“Coping mechanism: […] We need them to deal with physical and emotional trauma. Tonight’s episode smart mind The audience is reminded of former Marine Steve Hill, who saw the ghosts of those he once served with. There are also developments in John Doe’s case. -In last week’s episode, John Doe showed more signs of life (That’s good, otherwise he would have been sent to another facility) Dr. Wolff and his team tried to build on this foundation. It turns out that Jane Doe suffers from “Lock-in Syndrome” (Basically he was paralyzed due to damage to his brain stem that caused a loss of sensation throughout his body.) This was most likely the result of his stroke. They noticed that he kept trying to communicate, but mostly with his eyes. When Carol stops because she needs Oliver’s help, he leaves the team to find a way for John Doe to communicate.
“Chapter 5: The Haunted Marine” – BRILLIANT MINDS – Photo: Ashleigh LaThrop as Ericka Kinney, Spence Moore II Spence Moore II as Dr. Jacob Nash, Aury Krebs as Dr. Dana Dang, Alex Ozeroff-Meyer (Alex Ozerov-Meyer) as John Doe. Photo: Rafy/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media LLC. all rights reserved.
Dana is much needed comic relief given the show’s themes. When Dr. Wolfe asks Van what he thinks of John Doe, implying that he has mirror-touch synesthesia, Dana notices this and then questions him. After Van confessed, he asked her not to say anything because he himself was still trying to figure out what it meant, and she swore she wouldn’t tell him “you can’t spell Dana without an NDA.”
Dana and Van worked with John Doe to try to get him to communicate with the Yes and No boards, but that didn’t seem to be a real connection. interestingly (Funny that no one thought of this beforehand), a hospital visitor, Mrs. Petrov walks through his room (I believe she spoke Russian), John Doe’s eyes turned crazy. Dana and Van soon realized that John Doe wasn’t responding because they didn’t speak his language. It looks like things are looking up for John Doe, but is there much to come beyond that?
“Chapter 5: Haunted Marines” – BRILLIANT MINDS – Pictured: Jaden Miles Waldman as Teen Wolf and Gray Powell as Noah Wolfe. Photo: Pief Weyman/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media LLC. all rights reserved.
Carol explains to Oliver that Steve Hill is a retired Marine who is dealing with severe anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts. This is not unusual at all for veterans, except in Steve’s case, where he saw the ghosts of those who had died with whom he served. The VA tried to help him, prescribing medication to treat his…problems, but to no avail (Everyone is always so quick to prescribe medication – nothing can be fixed with a Band-Aid). When Steve began behaving erratically, he was dishonorably discharged and lost all military benefits. Still seeing “ghosts,” Steve heads to the Bronx Medical Center in hopes of finding the help he desperately needs.
Steve’s paranoia touches Oliver’s heart, and flashbacks reveal his father also suffers from the disorder. If it is not treated in time, there is no telling how much mental loss will occur. Oliver asks Steve a few questions and he learns that a man he served with recently died, which may have been what triggered Steve’s paranoia. He tells Oliver that he believes the military implanted a chip in his brain to control him, which is why he’s seeing these things. An MRI proves the chip doesn’t exist, but Oliver tells Jacob and Erica to take advantage of his paranoia (Just to make sure he’s safe).
“Chapter 5: Haunted Marines” – BRILLIANT MINDS – Pictured: Joshua Echebiri as Steve Hill and Theo Vandergraaf as Aiden (Ghost). Photo: Pief Weyman/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media LLC. all rights reserved.
We all agree that something is going on with Steve, so that’s when Carol and Oliver dig deeper into Steve’s military past. Could it be that they missed some kind of damage? It turns out that he has never been to the front lines and has never been in combat, and this is what they can learn (Confidentiality). Dr. Josh Nichols has a military background and provides some insight. He confirmed that Steve and his unit had never seen combat, yet more than half of his unit had died (some from accidental overdoses, some from suicide). -A second look at Steve’s MRI scan suggests he may have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy – brain disease caused by repeated head injuries), but such a diagnosis is more common in athletes, so how is this possible? Josh takes Oliver to the shooting range; he thinks Steve’s gun training may be the reason. As Oliver fired, he was suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling of shock waves that coursed through his body. Now, someone experienced the same thing with a bigger gun, multiple times a day for months (As Josh pointed out) could explain why Steve (and his unit) is what they are. The only way to know for sure is to examine Aiden’s brain.
“Chapter 5: The Haunted Marine” – BRILLIANT MINDS – Pictured: Tambella Perry as Dr. Carol Pierce. Photo: Pief Weyman/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media LLC. all rights reserved.
Carol and Oliver convince Aiden’s parents to let them exhume Aiden’s body to test his brain. After testing, the results showed clear signs of CTE. Oliver explained the results to Steve; I couldn’t help but love what Steve had to say after finding out how he was doing. He told Oliver that he was trying to convince himself that it must have been a chip inserted by the military that caused his actions, as the alternative would have been difficult to deal with. This is his coping mechanism. Illusions are easier to control than facts. Steve said it was like he “was handed […] “Life sentence” That may be true, but now that he has a diagnosis, he can work on controlling it. Oliver speaks on a Veterans Administration panel and pleads Steve’s case. He uses the rubber band method to show how repeated abuse can lead to small tears until it eventually snaps – which is what happens in Steve’s brain. Thankfully, this was enough to get Steve back on benefits.
Oliver uses Steve’s “chip implant” theory to discuss with Josh the possibility of implanting a chip in John Doe’s brain. This would allow him to communicate since it turned out he was still inside, but Josh was hesitant. The technology Oliver cites is still experimental – is it worth trying?
What do you think of tonight’s new episode? smart mind? Share your thoughts below or connect with me on X/Twitter @chenfordhugs.
