Summary
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins implements a fun gimmick in “Dr. Watson’s Dad”, giving the whole thing a different flavour while also progressing the character relationships in a smart way.
At first blush, “Dr. Watson’s Dad” is a gimmick episode. It takes the usual format of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins and reworks it into a whodunit — “Blackatha Christie” is said aloud at one point. But Episode 6 is one of the strongest instalments, not because of this, but almost in spite of it, with the ongoing character arcs and dynamics winning through despite a premise that could have easily hogged all the focus.
The particulars are established with welcome economy. In a very brief flashback, we see how back in his 2007 heyday, Reggie was the namesake of his alma mater, his likeness preserved in a horrific-looking bronze bust. However, following his gambling scandal, he was replaced by Calista Flockhart, and in disgrace, he took his horrid bust home. In the present day, it’s his prized possession, which makes it all the more alarming when it disappears.
The bust is on display because Monica has booked Reggie an interview with a local newspaper. It’s the lowest-hanging fruit of contemporary media, but it’s something, and it becomes a ticking-clock device as the reporter is due to arrive in a shrinking amount of time. Monica has also hired a new assistant, who, from the email address “shanequinniii”, she deduced was another upstart young Black woman before realising to her dismay that it was really a young white guy named Shane E. Quinn III. This is just a version of that legendary Key & Peele substitute teacher skit, but it’s funny every time.
When the bust disappears, Shane becomes one of the prime suspects, along with Monica, Brina, who made it clear she didn’t want the bust in the house, Arthur, who is still trying to stir up drama for the documentary, and Rusty, who is smarting about Reggie and Brina having been engaged for a year and Reggie still not having asked him to be his best man. Things quickly adopt the tone and some of the framing techniques of a Gothic whodunit, in which Reggie fulfills the detective role as he tries to interview suspects and deduce what happened. It’s very funny.
Obviously, this is a sitcom, though, so we find out what happened pretty much immediately. But The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Episode 6 is even smart with that, letting all the revelations take place in a fun cascade. First, Brina seems to be guilty, and Arthur has the footage to prove it; then Arthur confesses that he framed her to obscure the fact that he accidentally broke the bust. He has no choice but to come clean because Brina, seeing herself in the footage but not being able to recall the event, thinks she has succumbed to a family curse that drove several of her aunts mad.
But then Carmelo comes home and reveals that Arthur broke the bust because it was already broken by him. He knocked it over while rehearsing for a performance with his acapella group, but he had to keep it a secret because he didn’t want to tell Reggie, whose life revolves around football and whose tarnished legacy is living on through his son, that he wants to perform music instead of playing. This builds to a nice moment when the reporter finally arrives, and Reggie acknowledges how football isn’t his life anymore; his loved ones are. It’s just a shame that the interview is about local sandwich preferences and not his career.
Either way, “Dr. Watson’s Dad” is a great episode that could quite easily have been a nonentity. This show continues to be able to do basically everything it tries its hand at with real aplomb, which is a great way to keep a sitcom engaging across its run. Right now, it’s pretty much the best one airing.
