The Killer Bride
Episode 4 of Brilliant Minds begins with the notion of death. If you knew you were going to die and had a time window until you passed, how would you spend your time? Wolf deduces that many would spend their time getting affairs in order, and seeking forgiveness from those who need it. When it comes to Dr Wolf, this appears to be the case’s theme we’ll be dealing with today.
Alongside our mystery John Doe, the man brought in to the facility last episode, there’s somewhat of a time window here given there are plans for him to be carted out and sent to a long-term care facility. However, before Wolf and the interns can get on this, a bloodied woman stumbles down the hallway. She seems to be delirious, is unable to follow Wolf’s flashlight, and keeps mumbling “Have you seen Charlie?”
Carol shows up at the hospital, where it becomes immediately clear that this woman has taken Molly. Nobody seems to have found her boyfriend, Charlie, either. Carol believes it’s dissociative amnesia, but Wolf think she’s blocking something out. Of course, police show up given the blood, and need to question her.
Tox results won’t be back for an hour, while the interns have found the woman’s purse. Her name is Bridget Myers and they also find drugs in her purse too. To figure out what she was feeling at the time, Wolf heads off with Dana to check out the hotel Bridget was staying at.
There doesn’t seem to be anything out the ordinary, but Wolf decides to just take the drugs in her purse to “understand” wht she’s going through. It’s, of course, incredibly reckless and results in Wolf going dancing with Dana. He then ends up getting pretty aggressive with someone on the dancefloor and deduces the same thing could have happened with Bridget.
Wolf continues his aggressive and unstable streak, thanks to the mix of MDMA and PCP. They do, by chance, find Charlie though, who happens to be inside the refrigeration unit. Thankfully, he’s still alive and he’s raced into ER. When Nicholls finds out Wolf is high, he’s not exactly happy but doesn’t say too much beyond that he’s a bad influence on his interns.
The police show in the middle of this and reveal that they’ve found an ice-pick that may have been used to stab Charlie. While being taken outside the hospital, Charlie ends up having a seizure.
This unlocks some of her memory so the gang do an MRI. While they don’t find anything, Wolf and Dana soon figure this case out. It turns out the key here is in Bridget’s diet, which stems from something called “Maple Syrup Urine Symptom”. It’s a rare genetic disorder which prohibits the body from breaking down proteins during stressful times. And if that protein can’t be broken down, it can become toxic to the brain. It was Bridget who stabbed Charlie and there wasn’t a third person as she initially deduced.
Meanwhile, Ericka gets more positive affirmations this episode when Jacob calls her out for working so hard on the comatose John Doe. She and Jacob take John Doe up to the rooftop where they let our mystery patient see the sunrise. However, this unlocks something for him as he starts moving his toes too. Wolf believes it’s just muscle spasms, until the guy starts moving his eyes. It turns out he can stay at the hospital after all, but they need to figure out what’s up with him.
Dana speaks to Wolf and reveals that Charlie has actually died, due to a complication. Wolf and Carol are quick to reinforce that it’s not Bridget’s fault, and there’s no one cause to blame for all of this. They allow her to see Charlie once more to apologize, and after, she’s taken out the hospital by the police.
With the case done, Wolf speaks to Carol, who breaks down that she’s spoken to her daughter, Maya, who now knows that her parents are going to break up. Wolf knows about divorce first-hand, but as he speaks to Carol, he points out that what he did was unforgivable. But what was it?
The Episode Review
Out of all the episodes this season, this one is arguably the weakest. The case itself is fine, although the title literally spoils what happened to Charlie. There’s nothing particularly outstanding here, and the show is relying very heavily on its tried and tested gimmicks surrounding its characters. Wolf’s mix of breaking the rules and unwavering empathy for his patients is a big juxtaposition, and being allowed to just mull about the hospital and not be sent home while completely high on drugs is a questionable inclusion.
This John Doe character could be a lifeline for the series though, especially for a longer-running storyline throughout the show, but beyond that there’s not too much to distinguish this from House, which Brilliant Minds is leaning closer and closer to with every week that passes.
It’s good that we’re seeing more of the interns but personally, it would be nice to see a bit more conflict here, because right now this show is in danger of becoming more mediocre than it has any right to be.
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