Brilliant Minds used to be one of my favorite shows, but sadly, it’s hit that sophomore slump.
The second season lacks the heart that the first season excelled at, with a few exceptions.
It’s more focused on the season-long mystery than on the meaningful cases or the strong bonds between the doctors at Bronx General.
The season is halfway over, and it’s time to analyze which bright spots are keeping the lights on for Brilliant Minds and which storylines need to wrap up immediately.
Best Episode – The Firefighter
Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 was the best because both arcs featured emotional heart, and Eric Dane guest-starred as a firefighter with ALS to raise awareness of a condition he also had.
There wasn’t a dry eye that night as the series highlighted Matthew Ramati’s story, a firefighter who wanted to treat his ALS without burdening his family.
He meant well, but sometimes the best gift you can give is to let someone in to love you and allow them to help, which was “The Firefighter’s” message.
We saw that again when Sam suffered from liver failure, and his family arrived, wanting another chance to help their son, no questions asked.
They knew his schizophrenia built barriers, but all they cared about was supporting him now, even if they had to relocate to New York.
I cried so much because of what these families would do for each other.
Worst Episode – The Upside Down
I didn’t hate any of the Brilliant Minds Season 2 episodes. “The Upside Down” was just the least memorable, as many of the cases resonated with me, and this one didn’t.
I wanted to like this episode since I’m a migraine suffer, and I understood the pilot’s pain and confusion.
I liked that it was the first case Dr. Wolf and Dr. Thorne worked on together, but it lacked the emotional intensity of many of the others.
This episode also had way too much of the Hudson Oaks mystery as we saw Dr. Fredericks try to lure Carol into her web and entice her into a friendship, while creating minions at Hudson Oaks.
Charlie also tried to assert his authority by telling Mrs. Torres to have realistic goals about Jorge’s care.
While he wasn’t wrong about tempering her expectations, he should have consulted the team, which led to an angry confrontation.
Most Heartwarming Storyline – Sam’s Mental Health Crisis
We’ve embraced even more mental health stories this season, with Sam leading the way.
It’s both devastating and true how difficult it is for homeless people to receive the mental health care they need.
Sam had difficulty trusting others because of his schizophrenia, which initially made him lash out at Ericka. He needed tests to go at his own pace and his own level before agreeing to work with Carol.
I wish they could have kept him in the psychiatric part of the wing.
Perhaps if he hadn’t been out in the world, he wouldn’t have been attacked, had Ericka’s credit card stolen, or overdosed on Tylenol.
No one wanted to give a liver transplant to a homeless man with no support. Ericka made a bold move, contacting Sam’s parents, who appeared automatically.
They weren’t how Sam described them, and they only wanted to be near their son. But most hospitals were still fearful of taking a chance, and Sam didn’t have that long.
The only way Ericka and Dr. Wolf even got Sam a chance was by honoring an uncooperative doctor in a speech at the holiday charity event.
He would have looked like a jerk if he backed out, and Sam finally has a chance because someone believed he deserved care.
Storyline That Dragged – The Hudson Oaks Mystery
At the beginning of Brilliant Minds Season 2, the Hudson Oaks mystery held some intrigue because it examined how people broke emotionally.
Oliver’s father had just left him again, leaving him feeling abandoned, since he had sacrificed his relationship with Josh to save Noah.
If that had been part of what broke him, it would have made sense, but Oliver wasn’t admitted until months later.
We’ve discussed that he went undercover to find his father, or to prove that Hudson Oaks is shady.
There is also Charlie’s part in it. He began working at Bronx General to get to know Oliver better, so he could expose his quirks and get him committed.
Charlie sent Oliver to find Noah Wolf. We have no idea if Noah was actually there, or if it’s another ruse.
If that clue doesn’t lead to Noah or if this mystery doesn’t lead to an Oliver and Josh reunion, I’m over it.
It’s dragged. Let’s move on to stories with heart.
Best New Character – Dr. Anthony Thorne
Initially, I didn’t like Dr. Thorne. He wanted to get patients out of the hospital as soon as possible.
However, pairing him with Carol helped as the characters shared a solid friendship and a flirty banter, leaving viewers wanting more.
While Dr. Thorne disagreed with how Dr. Wolf ran the neuro department, he was nicer to Ericka when she almost endangered herself during Sam’s violent episode.
While he lectured her, he understood her intentions and even informed her when Sam later returned to the hospital in liver failure.
After seeing Dr. Wolf and his team in action, Dr. Thorne learned the importance of working as a team and caring for those patients.
He might not always agree with Dr. Wolf, but he’d come to respect his ways.
Worst New Character – Dr. Charlie Porter
I’ve tried to like Charlie Porter. I feel for him that his mom died when he was a child.
However, doctors take an oath not to harm, and he’s been terrorizing Dr. Wolf since he arrived.
If he was that upset, he should have gone through the proper channels and sued Dr. Wolf for negligence years ago.
Now it comes across as an angry vendetta, and Charlie seems to relish making Dr. Wolf look crazy.
I also hate that he wormed his way into the interns‘ friendships and cozied up to Dana, and she started to trust him.
It’s difficult to discern if he actually respects her, or if she’s collateral damage in this game.
He has no problem violating protocol and making Dr. Wolf tell him off, making Wolf look angry and unreasonable.
If that’s the way Charlie runs things, I shudder at how the neuro unit will run with him in charge. The only silver lining is that Dr. Thorne and Dr. Nichols are finally noticing his tendencies.
Most Evolved Intern – Dr. Ericka Kinney
Dana will always be my favorite intern, but Ericka had the best writing this season and evolved the most.
It seemed for the first several episodes of Brilliant Minds Season 2 that Ericka’s PTSD and pill-popping habit would be dragged out, and no one would notice how odd she’d been acting.
It wasn’t until Ericka made saving Sam her mission that her friends noticed she was still grieving. She couldn’t save that woman in the elevator, so she aimed to save Sam, risking her own safety initially.
The Halloween episode explored her fear of elevators, and she began to realize she needed to keep her head in the game to help other patients.
It wasn’t until her job was on the line, and she knew she couldn’t pass a drug test because of how many anti-anxiety meds she’d taken without a prescription, that she reached out for help.
Ericka had become a mini-Wolf this season, fighting for people who couldn’t advocate for themselves, and it’s been heartwarming to see Wolf come outside his shell and help her.
It’s one of the few “found family” relationships on Brilliant Minds that grew stronger during Season 2.
The Best Relationship Highlighted – Oliver & Carol
From the beginning of Brilliant Minds Season 2, it was evident that Carol and Oliver were the winning team.
Sure, Carol wasn’t happy treating socialites in a private practice, and she thrived helping Oliver treat patients with meaningful issues.
That’s why she fought to return to Bronx Hospital. Even Muriel knew how much Oliver needed Carol by his side every day.
Those check-ins in her office were often so vital as they discussed his love life or how she coped with her divorce. They had been friends so long that they could be brutally honest.
They challenged each other, and Oliver even dressed up for Halloween on Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 6.
Zachary Quinto thrilled his Star Trek fans when he donned a Mr. Spock costume, and Carol dressed up as Lt. Nyota Uhura.
Most Confusing Decision – Creating Unnecessary Relationship Drama
Almost every relationship suffered from some unnecessary relationship drama, beginning with Oliver and Josh.
I advocated for their reconciliation to take time, but not for them to disappear from each other’s orbits.
Brilliant Minds Season 2 began beautifully for the dating docs, with Josh defending Oliver and Oliver comforting Josh after he lost a patient.
It looked like they were getting closer again, but then everyone was shocked when Oliver bared his soul, and Josh announced he was dating someone else.
They didn’t need that drama. They had had enough with Oliver coming to terms with his past and Josh becoming the new Chief of Staff.
Dana’s suffered unnecessarily this season, too.
First, the series made her the whistleblower for Carol, which wrecked her friendship with Ericka, who became Carol’s biggest supporter.
Why was it Dana? She and Ericka already had natural angst with Ericka taking Dana’s anti-anxiety pills, and didn’t need a contrived reason to argue.
Then the series created contrived drama between Dana and Katie when they could have worked through Dana’s legitimate fears about Katie’s job.
Dana has anxiety and didn’t fit in with Katie’s friends, so Katie’s ridicule of Ericka didn’t help matters.
Wolf & Carol and Ericka & Jacob remained the only two relationships without excess drama.
I loved that Jacob supported Ericka in her time of need, as she supported him in Brilliant Minds Season 1. The series built up their friendship again before having them kiss in the midseason finale.
It allowed Erica to realize she could rely on Jacob, and I’m relieved to have one rootable romance on the series since Jacob (Spence Moore II) and Ericka (Ashleigh LaThorp) ooze chemistry.
However, I disliked that most of Jacob’s scenes were with Ericka, and we didn’t have any meaningful scenes with the other interns.
Dana and Jacob were so close last season.
Time for You to Weigh In
I’m so exhausted by the unnecessary drama, and it’s hard for me to care sometimes unless a case grabs my attention.
I hate writing that about one of my favorite shows.
Over to you, Brilliant Minds Fanatics.
How would you rate Brilliant Minds Season 2 so far? Are you exhausted by the needless drama?
Do you plan to return in January to watch the rest of the season?
Let us know in the comments.
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