This new episode already shows major changes, as Jacob (Spence Moore II) and Van (Alex MacNicoll) definitely left the team, and the show. The Neuro team is now made of Dana (Aury Krebs), Ericka (Ashleigh LaThrop), Porter (Brian Altemus), and Oliver (Zachary Quinto). No doubt the team will need all the support they can use, especially from nurse Silva who made an apparition this week!
The case du jour is a bull rider, Benson Bowman (Micah Joe Parker), who fell from his mount and passed out. If the man, once awake, doesn’t sound too confused, his symptoms are worrying, between hypothermia and hallucinations.
While working on this patient’s diagnosis, Oliver is still trying to figure out what happened to his father, and tries to make sense of what he can see of his new life. The apartment doesn’t give anything away, but Sofia (Sarah Steele), the woman he met in the previous episode, will become extremely relevant in his endeavor.
At the hospital, Dana and Ericka end up applying for the same grant. Dana is made aware that her friend and coworker is also looking to obtain this grant, and is on the verge of giving up. Ericka is a fierce competitor, and even if Dana doesn’t tell her she also applied, just knowing she’s competing against Ericka is discouraging her. Support comes from an unlikely source as Porter tells her she deserves to apply and try (and he’s right), even giving her some tips as someone who obtained several grants himself.
Speaking of Porter, the relationship with Oliver seems…changed. As Oliver tries to confront him about his plans after his speech at the gala, Porter reveals he thought he’d get fire because of what he did. This shows he doesn’t know, and doesn’t understand, Oliver. Sure, Oliver can be impulsive, but he knows Porter is a good doctor, and let’s be honest, he also needs Porter for what he seems to know about his father.
Oliver is still looking to cure his patient, who turns out to be an alcoholic. All his previous attempts at getting sober failed, and Oliver thinks it’s worth trying deep brain stimulation (DBS) on him. Not only does the patient show determination, but it also should be a good case for DBS, which is typically not used to cure alcoholism. Oliver asks Josh (Teddy Sears) to perform it, but Josh refuses, between the risks and the approval.
Facing rejection, Oliver finds help thanks to Carol, who tells him about Dr. Beau Pedrosa (Marco Pigossi), a neurosurgeon running a clinical trial on DBS. A surgeon who turns out to be Josh’s current boyfriend. Now, what’s interesting is that Josh never told Dr. Pedrosa about Oliver, so Oliver meets him knowing who he is, but Dr. Pedrosa has no idea he’s meeting with Josh’s ex to help one of his patients.
In the end, Oliver saves another patient, but his own life is not getting better. He’s still chasing after his father, looking for answers he’ll probably never find, but the process of looking for them could help. Or not, considering he’ll end up at Hudson Oaks.
