Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: Who Is The New Chief Of The Bronx General?

The third episode of the ongoing season of Brilliant Minds revolves around a case that not only exposes the gaps in the American healthcare system but also highlights the ethical bankruptcy of law enforcement and administrative bodies.  The episode also sheds light on the identity of the medico of Bronx General, who reported Dr. Carol Pierce in the first place in regard to the Alison situation, and it’s quite a shocker, to say the least. Dr. Wolf’s relationship with Dr. Nichols reaches an even more shaky stage as a change in hospital authority spells trouble for our favorite onscreen neurologist.

Spoilers Ahead

Why Does Adam Become a Suspect?

Brilliant Minds episode 3 begins on quite a grim note: Gloria Markano, a middle-aged woman who appears to be in certain discomfort, approaches the subway station platform when an unknown individual seemingly pushes her on the tracks. Thanks to the driver’s rapid response, the train stops mere meters away from Gloria, who sustains injuries during the fall, which leads to losing her senses. Bronx General EMT Katie and her partner, Max, are quick to reach the location, and even before the electricity is turned off on the third rail, Katie rescues Gloria by putting her life on the line. 

After getting brought to the Bronx General, Gloria undergoes surgery, and Van’s social worker ex-wife, Michelle, arrives to inform Dr. Wolf and his team that Gloria is the sole caretaker of Adam, an autistic-afflicted, non-speaking individual in his mid-twenties. As it turns out, aside from Adam, no one was present on the subway platform with Gloria, and even though they haven’t confirmed it yet from the surveillance footage, the police suspect Adam as the culprit. Michelle, who has just been entrusted with Adam’s care, seeks help from the neurology department to learn the truth of what really happened in hopes of clearing the charges. 

How Does Adam Help Wolf and Co. to Save Gloria’s Life?

Communicating with Adam is a challenge for Wolf and his team, and the hospital is ill-prepped for it, as, aside from a picture board, there is no medium available to converse with a non-speaking person. Wolf immediately orders a couple of top-of-the-line electronic AAC devices so that they don’t have to face a similar situation yet again. For now, they have to try and use the board to communicate with Adam, who seems quite agitated following the incident in the subway. Wolf decides to take Van’s help, whose condition of mirror touch synesthesia allows him to compose Adam’s mind by putting on a headset to cut off outside noise. Wolf tries to learn the truth of what happened in the subway but can’t make sense of Adam’s response, who only mentions a phrase, ‘Say-A.’. 

Wolf sends Van and Michelle to the group home where Adam lives, and they learn from his roommate, Tom, that Adam was in a distressed state of mind, as he will soon be 26 and will age out of the group home care system. Tom further reveals that Adam doesn’t want to leave the group home and even had an argument with Gloria over it. Michelle and Van relay this intel to Wolf and co. Gloria wakes up following her surgery, but her condition worsens as she starts vomiting blood; it is revealed she might suffer from kidney failure—and her chances of survival appear slim as the medicos can’t figure out what is wrong with her. The suspicion about Adam’s angry outburst being responsible for Gloria’s predicament becomes even stronger when Dr. Porter is seemingly attacked by Adam. However, Michelle, who had noticed Adam’s skill as an artist from the sketches in his group home, rightly deduces that Adam wanted to get Porter’s pen to draw something to communicate with the doctors. 

Adam draws rough sketches of butterfly wing shapes, and initially, Wolf and his team remain clueless about what to make of it. In the meantime, police arrive and take Adam with them to interrogate, much to Wolf’s dismay. So far, Wolf had tried to stall police as long as possible and even asked for Carol’s help in this regard. However, Carol has only recently been reinstituted at the hospital, is already alarmed about the unknown individual who might have reported her about the Alison case, and understandably doesn’t want to get herself entangled in Wolf’s risky business. It seems Adam can’t be helped, but right at the moment Wolf is able to deduce what the phrase ‘Say-A’ and butterfly sketches might have indicated. 

The phrase was actually Adam’s way of saying Gloria is sick, given how doctors generally ask patients to open their mouths to inspect. The butterfly sketch indicates the butterfly-shaped marks that appear on the faces of lupus patients, and Gloria is suffering from the inflammatory disease as well, which is why she is vomiting blood and sustained kidney damage. As the doctors administer necessary medication to Gloria, she recovers and is elated to learn that Adam saved her life. Gloria clarifies that Adam didn’t push her; he actually tried to save her when her physical condition suddenly deteriorated and she fell on the subway tracks. She also reveals that Adam is going to live with her from now on, as she has legally taken the responsibility of his guardianship. 

Who Reported Against Dr. Carol Pierce?

On the other hand, Dana has a bit of an argument with her girlfriend, Katie, after learning that she risked her life to rescue Gloria. It seems she has personal woes, which have made her feel overly worried about Katie despite knowing the job risk involving emergency responders. Dr. Carol meets Dana and Ericka and apologizes for involving them in the Alison case and ends up revealing that someone from Bronx General had reported against her regarding the issue. Ericka gets all worked up to identify the person responsible, as she feels being a person of color, Carol is unreasonably targeted for an ethical misconduct issue, while Wolf, a white man, did whatever he pleased while being shielded by his mother, Muriel, who was the chief medical officer back then. Dr. Thorne gets a whiff of the rumors about there being a mole in the system and approaches Carol, hinting that he knows the identity of the person. However, Carol resists the urge to learn the identity of the person, as she considers that it might create a problematic equation in the workplace. Thorne reveals he was merely testing her, as he doesn’t know the identity of the person either. 

However, during the final act, Dana confesses to Ericka that she was the one who reported against Dr. Pierce in the first place. Even though she refuses to share what might have prompted her to do so, Dana reveals she will not hesitate to do it again if she feels like it. It is hinted that the trauma of family tragedy might have prompted Dana to take up such a decision, which will be explored later in this season. Sooner or later, Carol will learn about this, and it will be interesting to see how the dynamics between her and Dana turn out after that. Wolf and the rest of the medicos in the hospital throw a welcome back party for Carol, where Dana is seen present as well, and it is already hinted that she is going to have a tough time keeping her actions a secret.

Who is the New Chief of the Bronx General?

The third episode of Brilliant Minds ends on a shocking note, as Wolf is summoned by the new chief medical officer of Bronx General, and its none other than Dr. Josh Nicols! Wolf is surprised to learn that Nicols has replaced his mother as the chief of the hospital, and Josh’s demeanor indicates he will not tolerate Wolf’s antics like Muriel used to do. Throughout the episode, Nicols avoided having conversation with Wolf, which he interpreted as a reaction to their recently strained relationship – but the reason was quite different, as revealed in the final moments of the episode. The first season highlighted time and again how much Wolf’s and Nicols’ approach to treatment and care differ from each other, added with the fact they are in a relationship at present, things are about to become a bit complex from here on out. 

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