It may have been eight months since Brilliant Minds was on our screens, but we haven’t forgotten where we left everyone. Finally, the Brilliant Minds season 2 premiere is here, and it’s time to find out where everyone is at, and what’s in store for our favorite characters.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Brilliant Minds season 2, episode 1.
The episode opens with events six months into the future, and it’s clear that we’ll spend some of Brilliant Minds season 2 working our way up to this. Oliver Wolf is a patient at what seems to be a psychiatric facility, and we need to find out what leads him to this.
After all, he doesn’t start there. We get to six months earlier to find out that he is still working at Bronx General.
Tommy is the patient of the week in the Brilliant Minds season 2 premiere
After a six month flashforward, we open at a gym, where Tommy is training. He ends up punching himself over and over again, and it’s clear that he will become our patient of the week.
Before we can get into his case, though, we meet Dr. Thorne, who has clearly worked at the hospital for some time. We’ve just never met him. Jacob Nash is now working under this man, and as Tommy comes into the ER, Thorne is quick to point out that Jacob is neuro when Jacob wants to call in neuro.
With this comes a quick follow-up of where everyone is. Van is open about his mirror-touch synesthesia, with others in the hospital wanting him to show them his powers, while Ericka is back from vacation in Mexico. Dana is still with Katie, and Oliver is still clearly at the hospital and even on some good terms with him mom, despite the way everything ended in the Brilliant Minds season 1 finale, although he’s not living at home with his dad.
Oh, and we meet the new doctor, Charlie Porter, who nobody likes immediately. I get the feeling that none of us are going to like him, but I don’t think he’s the mole that Wolf thinks he is.
Oliver gets to the ER to meet with Tommy, only to end up punched by the MMA fighter.
Catching up with Pierce in Brilliant Minds
We didn’t get caught up with Pierce, who was suspended at the end of Brilliant Minds season 1. She is attempting to succeed outside of Bronx General, and while her patients are rich, they have some of the most trivial issues. Shoes in the hallway, seriously?
Back at the hospital, Wolf makes it clear that he still wants to treat Tommy, but this man doesn’t want to be treated. So, he suggests to Tommy that he speaks to a psychologist instead. That takes Tommy to Pierce, who realizes that Tommy doesn’t have anger issues at all, although he does worry about his dad worrying about what he’s like off his game. While the two do connect on a level that allows Tommy to open up, Pierce can see that Tommy clearly has no control over his arm.
It’s “alien hand syndrome,” according to Wolf, which comes up as Tommy and Wolf spend time sparring. That’s also known as Dr. Strangelove syndrome, and it means that Tommy has no control over his right arm. Of course, Porter wants to push his own Cornell education on everyone, but this isn’t how Wolf works. He’s not going to force Tommy to get treatment, but he wants to encourage Tommy to get it. There are different ways to do this.
At the same time, we learn why Jacob is no longer with Wolf’s interns. Nothing bad has happened. It’s just that Jacob is now on his ER rotation, and I can deal with that. I was worried about Jacob at first, especially with him not being in the promo for Brilliant Minds season 2, but this I can accept.
Oliver continues to try hard to get a spec scan for his dad, sure that all the symptoms his dad is sharing is a sign of something bad. Muriel doesn’t really want to go through with it, but as she learns that her ex-husband is dealing with insomnia, she decides that she needs to help. She also worries that Noah is taking advantage of Wolf, so getting the scan can rule some things out.
Back at the gym, Wolf continues to run some tests with a kettlebell, just to help Tommy understand what is happening to him. Immediately, the wife shares that she’s seen issues for a while, and all she wants is for her husband to get better. Meanwhile, Tommy’s dad, who is also his manager, is being cagey. He only wants Tommy’s doctor to treat him, making it clear to me that he knows something is wrong.
It’s finally time for Wolf and Josh to talk
At long last, we get the conversation between Josh and Wolf that we’ve needed. Earlier in the episode, they were smarting back and forth, and it’s clear that Josh is still hurt after being stood up. However, Josh decides to come to speak with Wolf. They are both avoidant detachers when it comes to relationships, but Josh clearly wants to work on things.
However, Wolf makes it clear that his dad coming back into his life after 30 years is a lot to deal with. His house isn’t organized to even think of a relationship. Well, Josh points out that nobody’s house is ever organized, and he’s not just going to wait around for a relationship that may or may not happen. It hurts for both of them.
When Tommy comes back to the hospital with his wife, Wolf immediately gets to work treating him. Even Pierce is back to help, and I get the sense that there’s something potential between Pierce and Thorne, and I’m here for it!
The interns get to the bottom of it once they get the full list of medication Tommy is on. He’s taking a drug used to treat Parkinsons, and sure enough, Tommy has an early-onset version of an atypical form of Parkinson's. It’s a shock to Tommy, though, as his dad has always given him his supplements. That means his dad has lied to him for so long, just so Tommy wouldn’t stop fighting.
Tommy needs one thing from Wolf
Of course, Tommy’s dad shows up at the hospital, angry that his son is here. He’s angry that he’s going to get caught, and there is a threat of a fight. That is until Josh steps in to protect Wolf. Well, that and Tommy decides to punch his dad for lying to him. You can’t blame the guy.
While Tommy is at the gift shop, he shares with Wolf that he needs to go out on a high, and that means winning his last fight. Wolf doesn’t want him to fight, but if he’s going to fight, then it needs to be on the right terms. He decides to put Tommy through mirror treatment, which is an attempt to trick the brain into controlling his right arm.
And so, everyone who has helped treat Tommy (except for Porter, who clearly doesn’t like Wolf and threatens to get Ericka fired) is there at the fight. That includes Pierce, who enjoys the ride on the motorcycle. Wolf does point out that she’s feeling good because she’s been helping someone like Tommy, and she needs to come back to Bronx General.
In the ring, Tommy feels positive, but then the demon inside of him takes over. Can he make it through the fight? He does have an idea for the future, though, which involves helping others with Parkinsons. That’s definitely something to see later on in the season!
Don’t trust everyone at Bronx General in Brilliant Minds season 2
It’s all good for Tommy in the end. He’s able to remember Wolf’s words and his training, so that he’s able to get the win for his last match. There are cheers all around, even his dad, who was watching in the crowd.
With all of the drama, it’s time to end the episode catching up on where Ericka is. Dana and Katie have helped her make her apartment with Dana a home, but it’s clear that Ericka is hiding something. Sure enough, there is lorazepam in her bag that she hasn’t told anybody she’s taking, and this is a great discussion about how it’s important not to hide mental health.
Meanwhile, Porter comes to see Wolf, and it’s clear he’s kissing butt. He knows that his job could be on the line, so he wants to get on the right side of Wolf for now. However, I don’t trust Porter, and I hope Wolf doesn’t fall for it. Maybe Josh can step in again.
Meanwhile, Pierce sits through another therapy session that involves shoes out in the hallway. She can’t do it anymore, and she goes to see Muriel about talking to the board to tell her side of the story. Well, Muriel is all for it, clearly wanting Pierce back.
As for Wolf, he decides to take Pierce’s advice and goes back home. Only, he goes home to a place that has cups lying everywhere and just a letter. It’s clear that Wolf’s dad has left.
With that, we cut to six months later, to Bellamy Young’s character, Amelia Frederick, stepping into the hallway where Wolf has been taken down. It’s clear that she runs this place, which we find out is Hudson Oaks.
This recap is live and will be updated regularly throughout the episode.
Brilliant Minds season 2 airs on Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.