Saagar Kote
The second season of NBC’s ‘Brilliant Minds’ poignantly continues the complex journey of Oliver Wolf. His experiences at Hudson Oaks and Bronx General shape the bulk of the storyline, which also introduces new characters and mysteries. The overarching mystery of Oliver’s admission to Hudson Oaks’ medical facility is gradually unveiled through flashbacks that ask more questions about Oliver’s state of mind. In the present, Oliver contends with his mother’s departure from Bronx General and his father’s unexplained absence from his life. As the main character deals with these challenges, Ericka struggles with drug addiction, and Carol navigates personal and familial issues.
The doctors, particularly Wolf and Nichols, are pushed to their limits by new patients presenting intricate medical conditions, necessitating their collaborative efforts and complex emotional discussions to resolve difficult cases. With the hospital undergoing financial challenges and the doctors facing personal struggles, the drama gets intriguing in “The One That Got Away Away,” the seventh episode of the second season. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Memory of a Beautiful Song
A historian named Tom gives a presentation about identity to a large crowd of students. He hallucinates that a phone is ringing, leading him to zone out. Oliver works on a new patient, and is appreciated for the same by Nichols. Silva sees Oliver and Nichols flirting and teases the neurologist for the same. Sam, the unhoused man, is attended to by Carol and Ericka. He says he is having a hard time coping with homelessness and trying to survive. During the therapy session, he starts to hear voices again, which he says feel like demons. He says he doesn’t feel like himself. Ericka talks to Oliver, expressing concern that he has never had proper care. Carol says that Schizophrenia is the most likely diagnosis in Sam’s case, but Ericka believes he needs genuine care. Oliver agrees to admit Sam to long-term treatment.
Dana and her paramedic girlfriend Katie talk about taking their relationship seriously and introducing each other’s friends. Tom, the British historian, visits Oliver for consultation and reveals that he’s been somehow “hearing” a particular song, which is derailing his trip. Though Oliver doesn’t recognize Tom at first due to Face Blindness, he eventually recalls that he has known him, with the two possibly being involved romantically in the past. Tom starts to “hear” the song again during his conversation with the neurologist. Oliver examines Tom’s ears to know more about the case. The historian says pressure builds in his head even when he is about to hear the song, which is revealed to be the song from his past with Oliver. Carol encourages Oliver to pursue Tom again. She also tells him to consider dating again and not to be alone.
The Mystery of Musical Hallucination
The protagonist fears that Tom’s auditory hallucinations mean something more serious. Sam is examined by Ericka, during which he starts to hear voices again. The doctors are forced to stop the treatment due to his chaos. Ericka plays chess with Sam, during which he says that he hears radio-like noises and a man named Lawrence, who tells him he is weak. Ericka tries a different method and talks face to face with Sam, and pretends to tell Lawrence that Sam is not weak and that people will miss him. Tom is further examined by Oliver and Dana, during which he starts hearing the song again. The protagonist says this is a form of seizure, accompanied by something called a musical hallucination. Oliver consults Nichols about Tom’s condition of musical hallucination.
Sam is examined while the doctors play a movie for him, making the process easier. Tom starts to hear the voices again and starts to bleed from the ear, going into a seizure. Nichols says that the British man probably has a condition called Drug-resistant epilepsy, which negates the effectiveness of medicines. A surgery is considered by Oliver and Nichols. Rashid, Tom’s husband, and the kids visit the historian in the hospital. Dana is joined by Van for a game of basketball with Katie and her friends. Ericka worries about Sam due to his confusing tests, but Carol tells her not to obsess over it and to take care of herself. Dana worries about the girls on the basketball court, wondering if Katie has dated some of them. She ends up injuring one of them, shocking Katie.
Ericka Confronts Her Reality
Tom and his husband are informed by Oliver and Nichols that surgery is worth considering in this case, but it could be dangerous and even cause memory loss. Tom doesn’t agree to go ahead with the surgery, hoping not to forget his past. He tells Oliver that their past was magical and that he doesn’t want to forget. Van tells Ericka that he and Michelle are back together, and that she is arranging a place for Sam. Katie talks to Dana about the basketball incident and tells her that there is something wrong with Ericka. Sam is discharged, but is asked by Carol to follow a prescription and also consult her regularly. Ericka even gives Sam her credit card to make his life easier.
Tom and Oliver take a walk by the beach and talk about the past. Oliver tells Tom about his father and how life hasn’t been easy for him. The neurologist convinces the historian to move forward in life. Dana asks Ericka if she has been taking her pills, and she says she has. Ericka confesses that she has been addicted to pills since the elevator incident and breaks down, while Dana comforts her. Tom undergoes surgery and tells Oliver that he doesn’t hear the song anymore. He thanks Oliver for the help. Ericka checks with Carol about Sam’s treatment, and Oliver thanks Nichols for the help with Tom.
The protagonist tells Nichols that he wants to pursue a relationship again, but the latter says that he is already seeing someone. Oliver and Ericka watch a movie, during which the latter says that she was adopted. The protagonist tries to comfort her and says that sometimes life has ways of challenging people. The two continue to watch the movie, providing emotional support to each other.
Read More: Who is Tommy in Brilliant Minds?
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