RECAP: ‘Brilliant Minds’ Season 2 Episode 9 — “The Fire Fighter”

Brilliant Minds Season 2 took off at the speed of an episode of The Pitt, which means it’s lost a specific focus and pace that made the first season so unique. That doesn’t mean this season is bad. Actually, it’s far from it. It’s still really good. Good, but different. Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9, titled “The Fire Fighter,” brings that energy from Season 1 back. 

This is mainly due to guest actor Eric Dane, who plays the titular episode’s main character as a firefighter with ALS named Matthew. Matthew is very familiar with the walls of Bronx General and with the people who work there. But during one of his routine check-ups, his numbers reached a more critical capacity. Wolf (Zachary Quinto) and Carol (Tamberla Perry) both tell him it’s time to talk to his family about his diagnosis. 

Matthew’s familiarity with all the characters allows for Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 to slow down and focus more on the patient, something that’s felt lacking in some episodes. As Matthew reconciles with no longer living independently with ALS, Wolf seems to realize his own advice. It’s okay to ask for help.

Wolf and Matthew’s stories echo with the same tragedy.

Matthew’s life as a 9/11 firefighter and the subsequent years of firefighting mean he’s used to being the one who helps others. He displays that attitude a lot throughout the episode. He doesn’t want to tell his ex-wife and daughter because he doesn’t want to be pitied, and he doesn’t want to disrupt his daughter’s last semester in college. 

But what Matthew comes to realize in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 is that he has a whole community of people who want to be there for him—his family, his firehouse, and the numerous people he’s saved over the years as a firefighter. 

This revelation echoes tragically across the episode in Wolf’s story. Muriel (Donna Murphy) returns to invite Wolf for Thanksgiving dinner. She arrives at Wolf’s abandoned house, filled with dying ferns and dust. She gathers all the ferns and places them in the shower in an effort to revitalize them. Surrounded by Wolf’s empty house and the absence of her husband, Muriel sobs at the kitchen sink.

Sam’s storyline pays off well in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9.

Later, as she cooks Thanksgiving dinner for two, Wolf arrives after helping Matthew realize the people in his life who want to help, and seems to realize that he himself is on the verge of a breakdown. Instead, he takes the cutting knives from his mother and helps cut the turkey. 

With the events of Hudson Oaks four months away, it’s hard not to imagine that Wolf’s stubbornness in asking for help might be a factor. But there’s still so much mystery surrounding that particular plot point that it’s hard to tell.

And with only one episode left until midseason break, it doesn’t seem like we’ll know much during the hiatus. Still, Matthew’s story paralleling Wolf’s in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 is nicely drawn and does a great job in exploring two characters in completely different circumstances. 

The storyline involving Sam also pays off well. Ericka’s (Ashleigh LaThrop) drive to help Sam, navigating his reluctance by leaning on Carol and Wolf for advice while also following her own instincts, leads to Sam reuniting with his family. The circumstances that led to that reunion and reconciliation are tragic, though.

Guest star Eric Dane brings a lot to Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9, showcasing the realities of ALS.

After taking the credit card Ericka offered from her own wallet, Sam failed to show up for his sessions with Carol. But here, he tells Ericka that someone robbed him and took her card, which led to him taking acetaminophen to help with the pain from the robbery. But that mixed with his other medication has led to liver failure, and now he’s dying while he waits to get on the donation list. 

While unfortunate, Sam’s story was well-crafted ever since he first showed up at Bronx General. Ericka’s fight to help him get a proper diagnosis was a culmination of what she’d learned from Wolf, her own wit, and her own way of healing from the trauma of the building collapse. Sam’s story isn’t over, but it isn’t looking good. Regardless, Ericka’s efforts allowed a family to reunite. That’s admirable.  

Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 benefits greatly from having a wonderful guest actor, Eric Dane, showcasing the realities of ALS without being overly melodramatic and sentimental about it. The slower pace, mostly because there’s no flash-forward to Hudson Oaks and/or any other connection to that mystery, balances the episode much better. It feels like Season 1 again in all the best ways.  

Brilliant Minds Season 2 airs new episodes on Monday nights on NBC, and is available to stream the next day on Peacock.