Reviewer Rating: 4.5/5.0
4.5
Brilliant Minds features a fantastic series premiere that gets viewers interested in Dr. Oliver Wolfe, his technology, and his interns. Thankfully, though, this installment kicks the plot and character development into high gear.
In Brilliant Minds Season 1, Episode 2, Dr. Wolf, Van, and Jacob deal with the central case of Jessie Williams, who is experiencing symptoms of proprioceptive disorder. Erica and Dana, with the help of Dr. Wolfe and Dr. Pierce, treat a patient who is hallucinating dragons.
Oliver’s mother, Dr. Muriel Landren, also meddles in his affairs, making work at the Bronx hospital challenging.
Dr. Wolfe and his friends develop a crush on Jesse
Jessie Williams, a local WNBA star, initially came in for gallbladder surgery but started having disturbing dreams. It was fascinating to see Dr. Pierce so excited to meet the basketball star.
Part of the problem is that she needs someone to listen to her and not ignore her complaints. This is one of Dr. Wolfe’s specialties: listening.
He understood that she felt she had no control over her body and didn’t understand why she couldn’t control her hands or her balance.
He was the only one to realize that her condition was deteriorating when he realized that the signature on her consent form did not match the ball she had autographed for Carol just hours before.
For professional athletes, not being able to dribble or shoot is a torture. To make matters worse, she took only a few steps toward Jacob before tripping.
Van learned a hard lesson: He should stop scaring a patient when he is panicking. He looks like he was afraid of needles just like Dr. Wolfe was as a kid, but Van has to get over that.
At least Van had Dr. Wolfe experiment on him, and they learned that Jesse had proprioceptive disorder, and any muscle she couldn’t see was dead to her.
Jesse was beloved by her girls basketball team, her brothers, and the entire community, and she had every reason to strive. It’s easy to see why Wolfe and his interns are determined to fight for her, and his mom probably won’t be shocked.
While other communities come together, the sports community truly celebrates when its own members overcome injuries. We’ve seen it on Friday Night Lights and All American.
Jess made her way over to her brother and team, earning hugs from everyone. Within months, she was performing on the court with Dr. Wolfe and interns in the audience.
Ericka and Dana led their first case
The interns are excited when Dr. Wolfe arrives at the hospital with a man who is hallucinating dragons.
The interns may relate to hallucinations and fraternity members, but Erica and Dana quickly realize they can’t let preconceived notions get to them.
This episode contained a lot of callbacks to other TV shows, and I particularly liked Jacob asking if it was similar to the dragons from Pokemon or Game of Thrones.
As a clue in the case, Erica tries to figure out what type of dragon Pete saw, but he’s too hungover to be much help.
Since Erica is often seen as the leader, it’s refreshing to see her confusion and learn from Dr. Pierce.
She’s convinced that if he was mentally ill, she could refer his case to psychology, but the ferocious Dr. Pierce corrects Erica.
When Dr. Pierce learned that Pete still saw dragons while awake, but knew the dragons weren’t real, the doctor realized it was a neurological problem.
It wasn’t until Erica decided Pete was a stupid frat guy and checked out the problem that she checked his MRI again. She noticed lesions on his brain that caused visual disturbances or hallucinations of dragons outside the window.
Interns discover their weaknesses and bonds
Interns realize how these cases can affect them.
This is Spencer Moore II’s best episode. Jacob had developed a close friendship with Coach Jesse since she retired and wanted to assure her that she would coach again.
He was completely devastated when she fell into a coma, his theory that her B6 levels were too high failed.
He seemed most impressed by Dr. Wolfe’s speech about removing Jessie’s breathing tube, starting small, and believing in her.
Jacob: He’s giving a speech in the locker room now.
Dana: Clear eyes, full heart, unable to breathe
Dr. Wolfe became like a coach, and the interns eventually formed friendships.
Dana seemed the most easy-going and probably went to parties in college. She makes it her mission to put Erica at ease, and it’s a funny scene watching her, Erica, and Jacob celebrate their cases over beers.
Hopefully Van will join them next time and learn to relax. He’s a lot like Dr. Wolfe, a little perfectionist who hates needles.
Dr. Wolfe’s Mommy Issues
Working with family members can often be challenging, especially when someone like Dr. Muriel Langdon (Donna Murphy) is present.
I suspect this is why Dr. Wolf initially didn’t want to work at a Bronx hospital, but as his mom mentioned, he had no hospitals left that would accept his non-orthodox drawings.
However, his adventurous plans often saved his patients. He is his father’s son who has learned to focus on one small thing at a time and to believe in hope. He imparts these valuable lessons to his interns as well.
The mother-son relationship is complex.
She still treats him as her son rather than an adult and calls him by his nickname in front of the interns, much to his embarrassment. She still remembers her son as the child who hesitated while dissecting a frog.
Her worst mistake, however, was consulting Dr. Pierce and moving Jesse to a long-term care center instead of her son. It felt like betrayal to him, like giving up on someone who needed them.
Their medical core values seem to be at odds, so hopefully this will be resolved.
I’m relieved that Dr. Pierce has remained impartial so far and refused to spy on her friends. Lifelong friendships are too important to destroy.
What do you think of this drama-filled episode of Brilliant Minds TV Fanatics? Do you enjoy getting to know your interns better?
What do you think Dr. Langdon is hiding from her son?
We’d love to hear your thoughts, so let us know in the comments.
Watch “Ingenuity” online
