Hi Dr. Watson,
I just want to say: thank you.
Thank you for existing. Thank you for being one the best Asian female characters I’ve seen on screen in my entire life. Because I can count on my finger how many times I feel represented in Western media, and this is that one time I feel so represented I can cry. Before you, there was Olivia Dunham, the lead character from a sci-fi TV show called Fringe. She was a fearless and headstrong FBI agent who lived by her principles and excelled at her job and her role as an aunt. When 13-year-old me saw that, I was in awe. Do you know that there was a period of time I asked my family to call me Olivia? How silly of me! But I did. I was so fond of the portrayal of Olivia Dunham that I told everyone around me who was willing to listen about it, but none of them took me seriously. And I found myself wishing that she wasn’t white. Will my Asian friends understand my fondness for Olivia if she was Asian? After all, I was always seen as the “westernized” kid among my Malaysian friends. When they were listening to Chinese songs and K-pop, I was raving about Taylor Swift and Coldplay. When they were watching Chinese and Korean drama, I was exhausting episode after episode of Fringe. I thought it was “cool” to do that, you know? Being westernized.
In my mind, I’ve already conceived this “other” me who was white, blond, and had green eyes, just like Olivia. I felt like I could only be fearless and independent like Olivia if I “switched” to the “other” me. It’s strange, but I felt like I was living a double life, hoping that one day I would wake up and find that my slanted nose and boring black hair were replaced by my “other.” Those days are long gone now, and I’m so grateful when I say it’s characters like you that helped me dismantle this injurious delusion.
Here you are! Staring right at me with your sharp wits and profound empathy. Those are the traits that pushed you to become a surgeon, and it was also because of them that you stopped being one. When we first met you, you are a woman who has been undone by trauma. But as we watch, you begin to unfold and grow. Your character developed right in front of our eyes. It’s nothing special if you’re a white woman, but an Asian woman getting her own character arc with all the intricacies and complexities of a human being? Now we are talking. As the show marches on, we come to know you as a bold, empathetic, and intelligent detective who is not afraid to speak her mind. And I love that about you. There’s still scenes in the show where we see you acknowledging your culture (brewing Chinese herbal tea for Sherlock), but it has never in the show been seen as an issue for you. You don’t struggle with fitting in or coming to terms with your “different” looks, which are integral narratives deserving of examination but have been so overused by writers for Asian characters. Instead, you are confident about your own identity and your right to belong, not entertaining any thoughts about being the “other” at all while you strive to make a living for yourself.
Fashion, to you, is not just a form of expression, it’s identity. Oh, you couldn’t imagine how excited I was to see you in a suit the first time. I literally screamed. It’s unreal, but here is finally an Asian woman who has total control over her own wardrobe and is not sexualized or objectified by the male gaze. Your wardrobe shifted from loose and casual clothing to impeccably tailored suit. And you said that it’s not because you want to appear more masculine; it’s just that you want a uniform of some sort now that you’re a professional detective. That doesn’t mean you don’t wear dresses anymore. In “The One That Got Away” you wore an obsidian dress with a fur-trimmed coat to confront a murder suspect. And when he threatens you, you meet his gaze with these icy words: “Get your hand off me or we’ll find out how well you do against a woman who can actually fight back.”
Your family, oh, how happy I am that I get to meet your family and revisit their stories throughout the show. Even if they aren’t joyful ones. These side plots about your family meant a lot to me. It demonstrates to the viewers that you’re not just a detective or a sober companion as they take you to be in the larger context of the show - it adds another thoughtful layer to examine under the portrait named Joan Watson. I understand their dynamics so well. You struggle with your mother’s Alzheimer’s disease, you hesitate to form a connection with your half-sister and to maintain it, These things make you more human. When you tell Sherlock that your parents don’t agree with you giving up your job as a surgeon to be a sober companion, I feel that. Asians and their traditional mindsets what success is. In fact, Sherlock alluded to their conservative way of thinking here: “Your family are nice people, but they are, at their core, conventional. You make an effort to appear conventional. But I know you Watson, that you share my love with all these bizarre outside the humdrum of ordinary life. And that your family will never understand this.”
One of the most crucial elements that I love about you is your relationship with Sherlock Holmes. Or partnership, friendship, companionship - whatever you see fit to call it. This precious connection you have with Sherlock signifies that you are desirable outside of sexual matters, which could not be said for so many other Asian characters out there (looking at you, Kyoko from Ex-Machina). It also holds a larger implication for all women out there: that it’s perfectly normal to form close companionship with a man without romanticizing it. I like that this connection doesn’t flourish right away. Sherlock disliked you at first. He called you his “valet” and “sober companion” in a sarcastic tone, and I get it. It takes time to develop chemistry with anyone, let alone Sherlock Holmes. Being his sober companion was a dangerous territory to tread because you could easily end up in the “Magical Asian” trope who is used to dispense life lessons to Sherlock and to forward his arc. That didn’t happen. It’s over time that we get to see how the dynamics between the two of you shift. And when he finally asks you to be his partner (“I’m better with you, Watson. I’m sharper, more focused.” *cue my tears), I could see it in your face that you’re moved. This partnership is built on mutual respect, admiration, and loyalty. You two know that the end of the day you are an indelible part of the other’s work and life. It’s just really nice to watch the growth of an Asian woman on screen that is not stained by her romantic involvement with a white man.
That doesn’t mean that you’ll never speak against him. I was afraid that you would play into the “submissive Asian” trope when you agreed to be his apprentice. Well, that’s on me. I still remember the first time I watched the pilot and saw that when Sherlock was badgering a suspect, you immediately ended his bullying with the line, ‘You’re done, go wait in the car.’ I knew right then that you’re not going to be pushed around. And there’s another time you are quick to call him out with “I’m sorry, are you trying to take credit with the fact I saved your life?” when he can’t stop his whining. Whether the comment is spoken in seriousness or in an attempt to lighten the mood, it shows the audience that you and him are on equal standing.
What makes you so great, Joan Watson? It’s that you are just an outstanding detective who happens to be Asian. Your ethnicity and the stereotypes sticking to it have never hinder your performance at your work and your ability to develop meaningful connections with your partners and colleagues. You exist outside of your work - you are a mentor to Shinwell, you are a mother, a daughter, a sister, a partner. You’re a well-rounded character who not only has her career in mind but her private life too - your decision to adopt a child, without first getting married or having a romantic partner, is admirable. As an Asian woman myself, I can already hear my family’s disappointment in me for even thinking about having a child before I marry. But you did it. You exist outside of stereotypes too: calling you a “dragon lady” would be inaccurate because while you are more than capable of doing harm, you are neither vicious nor evil. Quite the opposite, Joan Watson is her own person who possesses her own skills as a detective that Sherlock doesn’t possess, and a drive for helping others that has its foundations in empathy and not smugness.
You are an incredible character because you’re every bit as multi-faceted as Olivia Dunham. I can’t emphasize how empowering and inspiring this realization was to me. So, thank you for that. Thank you for showing me that someone who looks like us can be as accomplished as their white counterparts. We exist and have existed for a long time. It’s about time to let people know that.
Thank you. And I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Say hello to Sherlock and Arthur for me :)
Kind regards,
Chin Tung