Warning: SPOILERS for Watson season 1, episode 13, "My Life's Work Part 2."

Moriarty’s ultimate plans finally came to light in the Watson’s cast of characters see some pretty dark things already. They’ve dealt with dying children, people whose life-saving treatments were prevented by unnecessary red tape, and most recently the near loss of two beloved colleagues.

It's fair that the season would go out with a bang. It was evident from the end of the very first episode that Moriarty was cooking up one of his most devious and potentially deadly plans yet. And because Moriarty’s introduction helped fuel Watson’s generally positive reviews, fans of both the series and the original Sherlock Holmes stories needed Moriarty to pay off in a big way. His storyline certainly did end with a significant payoff, but it’s doubtful whether it was the payoff most viewers would have expected.

How Watson Saves The Croft Twins

Sherlock’s Coin Only Won Half The Battle

With only one dose of the virus needed to save Adam and Stephens from Moriarty’s homegrown bioweapon, Watson makes the difficult decision to flip a coin given to him by Sherlock in the hopes that Holmes’ wisdom would guide him to the right choice. In a cruel twist of fate, the coin picks Adam to live despite Stephens being an infectious disease specialist with a better chance of finding a cure. The hunt is then on to track down Moriarty’s lab so they can simply steal a dose of the cure while Stephens still has time left.

Thanks to Moriarty’s representative Hannah having a sick daughter, Watson is able to treat her in exchange for help tracking down Moriarty’s cure. Unfortunately, Ingrid tips Moriarty off to increase security before Hannah and Shinwell arrive. In the end, Ingrid’s guilt gets the better of her until she agrees to help Watson blackmail Moriarty into giving them the cure. With the same deviousness she’s shown in helping Moriarty, Ingrid helps Watson acquire Moriarty’s DNA in order to manufacture a similar disease to that with which he targeted the Crofts, forcing Moriarty to save Stephens in exchange for his own life.

Moriarty’s Plan Explained

A Devilish Way Of Sewing Chaos

One of Moriarty’s primary fears when Watson offers to cure him is what will happen afterward. He has every reason to be afraid, because Moriarty’s ultimate plan in Watson would likely earn a person multiple life sentences. While it seemed clear from the series premiere that Moriarty’s plan involved some sort of bioweapon created from UHOP’s genetic samples, Moriarty didn’t aim to create a widespread virus but rather sew global discord with as few deaths as possible. As Hannah explains, Moriarty can push humanity toward a chaotic tipping point simply by killing off the entire presidential line of succession simultaneously.

While it’s perhaps not shocking that Moriarty’s plan never comes to fruition, its reveal alone shows just how much respect Watson’s writers have for Sherlock’s rival. A widespread pandemic would certainly raise the stakes, but one of the things that makes Moriarty such a great villain is his ruthless efficiency in pursuing his plans. If Moriarty can frighten the world into doing what he wants with 18 steps, then infecting millions of people simply isn’t worth his time. It’s a level of appreciation for the character that makes his final outcome somewhat disappointing.

Moriarty Dies In Watson Season 1 Finale (How His Death Impacts Season 2)

Watson May Have Two Antagonists Next Season

Randall Park’s casting as Moriarty in Watson worked out better than most might have guessed before seeing him play the character onscreen, so it’s been exciting to see how he might grow as a threat throughout the series. But the candle might have gone out on that future, as it’s revealed that Watson cured the disease he gave Moriarty only to inflict the professor with a fatal stroke. Technically speaking, Watson never broke his promise to cure Moriarty. But his oath as a doctor tells him to do no harm, and letting Moriarty live would be the greatest harm imaginable.

This could have earth-shattering ramifications in Watson season 2. First of all, Watson only just developed a professional relationship with the series’ version of Lestrade, the Scotland Yard inspector from Doyle’s stories now rewritten as a Pittsburgh detective. If she comes to learn of Moriarty’s death, Watson could become a subject of investigation. Moriarty’s hatchet man Sebastian Moran may also rise to become a new villain after learning of his employer’s death, and he poses a much more urgent physical threat. Holmes didn’t refer to Doyle’s original Moran as the second most dangerous man in London without reason.

How Else Watson Season 1 Sets Up Season 2

Love Is In The Air In Watson Season 2

Given that Watson’s bioweapon subplot arguably makes Randall Park the most dangerous version of Professor Moriarty, it wouldn’t be surprising if the man who died was merely a body double being pressured by Moran (much like the pharmacist who took his own life to save Shinwell). However, whether Moriarty returns or Moran takes his place, Moriarty’s subordinate Hannah becoming an ally could make her doubly important in Watson season 2. Shinwell’s still prey to an unknown illness, and he and Hannah still know the location of the secure lab that likely holds a cure.

The two-week time skip at the end of the Watson season 1 finale leaves it open-ended whether Shinwell’s issue has already been resolved or not, but it also points toward some more lighthearted storylines to expect in Watson season 2. After working with her to save Hannah’s daughter, Watson has now been on three dates with oncologist Laila Bynum while Stephens and Lubbock are exploring their own new relationship. Watson’s tryst with Laila might be threatened if she learns that he murdered a professor and kept his shirt like a trophy killer, but that’s a bridge to cross later.

What To Expect From Watson Season 2

Derian’s Exit Needs To Be Hastily Addressed

It’s unknown just how much influence Moriarty will continue to have on the series, but there’s bound to be fallout from his death. Whether the pressure comes from Lestrade, Moran, neither, or both, Watson’s not the kind of character who’s likely to kill a man without at least experiencing emotional consequences. If Moran does show up, it will be his first time appearing onscreen in the series despite multiple references to his character. Viewers can also expect to see the series continue touching upon light sci-fi elements, as it did with Moriarty’s bioweapon and the man with the glowing chest.

But the first thing the series will have to deal with is Derian’s apparent departure from UHOP. She used the Crofts’ illness as leverage to coerce Mary into sparing her job, but Stephens himself asked Ingrid to leave after learning that she’d helped Moriarty nearly kill him and Adam in the first place. Assuming that Watson season 2 isn’t going to start out with a missing character, Derian will have to find her way back to UHOP fairly early in the season. After that, she may be in for a very long redemption arc before the team truly forgives her.

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