Mary.  "You will never let this go," warns Irene.

Freud is unsympathetic, as usual.

A gaslit Watson ponders his fate.

Holmes is obsessed. "There are no other cases but this one!"  However, it's out of their
authority... Irene was murdered in the United States. The police there are handling things.

Holmes realizes the letter is dated April 7... Irene was murdered on April 9. And the letter was hand delivered.
Obviously, it was written by somebody who foretold the murder... somebody well-versed in spiritualism.

"The man who wrote this letter, Mr. Ehrich Weiss, is none other than Harry Houdini...
we are in for quite the adventure, Watson. Quite the adventure."

EPISODE NINETEEN  (6/12/10) - PLAYOFFS WEEK FOUR!

"Why do I continue to torture myself?" Freud advises
Watson that he has two choices: fight... or give in.

Freud once again offers an unnecessarily extended metaphor.

Memories of Irene and Moriarty torture Watson with guilt.

Holmes and Watson set sail for New York.  On board, Watson meets Violet Hunter (Vivian Kerr).
"You're Sherlock Holmes' assistant? I do so love it when you bumble about!"

However, she quickly amends that the real John Watson is much more
charming than the literary one. There appear to be sparks between the two.

"You should donate that steeple to a local church!"
Holmes teases Watson about Violet.

Holmes reveals he booked them travel on the same ship as Houdini, so he can
observe him.  Houdini soon discovers this.  "I will await you in America, Mr. Holmes.
And then you will see it is not you observing me... but me watching you."

EPISODE TWENTY  (6/19/10) - PLAYOFFS WEEK FIVE!

Watson expounds upon the size and scope of New York City,
while Sherlock Holmes once again proves a master of disguise.

"...and, presto change-o, a new man."  A disguised Holmes hopes
to sow confusion and therefore throw Houdini off their trail.

Watson takes Violet Hunter - who, it transpires, has also suffered the
loss of a spouse - to Coney Island - the site of Irene's death - where a
suspiciously familiar looking barker exhorts them to ride the carousel.

The carousel turns faster and faster.  Violet is attacked.  Watson fends
him off, and they have to jump.  When he lands, Violet has vanished.

Houdini - disguised as Holmes - stabs Watson.
"You might not realize it yet... but I am helping you."
"Mary... Mary, please forgive me. MARY!"

EPISODE TWENTY-ONE  (6/26/10) - PLAYOFFS WEEK SIX (FINALS)!

Holmes is agitated, and Mycroft cannot comfort him. "He is lost,"
cries Holmes.  "Gone. And I am not sure if we can bring him back."

Watson accuses Dr. Freud of being unprofessional.  Freud begs to differ.

Freud's unconventional therapy continues... and leads to a breakthrough.  But he is not yet finished.

Back into Watson's memories, just after he's been stabbed.
"Mary! Please forgive me! MARY!"

Watson pursues Houdini through a Hall of Mirrors.  Houdini says he's trying to help him, and nothing is as it seems.
Watson demands to know where Violet is. "Don't you mean Mary?" "No... Mary is dead. And now, so are you."

Watson corners Houdini and is about to kill him, but Houdini implores him to stop and think.
A murder with no motive, no clues... in all his years with Holmes, has he ever seen
a case like this? Would could the explanation be?  Think... "Where are you now?"

It transpires that he's not on Coney Island at all... but at Freud's.
There is no Violet (Alexis Wolfe). She's an assistant of Houdini's.

Freud sought Houdini's help with Watson... who was driven mad by Mary's death...
ten years ago. The death of Irene, Houdini, Coney Island... all of it was Watson's delusion.

Holmes comforts Watson, but Watson must take the final step alone.
Watson must finally make peace with Mary's death.
 "Finish the story," implores Holmes.  "Say goodbye."

A final farewell.

"Goodbye."