“When doctors look at their patients, what do they see? Is it a disease or a person? What a powerful, thought-provoking way to start an episode. smart mind About neuroscientist Dr. Oliver Wolfe and his unconventional approach to treating patients with neurological injuries. What makes his perspective even more interesting is that Dr. Wolff suffers from prosopagnosia; face blindness. Prosopagnosia is a brain disorder that causes the inability to recognize faces or facial expressions. It’s not that he can’t see people, it’s that he sees people differently. For lack of a better word, he notes a person’s features in order to put a face to a name.
“Pilot” – a smart mind. As shown in the picture: Ashleigh LaThrop plays Dr. Ericka Kinney, Alex MacNicoll plays Dr. Van Markus, Tamberla Perry plays Dr. Carol Pierce, Amy Stewart plays a child protective agent, Aury Krebs plays Dr. Dana Dang, and Spence Moore II plays Dr. Jacob Nash. Photo: Rafy/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. all rights reserved.
The episode begins with an older gentleman in the hospital. A nurse came in and asked him some questions she knew he couldn’t answer, but she brushed them off like it was routine. Dr. Wolfe appears and helps the man pull off a grand escape. When I saw the scene of him riding a motorcycle with this older gentleman, I was so confused that I found myself laughing. What does he want to do? Then it all started to make sense; he took the older gentleman to his granddaughter’s wedding. Her mother, the gentleman’s daughter, was furious because her father had Alzheimer’s. She was frustrated that he was there when he didn’t get a chance to remember who his granddaughter was. Oliver, knowing that the older gentleman had once loved music, took him to the piano and said they should play.
“Pilot” – a smart mind. Pictured: Quinton Ross as the groom, Gertnesh Bergh as the bride, and Andre De Shields as Harold. Photo: Rafy/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. all rights reserved.
He began to play the piano and encouraged Harold, an older gentleman, to join him. As he plays, something seems to unlock in Harold and he joins in, even joking that he doesn’t care how Oliver plays and takes over the game. He played the piano and sang a beautiful song that caught the attention of all the wedding guests. When he finished playing and looked at his granddaughter, he said her name and everyone, including his own daughter, was shocked. How did this happen? Dr. Wolfe determines that music is the way to unlock Harold’s memories and make him more conscious. Treat the patient, not the disease.
Sadly, not everyone shares Oliver’s beliefs; he was freed due to his involvement in Harold’s great escape. He tried hard to get them to see things his way, but in vain.
“Pilot” – a smart mind. Pictured: Kiera Goulone as Hannah Peters and Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolfe. Photo: Rafy/NBC. © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. all rights reserved.
Oliver’s friend Carol heard the news and came over to check on him. He saw through this and called her, and she folded. She offers him a job in the neurology department at Bronx General Hospital, which he resists at first, but she tells him a case he can’t refuse. A woman underwent epilepsy surgery and her behavior completely changed, but no one could figure out why. Considering how Oliver feels about therapy, he would be great at handling a case like this.
As he ponders this question, we are flashbacked to Oliver’s youth, and we learn that his father was the one who taught him how to remember people. We also learn that his father suffers from mental illness, while his mother only describes him as “sick.” These flashbacks occur throughout the episode, and the more we watch, the more we understand why he chose to become a neurologist; his close relationship with his father was diminished by his illness. He was frustrated that his mother gave up on his father instead of trying to understand him. That’s the problem with some doctors, they forget that their patients are human beings, and that’s something Oliver can’t accept.
“Pilot” – a smart mind. Pictured: Tambella Perry as Dr. Carol Pierce, Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolfe, and Kiera Gullon as Hannah Peters. Photo: Rafy/NBC. © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. all rights reserved.
Take Hannah Peters, for example. After surgery, she was unable to bond with her two sons. When she saw them, she believed they had been replaced and her sons were missing. Doctors labeled her delusional and wanted to treat her delusions, but Dr. Wolfe wouldn’t buy it. If something happens, he will spare no effort to help her. Because she seemed incapable of caring for her son, they were taken away. Unable to cope with what was happening to her, she almost took her own life. Thankfully, Dr. Wolf found her in time. He tries to convince her, what other doctors have failed to do, that “the mind is not black and white. It remembers pain, it can feel like a prison, but it can also be the thing that opens the door.” She tries again. Dr. Wolf makes a last-ditch attempt to prove that Hannah’s nerve damage can be treated – the final test to prove the theory. Dr. Wolfe blindfolded Hannah and asked her sons to speak to her, and she recognized them immediately. He figures it out: Hannah’s delusions weren’t delusional, but rather her behavior was caused by complications from surgery, which caused a disconnect between her visual and auditory sensors. Through work, she will be able to train her brain to return to normal, but until then, there are steps she can take to find her way back to herself.
smart mind Came just in time. Mental health is extremely important, but because of the stigma and complexity of psychology, it’s easier to dismiss it with labels and patch it up with medications than it is to understand its root causes and treatments. The more we learn to treat people rather than diseases, the better off we will be.
What do you think of tonight’s new episode? smart mind? Share your thoughts below or contact me on Twitter @chenfordhugs
