If there is one amazing thing that came out of Brilliant Minds, it was Josh and Oliver’s relationship. There was so much hope as the two admitted their feelings for each other.
In the end, Oliver abandoned Josh, shutting down as he struggled to deal with truths from the past that came out. He was angry at his mom, but he took that out on others around him, including Josh, and now it’s left the relationship with a question mark.
When it comes to TV relationships, Josh and Oliver is one that we need to see work. At the same time, in real life, this is one that probably wouldn’t work out, and while that’s okay in life, it’s not okay in TV. We need to see that obstacles can be beaten in Brilliant Minds.
Oliver and Josh were able to open up to each other in Brilliant Minds
Let’s just start with why they need to get back together. The biggest reason is that they were able to open up to each other throughout Brilliant Minds. I still think about when Josh took Oliver shooting, so that he could understand what it was like to have the ricochet of the gun. This was when Josh made it clear that he was in the military at the time of “Don’t ask, don’t say.”
It started a relationship built on openness and honesty. They were able to share with each other without any judgment. Granted, Josh shared more than Oliver, but the option was there for both of them.
They could work through disagreements
When it came to their locked-in patient, the two realized that they were on opposite sides of the argument. While one fought for life at all costs, the other fought for autonomy, and this could have been a relationship-breaking argument. After all, there are certain ideologies that just don’t go together.
In the end, Josh and Oliver both knew that they had to honor their patients’ wishes. That was their job as doctors, and it allowed the two of them to come closer together in Brilliant Minds. If they can overcome some of these issues, surely they can overcome others.
They became better people and doctors
Josh initially came off as a stereotypical neurosurgeon who believed that he was better than anyone else. However, within a couple of episodes, it was clear that he wasn’t that at all. However, he needed the space and time to come out of his shell, and he also needed to understand why Oliver would ignore him in the corridor—it was his face blindness. This discussion allowed us to see another side of Josh, as he realized that it wasn’t all about him.
As the two talked more and pushed each other more in their own fields, they were able to become better doctors as well as better people. Josh started looking at his patients in the way that Oliver would, and Oliver even asked Josh for some advice now and then.
Josh and Oliver just don’t work in Brilliant Minds
Despite all of this, there’s one thing that in real life stops them from working. Oliver is too selfish when it comes to the way he reacts to situations. He seems to view the world in a black and white way, rather than with the gray that it really has, and no amount of Josh helping will change that.
We just have to look at how Josh wanted Oliver to be there for a big moment, but Oliver allowed his personal feelings to take over. Sure, he was going through a bad time, learning that his dad was actually still alive and his mom had lied to him for so long, but he should have at least told Josh everything to his face.
What’s ironic is that Oliver is the one with the abandonment complex. Yet, he’s the one who just up and left Josh behind, and it could be difficult to get over the hurt that just walking away has done. In real life, people need to want to change, and Oliver isn’t one who ever seems to want that, happy with his life the way it is. However, for the sake of TV, we need to see him change in Brilliant Minds, as it’s the only way to make Josh and Oliver work.
Brilliant Minds season 2 premieres on Monday, Sept. 22 at 10/9c on NBC.