The second season of ‘Brilliant Minds’ reaches a decisive point after Wolf adjusts to his life back in Bronx General after being discharged from Hudson Oaks. After saving a patient experiencing a rare medical condition, Wolf focuses on fixing his personal life. The romantic tension between Joshua and Wolf is alive, as Joshua runs into complications with Beau. As part of the medical grant project, Dana decides to investigate Hudson Oaks, especially Amelia Frederick, who has been keeping patients against their will.
Wolf also tries to re-establish his bond with the interns and hopes to be a better leader. While Wolf doesn’t see Sofia anymore, there are issues that still trouble him at a deeply personal level. With new cases challenging him, Wolf must also attempt to face his own demons and fix them for good. The stakes get higher for Wolf and his team in “The Hero’s Journey,” the nineteenth episode of the second season. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Finn Faints While Imagining a Medieval Story
Finn Adams, a teenage writer and history enthusiast, imagines a medieval-age character, a brave knight rescuing his beloved woman, who gets killed. When the character gets killed, Finn falls down in real life, with the same necklace as the one worn by the character attached to his neck. Dana addresses Wolf, Ericka, and Carol, talking about her interest in investigating Hudson Oaks and Amelia. Dana describes how Hudson Oaks and Amelia misdiagnose patients and hold them longer than needed, for profit motives. Carol tells Dana to find someone who is willing to go on the record against Hudson Oaks, and Wolf suggests approaching Dr. Adler, the one who treated him at the facility. Wolf doesn’t have enough evidence to testify against Hudson Oaks. Wolf awkwardly runs into Beau and Joshua.
Beau seeks Wolf’s help with a case needing neurological expertise. The case is complicated because the patient has been experiencing seizures, but refuses to undergo neurological scans. Katie, Dana’s girlfriend, invites her to a cousin’s wedding to meet the family. Ericka looks for the identity and whereabouts of her biological mother, and asks for Dana’s help to find out more. Finn is brought in by his mother, Lydia, who informs Wolf that Finn underwent spinal surgery a couple of years ago, which left him without the ability to walk. Wolf conducts a brief neurological examination and spots a Hematite necklace on Finn’s neck, an object used by Roman soldiers for protection. Impressed by Wolf’s knowledge of history, Finn agrees to undergo an MRI examination.
Wolf Unexpectedly Spots Sofia Again
The doctors find a mass in Finn’s brain, which may not be malignant yet. If the mass is not removed, the next time Finn has an episode, it may lead to epilepsy and greater damage. Carol visits Hector, an old patient of hers, who is admitted to Hudson Oaks. She asks him if he can go on the record against the facility, but he declines. Wolf suggests an “awake surgery” as an option for Finn, which would enable doctors to keep an eye on his brain activity and preserve core neurological functions. However, this would require Finn to stay absolutely still during the procedure, without which it would be risky. Finn talks about the novel he’s writing, which is about a brave knight named Sir John Hart, rescuing the kingdom and Lady Lovegood, the woman he loves, while facing a deadly enemy.
Finn compares his brain mass to the enemy that the knight faces in the novel. Doctor Adler is let go from Hudson Oaks and agrees to meet with Dana. Porter gives Ericka details about a PI he knows, who could help her find her biological mother. Wolf tries to convince Joshua to give the green light for Finn’s surgery, and the latter reluctantly agrees. While exiting Joshua’s office, Wolf happens to spot Sofia, making him panic. Wolf and the interns encourage Finn to keep his stability, to prepare him for the surgery. Beau confronts Wolf and says that it would be risky for Joshua and the surgeons to perform surgery on Finn. Doctor Adler meets Wolf and Dana, talking to them about a possible paper trail that could expose Amelia. Wolf tells Adler that he saw Sofia again, worrying about what this means.
The Brave and Unpredictable Writer Fights a Battle
Adler says he can get through it, no matter what happens, as Sofia is a symbol of protection. Dana and Carol examine Hudson Oaks documents and discuss how to target Amelia without harming patients. Finn starts hallucinating in the hospital room, seeing strange creatures and villains, which leads to a seizure. Joshua and Wolf rush in and decide to immediately prepare him for surgery. Joshua and Beau take up the surgical duties, and Wolf tries to keep Finn engaged by talking about the novel and its characters. As the surgery proceeds, due to Wolf’s intervention, Finn is able to talk and move his hands, which helps Joshua and Beau determine how the brain is responding. However, Finn experiences a small seizure again, which leads to chaos. The surgeons stabilize Finn and suggest using a sedative.
Wolf disagrees and says the “awake surgery” can proceed. The surgeons successfully remove the tumor mass, and Finn survives without any complications, much to Lydia’s relief. Amelia faces a questioning session by an internal investigator at Riverdale Healthcare, the parent company of Hudson Oaks. Dana, Carol, Adler, Hector, and a few other patients are also present in the session. Riverdale opens further investigations into Amelia, and she is asked to step down as the head of Hudson Oaks. Doctor Adler is selected to replace Amelia as the head of the facility. Dana comes home after the Riverdale session and finds Katie waiting for her. Katie says that Dana has been distant and doesn’t care about her. Disappointed, Katie leaves, knowing that the relationship will not work.
The Troubling Reality of Wolf and Sofia
At Bronx General, Finn recovers from surgery and is visited by a girl, who is a fan of his writing style. Seeing Finn face all challenges bravely, Wolf decides to counter his own demons as well and asks Carol to accompany him later. Through the PI, Porter finds information about Ericka’s biological mother and hands over a file. Ericka learns that her biological mother’s name is Joan. Joshua and Beau take a walk, and the latter says that he wants to marry Joshua. Carol and Wolf visit the latter’s home, where Wolf talks about Sofia. Dana goes to a bar and strikes up a conversation with a woman who looks exactly like Sofia, the one whom Wolf used to hallucinate.
The woman says she is from LA and is just visiting NYC. Wolf tells Carol he created a protective illusion to help him deal with abandonment issues stemming from his father. It is revealed that Noah, Wolf’s father, left him and started a new family. Wolf shows Carol photographs, which confirm that Sofia is his stepsister and a real person whom he has never met. Despite hallucinating Sofia, the images he sees are not completely imagined, as they stem from the photographs of Sofia and Noah, and how Wolf perceives Sofia.
Read More: Is Sofia Real or Imagined?
