RECAP: ‘Brilliant Minds’ Season 2 Episode 2 — “The Contestant”

There’s a different energy about in Brilliant Minds Season 2. It’s not a bad one. In fact, Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2, titled “The Contestant,” continues to open the world of Bronx General by spending more time in the emergency department. Introducing Dr. Thorne (John Clarence Stewart) enables the show to explore various philosophies in medicine and how Wolf differs from his colleagues. 

Because Wolf (Zachary Quinto) now has unexpected free time now that he no longer has to care for his father, he wanders the emergency department until he encounters Lauren (Molly Bernard), a patient who believes she’s on a reality television show. Ericka (Ashleigh LaThrop), Dana (Aury Krebs), Charlie (Brian Altemus), and Thorne join Wolf for this case.

 Curiously, and for the first time in this show, neither Jacob (Spence Moore II) nor Van is in this episode. Their absence is also not explained in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2. They were certainly missed, especially Van, who didn’t even get that much to do in the premiere episode, but it was cool to see Ericka and Dana front and center for this case. 

As Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 progresses, it’s clear that Wolf is trying very hard to appear fine.

What Wolf also has time for are dates. He and Josh (Teddy Sears) pass each other in the halls again, throwing their “Wolf,” “Nichols” greetings at each other in some sort of semblance of professional courtesy. But Wolf stops and turns around, and asks Josh if he’d like to get drinks. Josh agrees. At drinks, they seemingly have a good time, just like old times. However, as Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 progresses, it becomes clear that Wolf is doing his best to appear fine. He tells his mom and Carol he’s fine, and he tells Josh he just wants to go back to the way things were between them. 

But unfortunately, that’s not exactly how this works. Josh stops him and leaves it open for Wolf to talk about his dad, how he’s feeling, and so on. But Wolf shuts down, waving it off like it wasn’t a big deal in the first place. If Wolf isn’t willing to open up about something as big as his father being alive and then disappearing again, then how can Wolf and Josh move forward? Especially when Wolf decided he didn’t have room for Josh during that particular crisis. 

Their conflict, while engaging drama, stems from the central issue in episode one — Noah’s (Mandy Patinkin) absence and subsequent departure cut short the momentum of the Brilliant Minds Season 1 finale’s revelations. Considering that very plot point is the reason for Wolf’s distance from the people in his life, particularly Josh, it’s an unfortunate direction the show has taken here. Muriel (Donna Murphy) discusses Wolf’s growth, not being upset that his father has left again, but it rings hollow when we get so little of Wolf and Noah’s dynamic in the interim.

Josh helps Carol (Tamberla Perry) prepare for the board review in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2, pushing the hard questions so that she’s ready for anything. This solo Carol and Josh scene is a great addition, especially after she told Wolf in Season 1 that she and Josh get lunch often. Carol still doesn’t think she did anything wrong, but chooses to tell the truth during the board review, that she did continue to see Allison for two sessions after learning of Allison’s connection to her husband. However, she advocates for herself in a way that prioritizes the patients’ needs. It’s honest, but it also means the vote gets split. 

Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 continues to excel with its visual representations of a patient’s symptoms.

And then, the season’s first big twist — Muriel steps down as chief medical officer of Bronx General, lying to the board that she instructed Carol to keep seeing Allison. A significant development that’s sure to alter the dynamics of Bronx General, as well as between Wolf and his mother. But another surprise in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 comes from Josh. He tells Carol that Allison testified on Carol’s behalf. Confused, Carol asks why she would do that when she was the one who had turned Carol in to the board. But Josh says Allison didn’t do that, offering up another mystery for the season — who did turn Carol in? 

Something Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 2 continues to excel with, its visual representations of a patient’s symptoms. Through Lauren’s eyes, the walls of Bronx General turn into a reality TV show set, but the lighting and the uncanny valley of shadowed audience members demonstrate the frightening reality of Lauren’s illness. And because Wolf’s patients are neuro patients, their symptoms often aren’t visible to other people. Brilliant Minds continues to find creative ways to give patients a visual voice, with frightening and wondrous effects. 

Also, a highlight of Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 is Dr. Thorne again, whose presence as an attending in the emergency department means he’s on a similar level as Wolf. Another doctor means someone with their own opinions on how to treat a patient. So of course, when it comes time to discuss treatment for Lauren, there’s a clash of ways forward. Thorne is very medication-forward. And as we know from Dana, who’s very open about taking medication for anxiety and depression, medication isn’t a bad thing. However, as the team progresses further in Lauren’s case, it becomes clear how different Wolf and Thorne are. 

The back and forth in this episode shows that Thorne and Wolf both approach medicine in different ways.

After Wolf determines Lauren is suffering from the Truman Show Syndrome, but Thorne believes it’s not the first time Lauren has experienced psychosis. Therefore, the best thing to do is to put her on anti-psychotics and then release her. Wolf thinks there’s more to Lauren’s case and wants to run more tests so they don’t put her on medication she doesn’t need to be on.

This back-and-forth between Thorne and Wolf in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 is great because neither of them is wrong. It’s just clear how differently they approach their work. Thorne works in the emergency department, a fast-paced environment where beds are often unavailable, with patients lining the halls as they wait to be seen.

He’s a very “treat, then move on” kind of doctor, who’s not entirely on board with Wolf’s longer approach. Wolf, who spends days with his patients to get to know them on the slower-moving neuro floor. However, even though Wolf is correct that there’s more to Lauren’s case, Thorne must also follow protocol in the ER, which means confining Lauren to a locked-door room after she attempts to escape the hospital. 

Porter invites himself to this case, and he’s just as irritating as he was in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 1. Except this time, he actively sabotages Ericka. Wolf pages them while Ericka’s asleep and doesn’t immediately wake up. Porter walks right by her and intentionally doesn’t wake her up.

Ericka challenges Wolf in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2, implying that they are biased in the patients they see.

He also saw her popping pills, so this slimy weasel of a person also has something to hold over Ericka’s head. Where are Jacob and Van, not in an “Ericka is a damsel in distress” kind of way, just in an “It’s episode 2 and Porter is already on my nerves and for some reason Jacob and Van aren’t here” kind of way. Release us from this, I beg. 

In a bid to be in Wolf’s good graces again, Ericka finishes out his reports for him in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 and also suggests a new patient they should see. Ericka and Dana have noticed a recurring patient in the emergency department, a young man who’s been deemed schizophrenic but won’t stay longer in the hospital than he has to.

Ericka says she thinks they’re being biased in what patients they see, but Wolf points out they can’t help patients who don’t want to be helped. An interesting take from him. While true, Wolf himself has sought out patients on the street and taken care of patients from other doctors. But whoever this guy is, he’ll most likely be a full-blown case down the line, much like Roman from Season 1 started as just another patient in the hallways of Bronx General, until Brilliant Minds delivered its best episode. 

Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 isn’t powerful in its specific case, but it helps build out the Season 2 foundation.

The culmination in Lauren’s case in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 comes with the official introduction of Dr. Amelia Fredrick (Bellamy Young), the clinical director of Hudson Oaks Psychiatric Facility, the institution where Wolf ends up six months down the line. She corners Lauren and her sister to offer Hudson Oaks as the perfect in-patient facility for Lauren to stay, especially since Lauren’s sister is about to give birth and won’t have time to look after Lauren.

But while Fredrick offers a smile and reassurance, her facility is exactly what patients need; she comes off extremely predatory in her recruitment tactics. Not helping matters is Wolf’s evident uneasiness with Fredrick’s promises. He’s able to get Lauren to agree to talk with a newly reinstated Carol in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2. Together, Carol and Wolf tell Lauren that while inpatient facilities are right for some people, regular sessions with Carol and consistent medications should be enough to get Lauren on the right track. 

Wolf and Carol’s insistence on the topic of Hudson Oaks is really interesting when Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 jumps six months forward again. This time, it’s not Wolf escaping Hudson Oaks. He’s checking himself into the facility. Carol’s there too, encouraging him. Whatever happens that lands him there, it’s clear that it’s bad enough that Carol and Wolf seem to think it’s his only option. 

Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 2 isn’t particularly strong in its specific case this time. Still, it does help build a new foundation for the season, integrating Dr. Thorne more into the mix and interweaving conflicts whose resolutions are far from being resolved. 

New episodes of Brilliant Minds air on Monday nights on NBC and are available to stream the next day on Peacock.

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