Brilliant Minds is back from its December break, and doesn’t waste time putting the train back on its tracks. The episode opens with Oliver (Zachary Quinto) breaking into the apartment where his father, Noah (Mandy Patinkin), lives, according to Porter (Brian Altemus). We discover that the resident didn’t lie, there’s photos of a young Oliver on the walls, a diploma in his name. Now what?
Oliver’s trespassing is stopped by a critical case. At the very end of episode 10, The Resident (also called The Gala), we saw Michelle (Stacey Farber), Van’s (Alex MacNicoll) ex who came back into his life, unconscious in her car after an accident. The case mobilizes the entire Neuro team.
Michelle’s state is critical, and mirrors what happened with Porter’s mother: the victim has a young son and a desperate partner, and the prognosis is unfortunately not very optimistic, but hope is not lost, at least at first. This episode focuses on Van, and on the way even doctors can act in an irrational way even when presented with medical evidence they’re unable to accept.
Jacob (Spence Moore II) is also another focus of this episode. The position in a sports clinic in Dallas is everything he’s dreamed of, and even with a possible relationship with Ericka (Ashleigh LaThrop) taking shape, a professional opportunity like this one is too good to be rejected. Oliver learns about it when he receives a referral request from the other hospital. Losing Jacob is difficult for him, he’s now used to his team, he knows them, appreciates them, and knows he can count on them. No doubt Jacob leaving will participate to Oliver’s mental state declining.
The other case in this episode is the other driver, Nic (Jack Cain), involved in the accident. The young man, a hockey player, seems unharmed, but his reaction to the situation is odd. When asked about what happened, he starts laughing almost uncontrollably. The team will eventually discover his brain reacts in the opposite of what he’s feeling, sending the wrong signal, a direct consequence of the impact of hockey on his brain.
It’s eventually discovered that Michelle’s state reached the point of no return. She’s brain-dead. All the tests are clear, even Oliver is ruling out any possibility for her to recover. For Van, this is not an acceptable diagnosis, and he’s ready to break the law to get more time and hopefully a better prognosis. While trying to transfer her to another state to buy some time, Van realizes he’s been holding onto something that is only good for him and his own feelings.
It’s time to let go. Van lets Michelle go, Oliver lets Jacob go. But that’s not it. Van is also leaving for an extended period of time, maybe forever. Losing Michelle affects him greatly, and he now needs to take care of his son. Porter, portrayed as an antagonist, shares an unexpectedly nice moment with Van, and talks to him about his past, about his father who died after his wife died, leaving Porter alone. Van’s son needs him just like Porter needed his father.
The episodes ends with Oliver back at his father’s place, where he meets an unknown woman who seems to know Oliver. The mystery around Noah thickens, and we’re closer to the inevitable. Brilliant Minds is losing two of its main characters, which could change the team’s dynamic.
