Brilliant Minds – Chapter Three: The Lost Biker

“When we experience something, neurons in our brains are activated; the memory is recorded, but if we don’t reactivate the memory the synapses gradually weaken. Overtime, memories fade. Just as easily the brain remembers it also forgets.” Tonight’s episode of Brilliant Minds shows us new ways of hanging on to memories and the importance of treating the person and not the diagnosis. 

Emily is a frequent visitor in the hospital; she’s been admitted a few times because of recurring seizures and the interns are all at a loss with what else they could do for her. They’ve run so many tests and all came back negative, but it isn’t until they bring their concerns to Dr. Oliver Wolf that he redirects them in finding another one. He asks for details about Emily’s seizures and no one is able to give him an answer. The shock on his face here was so validating to me because how many times have you gone to the doctor because something is clearly wrong, but they only give you medication to see if it helps, rather than trying to understand what is actually happening. That’s what Emily’s previous doctor did, and Dr. Wolf made it very clear that he works differently; “evaluate, diagnose, then treat”. 

“Chapter Three: The Lost Biker” – BRILLIANT MINDS – Pictured: Aury Krebs as Dr. Dana Dang, Spence Moore II as Dr. Jacob Nash, Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf. Photo: Rafy/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Dr. Wolf instructs the interns to induce Emily’s seizure and evaluate it to better understand what’s happening. When they were unable to do this; her parents asked to speak with Dr. Wolf. They’re worried that there wouldn’t be a solution and that they would have to deal with seeing their daughter suffer a seizure again which has been really tough on them. It’s moments like this that you appreciate a doctor like Oliver more. He tells them to recall what Emily was doing when her most recent episode occurred and it turns out she was watching an episode of “The Three Stooges” (I’ve never seen it) which she thought was hilarious and it’s believed that her laughing fits caused the seizure. Time to put it to the test. 

As they’re watching the show, Emily falls into a laughing fit then falls over; she stops breathing. The scary and strange part of that is, Van faints and stops breathing at the same time. After a few seconds, Emily is back up (that was a major risk on Dr. Wolf’s part, but thankfully it was a positive outcome) and so is Van – what the hell just happened? Dr. Wolf explains to Emily’s parents that her condition was misdiagnosed (of course it was) and that when she has a laughing fit, her heart slows down until it stops. The best solution for Emily’s case would be a pacemaker – even though she’s young, thankfully, it was approved (the other option was to prescribe beta blockers and no one wants that for a child). Once she had the pacemaker it was time to test it out and would you look at that? Emily is all laughs and no fainting spells. It’s a beautiful sight to see! (We’ll get to Van’s situation in a bit) 

“Chapter Three: The Lost Biker” – BRILLIANT MINDS – Pictured: Aury Krebs as Dr. Dana Dang, Spence Moore II as Dr. Jacob Nash, Markeda McKay as Emily, Ashleigh LaThrop as Dr. Ericka Kinney, Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf, Alex MacNicoll as Dr. Van Markus. Photo: Rafy/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

When a biker, Wyatt, comes to Oliver’s home with a gunshot wound, he tells him that it was an accidental self-inflicted wound; it was a hand tremor that caused him to injure himself while cleaning his gun. Oliver suggests that he should stop by the hospital for an evaluation. Wyatt is a bit hesitant; he believes that going to the hospital for a gunshot wound would bring attention to police which he doesn’t want (understandable, but sir, your tremors? That’s a little more important here). 

He stops by the hospital and it turns out it’s not a tremor – Wyatt’s wife tells Dr. Wolf that he’s been forgetful, a lot more than normal and it’s concerning: repeating jokes and stories, purchasing a single item in multiple quantities because he doesn’t remember ordering it, headaches, and dealing with fatigue as well. Hearing all of this, Oliver orders an MRI. 

The results of the MRI shows that Wyatt has a tumor. Dr. Josh Nichols explains that the tumor is affecting the part of the brain where his memories are. It can be removed, however, because of the location, he may not be able to form new memories (damn, that’s tough), but the memories he currently has will be safe. Wyatt is against the surgery stating that he “[has] no interest in living a life that [he] can’t remember.” This is a tough one and I’m empathetic towards Wyatt here; removing the tumor will save his life, sure, but is it even living if you have an inability to retain memories? Why visit places and experience new things that cannot be remembered? 

“Chapter Three: The Lost Biker” – BRILLIANT MINDS – Pictured: Teddy Sears as Dr. Josh Nichols, Steve Howey as Wyatt James, Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf. Photo: Rafy/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Oliver goes to Wyatt in an attempt to get him to change his mind about having the surgery and he does. Before the surgery though, there is one memory that Oliver wants Wyatt to be able to remember; it’s reconnecting with his daughter (they haven’t spoken in quite some time and it wasn’t a pleasant parting). This might not have been the best idea because when his estranged daughter sees him, her words weren’t so kind (she basically told him she hated him) and it sent Wyatt into distress. Seeing this, his daughter finally saw the severity of this situation and had a change of heart (good on her for this). He’s rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery and thankfully it was a success, at least for the best possible outcome: he’s still alive (but without the ability to make new memories). 

“Memories are powerful windows to the past. They can fill us with joy, or overwhelm us with grief. A moment in time we want to keep to ourselves, other times, they’re shared experiences. And when we struggle to remember them, it takes a village to fill in the gaps.” Wyatt worked out a way to keep his new memories alive: a video he recorded for himself (of himself) explaining what is going on. He also has a notebook with memories from the day – and when those days get tough, he has his village (his wife, his daughter, his biker friends) to help fill in the gaps. 

Back to the mysterious case of Dr. Van Markus; Oliver tells Van that he believes the way he is around patients is the result of a neurological condition called “mirror-touch synesthesia” (I looked it up and yes, this is a rare, yet very real condition). A person with this condition can feel what the person they’re talking to is feeling. It’s like an intense case of empathy. The trick, now, is to figure out how to use Van’s condition in an impactful way. 

The end of the episode brings us back to what could happen if memories aren’t reactivated. It not only gradually fades, but can also be subjective as a means of protection. When Oliver is talking with his mother, she tells him about the resurrection fern and suddenly his previous memory of his father telling him this story shifts into it being his mother. Filled with confusion, he asks his mother why she never corrected him when he remembered it differently. She tells him, “I wanted you to remember that day the way you wanted to remember it” – memories could be subjective and if we tell ourselves to remember a moment a certain way then that’s how it’ll be remembered, even if it isn’t the real memory. 

 What did you think of tonight’s new episode of Brilliant Minds? Share your thoughts below or connect with me on X/Twitter @chenfordhugs