[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 3 “The Pusher.”]
When Zachary Quinto told TV Insider that Dr. Oliver Wolf and Dr. Josh Nichols’ (Teddy Sears) working relationship was going to be shifting in Brilliant Minds Season 2, he meant it. At the end of Episode 2, Wolf’s mother, Muriel (Donna Murphy), revealed she was leaving the hospital, meaning it needed a new chief medical officer. The episode on Monday, October 6, confirmed that Josh is the new chief.
This comes after Carol (Tamberla Perry) points out to Wolf that while he may be happy his mom is out since she “questioned my every move, my every test, pushed patient turnover over patient care,” her replacement will likely do the same. “You are in for a rude awakening,” Carol says. “That wicked witch coddled you, and whoever they bring in next will not hesitate to kick your butt all the way back to Kansas.”
It’s in the final scene of the episode that Wolf is shocked to learn that Josh is the chief when he’s called to his mom’s old office. (Josh, earlier, brushes off Oliver’s attempt to talk or not talk about their Season 2 Episode 2 kiss.) When Wolf asks if that’s why he’d been avoiding him, Josh confirms, adding, “Wolf, it’s time we talked.”
The doctors have taken a step back in their romance this season after Wolf failed to show at a gala at which Josh was being honored in the finale; he’d been surprised by his father (Mandy Patinkin), whom he’d thought had died, reappearing in his life.
“I think both Josh and Oliver are really complicated guys. I think they have a lot to navigate and it’s a bit of a ride with them this season,” showrunner Michael Grassi told us. “They’re going to go through stuff this season, but there is a really deep respect there and a love there. And I think you see that in all of their scenes together, even as they’re navigating all of the complexity that they’re going through. I love Zach and Teddy and their chemistry, and this relationship is such an important part of the show and we’ll continue to explore it, but in some surprising ways.” He’d said, while talking about the first two episodes, that their dynamic would “shift in a big way very soon,” and he wasn’t exaggerating with this chief reveal.
Added Quinto, “Things definitely change in the nature of their working relationship at Bronx General over the course of the first few episodes of the season, so that’s something they’re going to have to navigate. And I think that question about what they mean to each other and what they want to be to each other is something that will continue to unfold. And I don’t think there are any easy answers or it’s not black and white. It’s like a lot of human relationships, which means that it’s complicated, it’s uncertain, and I think they’re both trying to figure it out and we’ll definitely watch that unfold as the season progresses.”
As for whether he could offer any hope for fans of their romance, “It’s that classic will they, won’t they,” Quinto said. “And I don’t think anybody knows the answer at this point, but I think that they’re drawn to each other and I think that they learn how to relate to each other in a more complete and holistic way as a result of the experiences that they have in the first handful of episodes this season.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Ericka (Ashleigh LaThrop) leads the charge in trying to find out who reported Carol for continuing to treat Alison after discovering she was having an affair with her husband. She then decides it doesn’t matter since Carol’s back at the hospital and “whoever threw her under the bus has to look at her every day and live with the guilt of what they’ve done.” Dana (Aury Krebs) agrees, calling that, “Harsh, but true.”
Ericka continues, “Plus, there’s no punishment worse than keeping secrets. The shame. The lies. It festers until eventually it eats you alive.” (She knows a bit about that, since she’s hiding that she’s taking benzos for her anxiety.) That’s when Dana admits she reported Carol. “I’m not obligated to tell you why, but I will say this: I had my reasons. And I’d do it again if I had to,” she tells her roommate.
What do you think of Josh as chief and Dana being the one to have reported Carol? Let us know in the comments section below.
Brilliant Minds, Mondays, 10/9c, NBC