Saagar Kote
NBC’s medical drama series ‘Brilliant Minds’ explores the trials and tribulations of Dr. Oliver Wolf, a neurologist who has a medical condition called “Face Blindness” or “Prosopagnosia,” which causes him to forget faces. He believes in an approach where he treats each individual differently, based on specific needs, and puts the patient before the medical condition. The previous season ended with Oliver finding out about the existence of his dad, Noah, who he thought had died. This leads him to an emotional zone that he hasn’t experienced before and complicates his relationship with his mother. Muriel puts Carol on temporary leave for treating a patient despite there being a conflict of interest, as the interns deal with their own issues. This sets the tone for “The Phantom Hook,” the first episode of the second season. SPOILERS AHEAD.
A Cold Open Reveals a Shocking Truth
A cold open reveals that Oliver Wolf is now a patient at a medical facility called Hudson Oaks. He steals a nurse’s key card and tries to escape, but is stopped by the hospital’s nurses and security team. He looks desperate as he tries his best to resist, after which he is held down by the hospital staff. The narrative shifts to events that transpired six months earlier. An MMA fighter named Tommy violently punches himself during training, due to which he is immediately taken to Bronx General. He is first attended to by Dr. Thorne and then by Jacob, who begins to treat the head injury. Ericka returns from an outing and meets Van. Meanwhile, Dana is interrupted and gets a duty call as she is getting intimate with a paramedic named Katie.
The group of interns rushes to see Oliver, but is greeted by a new resident doctor named Charlie Porter in Wolf’s office. Oliver tries to find out more about his dad’s condition and requests permission for a scan, which is not given by Muriel Landon. Oliver, the interns, and Charlie go to the ED to examine Tommy, who intends to go back to training. Despite being advised to undergo a brain scan, he violently punches Oliver. Carol runs her own psychiatric practice and handles a privileged client. Dr. Wolf talks to Tommy, his father, and their family doctor, who insists that the MMA fighter was just overwhelmed during the sparring session. Tommy feels shocked to know that he punched himself, but his father tries to discourage these thoughts.
The Mystery of the Alien Hand Syndrome
Wolf agrees to discharge the MMA fighter on the condition that he consults Carol Pierce. Later, Oliver meets Carol and asks her to take a look at Tommy. Meanwhile, Jacob tries to flirt with Ericka as they see each other after a while. When Tommy talks to Carol, he opens up about how his father hates to see him lose fights, and suddenly punches the wall with a decorative sculpture. Oliver and Carol deduce that Tommy has been punching himself and others with his right hand, despite his being left-handed in his regular fights. After observing Tommy again by sparring with him, the protagonist concludes that the fighter has a health condition called “Alien Hand Syndrome (AHS),” which is also called “Dr. Strangelove Syndrome.”
The condition is revealed to be a condition wherein people lose control over certain parts of their body, which causes them to involuntarily act in ways they didn’t intend to. Oliver requests that his mother allow a SPECT scan for Noah, which she reluctantly agrees to. The next day, the protagonist observes Tommy in the MMA gym and sees that the fighter cannot lift weights with his right hand. He pleads with the fighter’s dad, Earl, to allow him to run some tests to figure out the AHS angle, but is refused. Josh has a conversation with Wolf about the break in their relationship, and says that he cannot wait for something that may never happen. The next day, Tommy and his wife visit Bronx General after a tough night, and Oliver suggests doing tests immediately.
The Box and Mirror Technique
Ericka and Charlie find that the MMA fighter has been taking high levels of Levodopa, which is a medication used in the treatment of Parkinson’s. Oliver figures out that Tommy has a condition called Corticobasal degeneration (CBD), a rare condition that explains his aggressive behavior and his AHS incidents. Tommy says that his dad, Earl, is responsible for his medications, which indicates that Earl knew about the condition and still forced his son to compete in fights. Earl visits the hospital to take his son away forcibly, but Tommy punches him angrily after realizing that he is there just to push his own agenda.
Charlie has a not-so-friendly banter with Ericka and the other interns. Tommy tells Oliver that, despite his condition, he still wants to fight one last time and make his daughters and father proud. Not able to convince Tommy otherwise, Oliver tries to help him in other ways. He devises a method to make the fighter hide his right arm in a box and see only his left hand in a mirror, creating an illusion that he is in control of both. He trains the fighter’s sensory feedback in ways that could help him. Oliver seeks Carol’s help with his complex feelings about Noah, and also asks her to return to Bronx General.
The Fighting Spirit of Tommy
Tommy’s moment of reckoning approaches as he walks into the caged ring, as his wife, Oliver, Carol, and the interns cheer for him. Before the fight begins, the MMA fighter says he wishes to help others with Parkinson’s. During the bout, Oliver’s mirror and box method helps Tommy concentrate and land a knockout punch to his opponent. After winning, he hugs his wife and expresses gratitude towards Wolf. The fighter’s dad also applauds him in the crowd, which Tommy acknowledges. Ericka rents a room in Katie’s apartment, and thanks Dana for helping out.
It is revealed that Ericka has been hiding a lot of pills like Lorazepam, which indicates that she still has drug addiction issues. Carol approaches Muriel and demands her job back at Bronx General. Charlie apologizes to Oliver for making rookie errors and says that he is only there because of his admiration for Dr. Wolf. When the protagonist comes home, he sees a letter on the table with his name on it, presumably from Noah. Upon reading the letter, he starts to get emotional. The narrative shifts to six months later, wherein he is held down by the staff of Hudson Oaks Behavioral Health Services to prevent him from escaping the facility.
Read More: Is Brilliant Minds a True Story?
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