With most incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, there’s never a question about a romantic entanglement between the Duke of Deduction and his faithful companion. Bromance, maybe. But romance? Not before now.

The CBS series Elementary changed all that when they decided to do a gender swap and hire an actress to play Watson. At first, I was very unhappy about this decision. I was even more unhappy when they cast Lucy Liu. Half a season in, though, I’ve come around to their way of thinking.

The entire layer they added by making her a woman and a sober companion gives the series a personal depth that is needed when an unlikeable character is the star. Sherlock is boorish, pushy, and haughty, but through Watson, we see his likeable side and his emotional pain. That would have been harder to bring out had they gone with two men. (Not impossible, but tougher.)

Once they went with a female Watson, the question arose – will they or won’t they.

Since Watson is a professional sober companion, it would be unethical (would it not?) for her to get romantically involved with her client. Still, with each week, we see their deepening attachment to each other, made worse by the fact that her “assignment” is due to end soon.

This past week in “Do it Yourself” we found out that Watson once had sex with a client. . . or did she. Though it appears that was the case, we find out it was more of a cart before the horse deal. Her boyfriend turned to drugs and in trying to help him, she found she had the skills to become a sober coach. So technically, she didn’t sleep with a client. . . but, the writers brought it up for a reason, I’m sure.

So what’s going to happen when her time is up? Obviously, she’s not leaving the show. If we assume that there are more episodes in the making, then they’ll have to find a reason for her to stay on.

My guess is that Sherlock will relapse (accidentally on purpose) so she’ll have an excuse to sign on for another round.

She’s becoming quite a detective herself and she could just become his friend not his companion. Then, it would be perfectly fine for them to have a relationship – because they’re going to have one. Right?

It’s already becoming a “will they / won’t they” situation and you can only drag that on for so long. (See Castle.) I like things as they are now and I don’t want to see this turn into romance.

What about you? Are Sherlock and Watson made for each other or will they always be close but no cigar? And which would you prefer?