Joan Watson
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Joan Watson |
| Occupation: | Consulting Detective |
| Relationships: | Friend of Sherlock Holmes, colleague of Marcus Bell and Tommy Gregson, daughter of Mary Watson |
| Fandom: | Elementary |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Joan Watson is a modern-day reimagining of the Sherlock Holmes character John Watson on the CBS show Elementary. The actress who portrays her is Lucy Liu.
Canon History
Joan is a former surgeon who quit the medical profession after a patient died on her table. She first met Sherlock Holmes when she was hired by his father to be his sober companion. They became friends, and after her time in that role had ended Sherlock offered to teach her how to become a consulting detective. They lived together for the first two seasons of the show, but in the season two finale Joan was in the process of moving out. In the next season, Joan eventually moves back in.
In her personal life, Joan has ex-boyfriends named Ty Morstan and Liam Danow, and during the second season she began a relationship with Sherlock's brother, Mycroft, that ended when he faked his death. Her mother is Mary Watson, a Chinese-American woman; her birth father has schizophrenia and is homeless; her White step-father gave her family the "Watson" name. She has at least one brother, named Oren, and one half-sister, named Lin Wen. Her friends outside of her life with Sherlock include Carrie Dwyer and Emily Hankins.
Fandom
Common Pairings
Sherlock Holmes/Joan Watson is by far the most common romantic pairing, and the dominant pairing in the Elementary fandom.[1] The next most common pairing is the femslash pairing Jamie Moriarty/Joan Watson,[2] and minor pairings include Joan/Marcus, Joan/Ms. Hudson, and Joan/Carrie.
Fanon and Common Tropes in Fanworks
This article or section needs expansion. |
Fan Reactions
One of the major ways Elementary stands out from other Holmes adaptations to me is how they wrote Watson. Like it would've been so easy to write her like any other Watson, brilliant, yes, undoubtedly, but forever attached to Sherlock. Watson is there because Sherlock wills it so, because Sherlock needs a rock and because Sherlock Holmes is a man forever in need of a partner. Usually. But they broke that. They said this is Dr Joan Watson, and she is incandescent and ruthless.[3]
Example Fanworks
Fanfiction
- All I Want for Christmas is You (to Help Me Find Evidence to Take Down a Brainwashing, Kidnapping Cult) by Margo_Kim: Joan/Ms. Hudson fluff written for Yuletide 2013. (2,972 words)
- Games We Don't Play (link) by igrockspock: Joan/Marcus developing relationship and Joan & Sherlock friendship fic. Written for Rare Women 2013. (3,374 words)
- A Lopsided Symmetry of Sin and Virtue (link) by language_escapes: Joan/Sherlock fake married casefic from Joan's POV. (25,610 words)
- maybe she's gone and i can't resurrect her by thatcolossalwreck: Joan/Moriarty. (2,689 words)
- waltz across naïve wood floors. (link) by paperclipbitch: Platonic Joan & Sherlock slice of life fic. (4,101 words)
Fan Art
Joan Watson by Yu Lyn Chen
6 Joan Watsons by ebonhawking
Joan Watson by suanlee
Joan Watson by athingthatexists
Portrait #41: Joan Watson by rflaum
Fan Vids
- My Secret by such heights
Meta
- so the thing is, back when i first watched s3 of elementary i was not a fan of joan coming to this moment, Archived version by variousqueerthings
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Archives and Communities
Links and Resources
- Joan Watson on the Elementary Wiki.
- Joan Watson tag on Elementary Meta.
- Joan Watson character studies on Elementary Meta.
References
- ^ As of 22 May 2013, 278 of the 1,033 Elementary fics on AO3 are tagged Joan/Sherlock.
- ^ As of 22 May 2013, 32 of the 1,033 Elementary fics on AO3 are tagged Joan/Moriarty.
- ^ "Tumblr post by high-warlock-of-brooklyn, July 15, 2024". Archived from the original on 2024-07-20.