The Watson: Difference between revisions

Line 1:

{{quote|''"You are beautifully and perfectly balanced. In you sanity is personified. Do you realize what that means to me? When the criminal sets out to do a crime, his first effort is to deceive. Whom does he seek to deceive? The image in his mind is that of the normal man. There is probably no such thing actually - it is a mathematical abstraction. But you come as near to realizing it as is possible...how does this profit me? Simply in this way. As in a mirror I see reflected in your mind exactly what the criminal wishes me to believe. That is terrifically helpful and suggestive."''|'''Hercule Poirot''', to his ~~[[The~~ Watson~~|Watson]]~~ and [[Heterosexual Life Partners|Life Partner]] Captain Hastings, "Lord Edgware Dies"}}

{{quote|''"You are beautifully and perfectly balanced. In you sanity is personified. Do you realize what that means to me? When the criminal sets out to do a crime, his first effort is to deceive. Whom does he seek to deceive? The image in his mind is that of the normal man. There is probably no such thing actually - it is a mathematical abstraction. But you come as near to realizing it as is possible...how does this profit me? Simply in this way. As in a mirror I see reflected in your mind exactly what the criminal wishes me to believe. That is terrifically helpful and suggestive."''|'''Hercule Poirot''', to his Watson and [[Heterosexual Life Partners|Life Partner]] Captain Hastings, "Lord Edgware Dies"}}

The Watson is the character whose job it is to ask the same questions the audience must be asking and let other characters explain what's going on. Distinct from [[Mr. Exposition]] in that [[The Watson]] is [[The Storyteller]] archetype, and often allows another character to become [[Mr. Exposition]] within the story's context. May also be [[The Ishmael]], with the entire story viewed from his eyes.

'''The Watson''' is the character whose job it is to ask the same questions the audience must be asking and let other characters explain what's going on. Distinct from [[Mr. Exposition]] in that The Watson is [[The Storyteller]] archetype, and often allows another character to become [[Mr. Exposition]] within the story's context. May also be [[The Ishmael]], with the entire story viewed from his eyes.

Generally, female variants of The Watson will have a bit more character development and a larger role within the story (but not too much larger). She will be inevitably attractive, serving a dual role -- giving the children someone to like and the [[Parent Service|adults someone to tune in for]].

Line 13:

Science fiction fans may know this character as The Sarah Jane, after (arguably) the most popular of the many companions who had things explained to them on ''[[Doctor Who]].'' In fact, actress Louise Jameson, who played another of the Doctor's companions, explained her decision to leave after a relatively short tenure as being motivated by the fact that, "There are only so many ways you can say 'What is it, Doctor?'"

On occasions, you get [[The Watson]] being cleverer than [[Mr. Exposition]], which results in some problems, but occasionally works.

On occasions, you get The Watson being cleverer than [[Mr. Exposition]], which results in some problems, but occasionally works.

Often in fantasy settings, [[The Watson]] is the character with more [[Only Sane Man|"real world" sensibilities]] (sometimes because he's been transplanted ''from'' the real world: John Crichton (''[[Farscape]]'') often got to act as [[The Watson]] in early episodes, for example), prompting [[Mr. Exposition]] to explain the "rules" of the fantasy world.

Often in fantasy settings, The Watson is the character with more [[Only Sane Man|"real world" sensibilities]] (sometimes because he's been transplanted ''from'' the real world: John Crichton (''[[Farscape]]'') often got to act as The Watson in early episodes, for example), prompting [[Mr. Exposition]] to explain the "rules" of the fantasy world.

In parody, it is becoming increasingly common for [[The Watson]] to be a character who isn't [[Genre Blindness|genre blind]] to the sillier tropes, often making [[Mr. Exposition]] look like something of a buffoon (as in ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'', where Scott Evil [[Stating the Simple Solution|asks why his father]] [[Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him|doesn't just shoot Austin]], instead preferring to put him in an easily escapable [[Death Trap]]). See [[Genre Savvy]].

In parody, it is becoming increasingly common for The Watson to be a character who isn't [[Genre Blindness|genre blind]] to the sillier tropes, often making [[Mr. Exposition]] look like something of a buffoon (as in ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'', where Scott Evil [[Stating the Simple Solution|asks why his father]] [[Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him|doesn't just shoot Austin]], instead preferring to put him in an easily escapable [[Death Trap]]). See [[Genre Savvy]].

Aside from serving as an [[Audience Surrogate]], the Watson can also play an important but often overlooked role in the story itself. As many of the examples show, the Watson's comments and actions often help the detective in figuring out the mystery. While the Watson may not be able to solve the cases himself, he often gives the detective the final crucial insights that point him in the right direction.

Line 29:

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* We rarely ever get a first-person perspective on ''[[Akagi]]'''s thoughts - as the point of view is mainly given to Yasuoka (oddly enough a detective), who observes and attempts to decrypt Akagi's genius from the sidelines.

* In ''[[Death Note]],'' Ryuk, a [[Shinigami]], often acts as [[The Watson]] to Light's plans. That is, when he's not just standing behind Light silently chuckling. Or standing on his head.

* In ''[[Death Note]],'' Ryuk, a [[Shinigami]], often acts as The Watson to Light's plans. That is, when he's not just standing behind Light silently chuckling. Or standing on his head.

** Touta Matsuda in the same series is used as [[The Watson]] for the police side of events, mainly due to his being a male version of [[The Ditz]].

** Touta Matsuda in the same series is used as The Watson for the police side of events, mainly due to his being a male version of [[The Ditz]].

** Amnesia!Light and Watari are also this to L, being just different ages in Watson.

* Manta Oyamada in ''[[Shaman King]]'' acts as [[The Watson]] to Yoh Asakura, being the narrator but not [[The Hero]].

* Manta Oyamada in ''[[Shaman King]]'' acts as The Watson to Yoh Asakura, being the narrator but not [[The Hero]].

* Hiyono in ''[[Spiral]]'' tends to get dropped into this role, and if she isn't, Kousuke is. Hiyo-Hiyo is reasonably clever, and Kou-chan even more so, but that doesn't say much when the entire main cast is made up of child prodigies.

* Rick Wheeler/Ryu Suzaku in ''[[F-Zero]]: Falcon Densetsu''. (You know this show as the one that [[Ascended Meme|Ascended]] '''[[Memetic Mutation|"FALCON PUUUUUUUNCH!!!"]]''')

Line 65:

== [[Film]] ==

* Jack Ryan in ''[[The Hunt for Red October]]'' plays [[The Watson]] for all the submarine action, letting the boat captains play [[Mr. Exposition]]. Similarly, Seaman Beaumont plays [[The Watson]] for sonar terms, letting Sonar Technician Jones explain everything.

* Jack Ryan in ''[[The Hunt for Red October]]'' plays The Watson for all the submarine action, letting the boat captains play [[Mr. Exposition]]. Similarly, Seaman Beaumont plays The Watson for sonar terms, letting Sonar Technician Jones explain everything.

* In the DVD commentary for ''[[Ghostbusters]]'', Ivan Reitman says the character of Winston Zeddemore was intended to serve this purpose.

* Marty McFly fills this role from time to time in ''[[Back to The Future]]'' so Doc can explain some of the time travel mechanics.

* Massively subverted by Donnie in ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'', who is utterly [[Locked Out of the Loop]].

* In the movie ''[[Fantastic Voyage]]'', and in the [[Isaac Asimov]] novelization, [[The Watson]] is secret agent and former combat swimmer Charles Grant. Asimov's version makes him a bit less of a dunce; on occasion, Grant can actually figure something out from his general knowledge of human anatomy, instead of needing the knowledge spoonfed to him.

* In the movie ''[[Fantastic Voyage]]'', and in the [[Isaac Asimov]] novelization, The Watson is secret agent and former combat swimmer Charles Grant. Asimov's version makes him a bit less of a dunce; on occasion, Grant can actually figure something out from his general knowledge of human anatomy, instead of needing the knowledge spoonfed to him.

* ''[[The Terminator|Terminator: Salvation]]'': Marcus

** ''[[The Terminator]]'': Sarah Connor

Line 86:

== [[Literature]] ==

* The trope namer is Dr. John Watson, the narrator from the ''[[Sherlock Holmes]]'' stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, who often asks the title character to explain his baffling logical leaps. Holmes then explains the logic used in solving the case, allowing the author to describe the finer points of the story without disrupting the narrative flow. Unlike the character found in some lesser adaptations, Watson is not a chubby dullard, but a very intelligent and bold man who occasionally contributes his own observations to cases, though he is not always completely correct. Holmes often makes use of Watson's medical knowledge and fresh perspective to keep his deductions sharp. In ''A Study In Scarlet'', a puzzled Watson rattles off all the unanswered questions about the case, and Holmes commends him for pointing out the main difficulties. It's implied that Holmes is glad to have someone who he can fruitfully discuss the case with, which is more than can be said for [[Police Are Useless|Inspectors Lestrade and Gregson]]. Holmes even acknowledges Watson's importance in providing him with critical insights, saying, "...you are not yourself luminous, but as a conductor of light, you are unparalleled!"

* Captain Hastings in several of [[Agatha Christie]]'s Hercule [[Poirot]] stories, on the other hand, was most definitely [[The Watson]] - in fact, he resembled the [[Flanderization|flanderized]] Watson more than the original Watson did. He readily [[Lampshaded]] this fact too, calling himself "the humble Watson" in jest.

* Captain Hastings in several of [[Agatha Christie]]'s Hercule [[Poirot]] stories, on the other hand, was most definitely The Watson - in fact, he resembled the [[Flanderization|flanderized]] Watson more than the original Watson did. He readily [[Lampshaded]] this fact too, calling himself "the humble Watson" in jest.

** Dr. Sheppard fulfills this role in ''The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'' when Poirot is on a [[Busman's Holiday]]. {{spoiler|However, turns out he's the killer}}

* Most stories about a [[Utopia]], particularly those written before the mid-twentieth century, tend to feature a lead character who is a Watson combined with a [[Naive Newcomer]]. The plot generally consisted of the Watson being led around the utopia asking questions about how it works. The [[Exposition Fairy]] who lived in the utopia would then explain how the utopia worked in exhaustive detail. Really poorly thought out utopian novels ''did not'' combine this trope with the [[Naive Newcomer]] and hence had the [[Exposition Fairy]] tell [[The Watson]] things they already knew for no apparent reason. Generally declined in usage after modern exposition techniques, (ie "Show, Don't Tell") were developed. Examples include Julian West from ''Looking Backward''by Edward Bellamy, Guest from ''News from Nowhere'' by [[William Morris]], and the Botanist from ''A Modern Utopia'' by H. G. Wells. An example of a Watson who ''isn't'' combined with the [[Naive Newcomer]] is Alice from ''Ralph 124C 41+'' by Hugo Gernsback.

* Most stories about a [[Utopia]], particularly those written before the mid-twentieth century, tend to feature a lead character who is a Watson combined with a [[Naive Newcomer]]. The plot generally consisted of the Watson being led around the utopia asking questions about how it works. The [[Exposition Fairy]] who lived in the utopia would then explain how the utopia worked in exhaustive detail. Really poorly thought out utopian novels ''did not'' combine this trope with the [[Naive Newcomer]] and hence had the [[Exposition Fairy]] tell The Watson things they already knew for no apparent reason. Generally declined in usage after modern exposition techniques, (ie "Show, Don't Tell") were developed. Examples include Julian West from ''Looking Backward''by Edward Bellamy, Guest from ''News from Nowhere'' by [[William Morris]], and the Botanist from ''A Modern Utopia'' by H. G. Wells. An example of a Watson who ''isn't'' combined with the [[Naive Newcomer]] is Alice from ''Ralph 124C 41+'' by Hugo Gernsback.

** Slightly subverted in ''The Twenty-One Balloons,'' where the [[Naive Newcomer]] only needed the weirdest elements of the utopia explained to him.

* In the [[Aubrey-Maturin]] series, Stephen Maturin acts as a Watson in all matters nautical, conveniently (for the reader) refusing to learn to tell one sail from another however long he lives on a ship.

Line 102:

*** While Harry plays the Watson a good deal of the time, a few times he's considerably ahead of the others, and not just by blind luck either. At least two times in the final novel, he proves to be far ahead of the other two members of the Trio in figuring out what's going on. {{spoiler|It helps that he can see exactly what Voldemort is doing, and to some extent, what Voldemort is thinking. He also shows himself quite capable of [[Chekhov's Gun|asking the right questions]].}}

** And EVERYBODY is this trope for [[The Chessmaster|Albus Dumbledore]]. There's a [[Info Dump|"Dumbledore Explains It All" scene]] at the end of every book, except the sixth when it's not at the end. There's even one of those scenes in [[Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows|the last book]], ''[[Spirit Mentor|even though Dumbledore's dead at the time.]]''

* [[Tom Swift]] generally has one of these on hand. In the "[http://tomswift.bobfinnan.com/ts2.htm Tom Swift, Jr.]" series of books published in the 1950s, it was Bud Barclay. The [[Recycled in Space]]! series which followed in the early 1980s had Benjamin Franklin Walking Eagle. One [[Continuity Reboot]] later, [[The Watson]] was Rick "test to destruction!" Cantwell.

* [[Tom Swift]] generally has one of these on hand. In the "[http://tomswift.bobfinnan.com/ts2.htm Tom Swift, Jr.]" series of books published in the 1950s, it was Bud Barclay. The [[Recycled in Space]]! series which followed in the early 1980s had Benjamin Franklin Walking Eagle. One [[Continuity Reboot]] later, The Watson was Rick "test to destruction!" Cantwell.

* Archie Goodwin, Watson to [[Nero Wolfe]]'s Holmes. Subverted slightly in that Archie is a capable detective in his own right, and would frequently figure out the murderer just as Wolfe does. Since he writes his "reports" for an audience, however, he usually doesn't let the reader in on it until Wolfe explains the mystery.

** Like Watson, Archie frequently gets [[Flanderization|flanderized]] into a dull-witted womanizer in adaptations, with only his outstanding memory being kept.

Line 122:

** In one ep (just after he's 'lost' another one), the Doctor starts babbling to thin air, and then stops cause he realizes no one's listening.

** Funnily enough, Sarah Jane herself gets her own Watsons in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', in the form of Maria, Luke and Clyde (and later Rani). Though in this show it's the boys, and not Maria, who tend to get captured more often... though they are still savvy enough to get themselves out of it too.

** In the newer episodes of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', the Doctor himself is often [[The Watson]], asking the natives of whatever time and place he's landed in [[What Year Is This?|what's going on]] and [[Armor-Piercing Question|why they're doing what they're doing]].

** In the newer episodes of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', the Doctor himself is often The Watson, asking the natives of whatever time and place he's landed in [[What Year Is This?|what's going on]] and [[Armor-Piercing Question|why they're doing what they're doing]].

** Parodied in the [[Mitch Benn]] song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1QgCx1CIaQ "Be My Doctor Who Girl"]:

{{quote| Be my Doctor Who girl, follow me a lot<br />

Line 142:

* The core cast of ''[[Lexx]]'' had a pretty clear division between Holmeses and Watsons. Kai was 2000 years old with thousands of strangers' lifetimes in his memory, 790 was a robot with knowledge of every sector in the universe (and wireless internet directly to his brain), and Stan and Xev were illiterate fugitives from a world where humans lived in boxes and were taught nothing more than needed to do their jobs. They not only needed explanations for [[Polarity Reversal]] and [[wikipedia:Star lifting|star lifting]], but also for concepts like ''books.''

{{quote| '''Kai''': Books contain useful information... sometimes. And interesting stories... less often.}}

* Illya Kuryakin played [[The Watson]] at the climax of the third season ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' episode "The Five Daughters Affair, Part II":

* Illya Kuryakin played The Watson at the climax of the third season ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' episode "The Five Daughters Affair, Part II":

{{quote| [''THRUSH operative Randolph, having gotten Dr. Simon True's seawater-to-gold extraction formula away from U.N.C.L.E., is gloating before Solo and Kuryakin'']<br />

'''Randolph''': Imagine, tons of gold, tons! Pouring into our storage vats. [''Kuryakin raises his hand''] Yes?<br />

Line 154:

** Occasionally subverted when the cops grab the wrong end of the stick and completely misunderstand the profile, or think about it and realize it applies to half the local population.

* On ''[[The A-Team]]'', Face was usually this to Hannibal when he explained that episode's plan, bringing up potential snags and problems that they could run into, but Murdock, B. A., and/or (in the early seasons) [[The Chick|Amy or Tawnia]] could fill this role instead or simultaneously.

* In ''[[Prison Break]]'', Sucre was [[The Watson]] to Michael during the first season. Lampshaded by the actor, who commented on how his main role in the plot was to ask Michael "what are you doing?" or "what do we do next?" In later seasons, this role would fall to whoever happened to be with Michael at the time, such as Lincoln and Sara. Mahone also had his own Watson during season 2, but since Mahone was a baddie at the time, it didn't quite play out the same way.

* In ''[[Prison Break]]'', Sucre was The Watson to Michael during the first season. Lampshaded by the actor, who commented on how his main role in the plot was to ask Michael "what are you doing?" or "what do we do next?" In later seasons, this role would fall to whoever happened to be with Michael at the time, such as Lincoln and Sara. Mahone also had his own Watson during season 2, but since Mahone was a baddie at the time, it didn't quite play out the same way.

* Tori Vega in ''[[Victorious]]'', as a [[New Transfer Student]] who is a talented musician but untrained, is this with her asking questions that the rest of the cast can then explain what certain theatrical or musical plot relevant terms mean in case the audience don't know.

* Teresa Lisbon to Patrick Jane in ''[[The Mentalist]]''.

Line 164:

** [[Inspector Morse]] had Sergeant Lewis, then Inspector [[Lewis]] had Sergeant Hathaway.

** DCI Jim [[Taggart]] had DS Michael Jardine and DS Jackie Reid, then DCI Jardine had DS Reid and DC Stuart Fraser. Currently DCI Matthew Burke, DI Reid and DI Robbie Ross have DS Mita Rahim.

** [[Midsomer Murders|DCI Tom Barnaby]] had Sergeant Troy, replaced first by Sergeant Scott and then by Sergeant Jones, who continues to serve as [[The Watson]] to Barnaby's [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]] cousin, DCI John Barnaby.

** [[Midsomer Murders|DCI Tom Barnaby]] had Sergeant Troy, replaced first by Sergeant Scott and then by Sergeant Jones, who continues to serve as The Watson to Barnaby's [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]] cousin, DCI John Barnaby.

** [[A Touch of Frost|DI Jack Frost]] has a rotating cast of sidekicks. The most prominent ones are DS Hazel Wallace and DS [[C Live]] Barnard.

* Similar to the ''[[Frasier]]'' example above, Robin was this in the first two or three seasons of ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'', asking questions about situations or conversations that relied on backstory from Ted, Marshall, and Lily's long, closely-shared history together so that the characters (or Future Ted) had an excuse to explain it to the viewer. It's implied Barney has had most of these things explained to him before 2005. By season 3-4, Robin (and the audience) had already gotten a huge amount of pre-series backstory and isn't much of a Watson anymore, and so the writers started to rely more on in-show established continuity to form the basis of these kinds of stories, usually heralded by Future Ted remarking "Kids, remember how I told you about that time..."

Line 192:

== [[Video Games]] ==

* The various Snakes of the ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' franchise seem to serve this role well, although the exact reason why is pretty [[Player Character|obvious]]. The original idea behind the [[And Now for Someone Completely Different|protagonist switch]] was that Snake would have someone to be [[The Watson]] ''for'' him instead of being [[The Watson]] himself, letting him come across as more astute and mature. ([[Hideo Kojima]] even cited inspiration from ''[[Sherlock Holmes]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who]]'' for the idea.)

* The various Snakes of the ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' franchise seem to serve this role well, although the exact reason why is pretty [[Player Character|obvious]]. The original idea behind the [[And Now for Someone Completely Different|protagonist switch]] was that Snake would have someone to be The Watson ''for'' him instead of being The Watson himself, letting him come across as more astute and mature. ([[Hideo Kojima]] even cited inspiration from ''[[Sherlock Holmes]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who]]'' for the idea.)

** And he happens to be the most (only?) reality-grounded character in ''[[Super Smash Bros]] Brawl'' to boot, making for some hilarious codec calls where he [[Meta Guy|tries to come to grips with the weirdness of the game]].

* In ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'', the [[Player Character]] Tidus fakes amnesia so that he can play the Watson to the rest of the cast (he actually has a real reason for not knowing the the things he asks about, but it doesn't fly too well with the xenophobic people he hangs around with). Unfortunately in order to make sure that [[Viewers are Morons|every player]] is keeping up with the plot, Tidus finds himself ''constantly'' bugging people for exposition, to the point where his friends aren't sure if he's actually amnesiac or just an idiot. Fortuantely for everyone, he gets better as the plot goes on.

Line 204:

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* In the webcomic ''[[Erfworld]]'', the character Parson acts as both [[The Watson]] inside the narrative and [[Mr. Exposition]] through a diary.

* In the webcomic ''[[Erfworld]]'', the character Parson acts as both The Watson inside the narrative and [[Mr. Exposition]] through a diary.

* ''[[Order of the Stick]]'' has a procession of short-lived hobgoblin cleric assistants that can cast ''Transmute Redcloak to [[Mr. Exposition]]'' at will.

** [[Word of God]] says that this was always Jirix; he just kept getting resurrected off-screen.

** Qarr the imp has become [[The Watson]] to the Inter-Fiend Cooperation Commission.

** Qarr the imp has become The Watson to the Inter-Fiend Cooperation Commission.

* ''[[MSF High]]'': This is Donovan's role. Fortunately, he is also [[The Hero]] in training.

* As pointed out in ''[http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=210 Hark, a Vagrant!]'', Dr Watson does seem to get unfairly [[Flanderization|flanderized]] in most portrayals outside of the original Sherlock Holmes novels.