What is normal? Being happy with a quiet life or seeking the thrill at every step of your day? Well, both are, it just a matter of who you are. For some people, life is best when it follows a very predictable schedule with every single detail planned. For others, like this episode’s patient, it’s all about putting yourself in situations that most people would find risky, or even dangerous. It’s about pumping adrenaline through your entire body. And when you take that away from them, they wither.
This episode of Brilliant Minds is about accepting people the way they are, even when it goes against our own way of life.
Accepting People for Who They Are
The patient du jour is Arianna Burnett, matriarch of the Burnett family, one of the biggest donors to the hospital. Diagnosed with early onset dementia, she hurt herself at home. Her husband and daughter are looking for a way to help her by keeping her home, but it is in fact Arianna herself who’s secretly asking for help.
At the hospital, Josh is still assuming the role of chief. A budget meeting with the staff slowly turns into a trial against Oliver’s methods, Josh accusing him of spending too much money. It’s an interesting dynamic because they’re not together anymore, so it could be easy to say Josh resents Oliver for not treating him better, but we know Josh has always been that way since the very beginning, and it’s fair to say he’s not accusing Oliver unfairly.
That said, Oliver is also the doctor with the best results, which is worth the investment. And that’s probably why Josh sends him and Carol to the Burnetts’ house to meet with Arianna. As big donors, they receive special treatment, whatever the cost.
While Oliver is away, Porter is in charge of the Neuro service, which does not bode well for the team. He immediately takes it on Dana. Her cheeky personality is met by Porter’s mockery, calling her a teenager. And sure, she can act a bit too casual sometimes in the way she talks, but it’s never disrespectful to patients. And what makes it worse is that he’s not entirely wrong, but what he’s trying to do is put her in a box and take away what makes her unique. He wants her to become a generic person to accommodate his view of what she should be.
Compromises or Sacrifices?
This episode also confirms that the friendship between Dana and Ericka is not the same. Ericka is avoiding her, which might become complicated since they share an apartment. Both sides have their reasons, and it’s easy to understand them. While Ericka should definitely go to therapy and deal with her trauma and now addiction, facing Dana, knowing she could very well tell on her, could cost her her job.
For Dana, it’s all about honesty and following the rules, principles that are now affecting her friendship with Ericka.
On the other hand, the relationship between Carol and Anthony is taking a very sweet turn. Though I like their friendship, it’s obvious Anthony is interested in her, but it’s also appreciated to see him being very respectful about it, not pushy, not trying to play his cards right away. He saw Carol all dolled up for a date, helped her fix her dress, didn’t act weird or creepy about it. Yes, respect is very sexy.
This episode being about accepting the people you love for who they are, Oliver clearly tells Josh he won’t change for anything, or anyone. He is the person and the doctor he is because he doesn’t make compromises. Now, he actually did compromise a bit by following rules he always thought were boring or useless. What he actually means is that no one should sacrifice a part of themselves to fit in a box. It only means they’re not the right person, and it’s a whole different situation then.
Just like Arianna Burnett and her need for extreme situations to feel alive, Oliver is an unconventional doctor and person. He won’t change himself to become someone else, as no one should. Him saying to Josh he won’t compromise or be controlled was also about their relationship. Josh needs to accept Oliver for who he is, completely, or just forget about him as a partner.
The Mysterious Case of Dr. Wolf
Oliver becoming a patient at the Hudson Oak clinic is the background story of the season. It started with him trying to escape the facility, then we saw him admitting himself to the clinic, supported by Carol. In this episode, it’s confirmed he’ll be a full-time patient there five months from now. The scene shows him starting a fight between patients so he can use that as a diversion to call Josh.
The context is still unknown, but I still think it’s a sort of undercover situation, and Josh might not even be aware of that though. Oliver mentions a phone Josh gave him, but that was taken away by the clinic’s staff. Oliver adds that they won’t let him leave, that he needs Josh’s help, saying he has no control over anything and no autonomy. Which makes me think Josh probably thinks Oliver is genuinely trying to get better, but the real reason for Oliver to be there, a reason only he knows, is to investigate. This establishment sounded sketchy right from the beginning.
But that’s not all. This time, Oliver being away is paralleled with Porter becoming acting head of the department. I have to say, they really wrote Porter in this scene as a quite cartoonish villain, which makes it hilarious. Porter will definitely check all the boxes Josh is asking for someone in this position, but will probably realize that perfection doesn’t exist, and if Porter looks like the ideal doctor, his real face will soon be revealed!
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