RECAP: ‘Brilliant Minds’ Season 2 Episode 7 — “The One That Got Away”

Josh (Teddy Sears) and Wolf’s (Zachary Quinto) relationship finally gets some focus after their failed date during Episode 2, though it’s probably not what people were hoping for. Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7, titled “The One That Got Away,” features wonderful performances and some solid character work that gets lost in the vague thematic elements.

Wolf gets a blast from the past when his new patient appears in his office with symptoms of musical hallucinations. The man’s name is Tom, a kind-of-ex of Wolf’s that we’ve actually met before. In the Call Me By Your Name homage from Brilliant Minds Season 1, Tom was the older student staying at Wolf’s house for a little while. The two never officially dated, but there was tension there, and one shared kiss before Wolf’s mom sent Tom away in an effort to “save” Wolf from the heartbreak of being gay in the 80s. 

Tom’s case in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7 is so interesting because musical auditory hallucinations are rare, a fact that Wolf knows Josh would be interested in, so he brings him on board the case. The obvious awkward dynamic of two exes in a room together is perpetuated by nurse Scotty, who clocks that Wolf and Josh used to date, and encourages Wolf to use Tom as a way to make Josh jealous. Only three episodes in, and Scotty’s already causing trouble (keeping doing it!)

The vibe between Tom and Wolf is a little weird in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7.

The vibe between Tom and Wolf is a little weird, and that’s mostly because it’s difficult to tell if Tom is still interested in Wolf or not. It’s not until Tom’s husband and kids show up that it’s clear Tom’s in a happy relationship, and whatever vibe was there between Wolf and Tom was because of nostalgia. Especially because the song Tom kept hearing in his head was the one from the summer they spent together. But it’s not a smooth transition between intentions.

Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7 has a good message wrapped up around Tom’s refusal to get brain surgery. It just kind of echoes a Season 1 episode that did it better. However, the idea that nostalgia holds people back is a powerful and important statement. Wolf tells Tom that the time “when things were simple” doesn’t actually exist because things were never simple. You have to move forward. This convinces Tom to get the surgery, and he wakes up from a successful procedure, ready to get back to his life. 

This case and chats with Carol (Tamberla Perry) convince Wolf he’s ready to tell Josh he’s ready to try again, but he’s a little too late. Josh tells Wolf he’s seeing someone, an ex of his from before he dated Wolf. Considering their failed date from earlier in the season ended with Josh saying he couldn’t wait around forever, this isn’t a surprising revelation. The point, more so, is that Wolf expressed his desires; just because he got shot down doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth a shot. Now, he just needs to move forward. 

Ericka continues trying to earn Sam’s trust in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7.

Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7 also focuses largely on Ericka (Ashleigh LaThrop). She continues trying to earn Sam’s trust enough to get a full workup done on him. She’s desperate to rule out schizophrenia, mired in her justifications that she’s just doing what Wolf would do, going the distance for his patients. But there’s something deeper going on here, and that’s what makes Ericka’s story in this episode the highlight of the episode.

Still secretly taking pills for her anxiety, Ericka’s desperation to find Sam some answers almost gets the better of her. But just like Wolf, she realizes she has to really listen and ask Sam the right questions about his condition to tailor her care for him.

Even though this season has lost a bit of the Wolf and intern dynamic, it’s really great to see the intern team working on their own but using the skills they learned from Wolf to care for their patients. By setting up an environment more suited to Sam’s needs, she’s able to perform a procedure that could rule out schizophrenia.

Dana and Katie’s relationship takes a new step forward when they meet Katie’s friends.

But when that doesn’t happen, and it’s clear that Sam does have schizophrenia, Carol reminds her that she still did really great with Sam. She earned his trust enough to get him a proper workup, which they can use to create a real treatment plan. Ericka also gets Van’s help in securing Sam a place to stay, even offering her credit card to Sam to help pay for his transportation. It’s a move that seems a little far, but still in line with her What Would Wolf Do mantra. 

Sitting slightly outside the main plots of Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7 is Dana (Aury Krebs) and Katie’s relationship, which meets a new stepping stone when Katie invites Dana to meet her friends. For some reason, Katie’s idea for the first meeting is a recreational kickball game, which does not go well. Even though Dana convinces Van to come along to the game, she still manages to ruin it by kicking the ball so hard she knocks out the pitcher out of jealousy over Katie’s obvious ex-situationships amongst the team. 

In a fight later on in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7, Katie insinuates that Ericka is hiding something, which leads to Dana confronting Ericka about her missing pills. It’s not the smoothest transition, especially given the almost nonexistent buildup to this revelation between Ericka and Dana. Still, it does lead to one of the best scenes in Brilliant Minds. 

Ericka’s big reveal to Wolf recontextualizes her relationship to Sam.

Dana rightly gets mad at Ericka for stealing her pills, especially since Ericka always kind of looked down on Dana for taking medication. But the scene quickly turns into Ericka’s breakdown, wonderfully performed by Krebs and especially LaThrop. All of Ericka’s PTSD, guilt, anger, and frustration come pouring out of her as Dana holds her. 

There were a lot of parallels between Ericka and Wolf in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7, which is fitting as the episode closes with them sitting on the couch together watching Casablanca. To Wolf, Ericka admits that she’s adopted, and the only thing she really knows about her birth mother is that she was schizophrenic. Her mother didn’t get the help she needed, lost in herself, and in the medical system that didn’t take her seriously, an especially poignant point following Sam’s missing his first appointment with Carol.

This reveal works great as a way to recontextualize all of Ericka’s actions surrounding Sam. On top of her lingering PTSD surrounding the building collapse, it’s no wonder she’s barely hanging on. The fact that we’re even getting deeper lore on Ericka is great for the show, crafting more well-rounded characters.

Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7 has some really great character moments, but struggles a bit to fully tie the thematic elements together. 

Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 7 is streaming now on Peacock, with new episodes on Monday nights on NBC, available to stream the next day on Peacock.

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