[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of Brilliant Minds.]

Summary

Season 2 of the NBC series ‘Brilliant Minds’ slowly reveals why Dr. Oliver Wolf has become a Hudson Oaks patient, teasing a possible mental break.

The medical cases, from Alien Hand Syndrome to a reality-show delusion, challenge Dr. Wolf and his team and test his treatment style.

New doctors and nurses shake up the team dynamics, and Oliver’s fraught family and romantic ties play a role.

From creator/showrunner Michael Grassi and inspired by world-famous author and neurologist Oliver Sacks, the NBC series Brilliant Minds follows Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto) and his team at Bronx General Hospital as they work to solve medical mysteries of the mind. Following up a case of Alien Hand Syndrome in the first episode of Season 2 with a reality show contestant trapped in her own delusion in the second episode, the new season will clearly continue to challenge how these doctors approach treatment and mental health. When you add in some new doctors and higher stakes, relationship shakeups are bound to happen, but that still doesn’t explain why Dr. Wolf is a patient himself at Hudson Oaks, directly calling his own mind into question. Collider recently got the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Quinto about all things Season 2. During the interview, he discussed adding a layer of unpredictability with the mystery of Dr. Wolf’s mental state, how that will unfold over the season, whether you should mistrust Dr. Amelia Fredrick (Bellamy Young), Wolf’s avoidance of his father, the friendship with Drl Carol Pierce (Tamberla Perry), the shake-up in team dynamics with the addition of new doctors and nurses, and the changes coming between Oliver and Josh (Teddy Sears).
‘Brilliant Minds’ Season 2 Will Explore Dr. Oliver Wolf’s Mental Well-Being

“I love this idea that it’s a mystery that we get to piece together.”

Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf looking at someone with concern in Brilliant Minds Season 2NBC

Collider: In the first episode, we learned that Oliver is at this long-term health care facility. We were not even really sure of that initially, but we gradually get more and more information. We just don’t know why it’s happening or exactly what is happening yet. What can you say about what that’s all about? Why did that feel like something you wanted to tease out over more than one episode? When will we start getting answers? ZACHARY QUINTO: It’s a layer of unpredictability that is a nice contrast to the consistency that this show achieved in the first season. For me, it’s an opportunity to explore a totally different side of Wolf’s mental state and well-being. I love this idea that it’s a mystery that we get to piece together as the season goes on. We understand, in a flash forward that’s six months into the future, that between the present moment and that time, Oliver Wolf finds himself in this very unfamiliar and unsettling situation that he’s trying desperately to escape. The question is, did he end up there of his own volition, or did something happen externally that put him there? It’s actually based on a true story, to some extent, that we’ll get to tease out. Michael Grassi, our showrunner, and our writers are exploring a dynamic that actually has been documented and exists in the real world, which I’m excited to be able to explore on the show. I don’t want to say too much, but I think it’ll be an interesting thing for audiences because it’s very unexpected. It presents a question that they’re going to want to have answers to, and over the course of the second season, those answers will be parsed out. Even without knowing what’s going on or why, I also immediately distrusted Bellamy Young’s character. Is that intentional? Is that how we should be feeling about her? QUINTO: First of all, Bellamy is amazing and we’re so excited to have her on this season of the show. She’s just got such a great energy. She’s so collaborative. She’s so curious, and she’s just wonderful. Regardless of the nature of her character, Bellamy, as an actress, is delightful and a really welcomed additions to the cast. In terms of her character, I do think that mistrust is not unwarranted, nor do I think that it’s inappropriate. Sometimes even people who may mean well or may just be doing their jobs, can find themselves at odds with a moral high ground, and I think that’s true of Bellamy’s character. But a lot will be revealed. That’s the most interesting part about that storyline. We just touch on it in the first few episodes, but we’re spending the majority of the first half of the season this year leading up to that time period. The season picks up about a month and a half after the first season ended, and it’s six months after that the Hudson Oaks storyline really takes hold of Oliver and really becomes the primary focus in his life. We’re spending the first 10 episodes, at least, in those six months leading up to that Hudson Oaks period. And then, where the back half of the season goes remains to be seen, even for me. The writers are hard at work right now. I know that they’ve broken stories up through the mid-season finale, but I know that Michael is just starting to really focus the stories for the back 10. That’s part of what’s exciting about being on a network series. We’re all collaborating and evolving as the season unfolds. I love the flexibility that’s required of me, as an actor, and that’s required of all of us, as a creative coalition, to make that possible and to make that all happen. Alien Hand Syndrome is fascinating, but also seems very dangerous, especially when it can lead to you getting punched in the face. I also found that parallel father-son story so interesting, in comparison to what’s going on with Oliver and his father. Was that intentional? QUINTO: It’s very intentional. One of the things that our show has successfully done in the first season and will continue to do in the second is that oftentimes the cases are really reflections back at Oliver and the other doctors on the show. The patients that we encounter and that find themselves in the care of Wolf and team are often thematically tied into the things that Oliver and the other doctors are going through in their own lives. It’s really specific and intentional that there’s this complex and imperfect father-son relationship in the first episode of the show that Oliver has to deal with and that, in many ways, is both a reflection and a trigger for him in his own relationship with his father. The case in the second episode is also an interesting one, with a patient feeling trapped in a reality TV show that’s not actually real. I also found it particularly compassionate of your character to meet her where she is and to act as if it’s all real. What struck you most about that case? QUINTO: First of all, Molly Bernard plays that character, Lauren, and Molly and I did a play together on Broadway last season, so it was amazing to have her on the show. She’s one of a number of friends of mine this season who have come up to do guest spots. We have some amazing guest stars on the show, and Molly was certainly one of them. That story does have a sensitivity to it that, in a way, echoes all of Oliver’s own vulnerability. The feeling of being exposed that that character encounters and is struggling with through the second episode, is really beautiful. There’s something quiet about it. There’s something really sensitive about that story that I love. Oliver Wolf is a doctor whose primary philosophy is to meet his patients where they are. He sees an opportunity to do that with Lauren in a way that is unique and a little bit unexpected and maybe a little bit unconventional, but that’s how he rolls. He’s able to help her more by doing that. He’s able to get into her mindset and help her in a way that he might not be able to if he was just trying to fix her. That story represents that degree of sensitivity and that degree of, nuance to the treatment that maybe another doctor wouldn’t be able to possess in the way that Oliver does.
Dr. Oliver Wolf Will Have to Continue to Navigate His Past Trauma in the Present in ‘Brilliant Minds’ Season 2

“We can’t run from the past that defines us, as much as we might want to.”

How do you feel about the relationship with his father, as far as his avoidance to the point where he’s really not dealing with the relationship at all? Is it something that you would like to see him have to confront at some point? Are some relationships just better left alone? QUINTO: I think it’s something that, in one way or another, he’ll have to deal with. That’s part of the seeds that are being sprinkled around what happens later in the season. Without giving too much away, we can’t run from the past that defines us, as much as we might want to. I think Oliver is really confronted with that truth from the beginning of the season. I feel like that sense of abandonment and that void that is created by an experience such as Oliver has had is incredibly difficult to reconcile or to heal. To fill that void can be a life’s work, and I think Oliver is really engaged in that from the beginning of the season. How successful he’s able to do it, I think remains to be seen. Noah and Muriel, to a certain extent, really did a number on this guy with the decisions that they made in his childhood. Those were indelible, irrevocable decisions that they made without his participation. It’s pretty traumatic. Understandably, Oliver is trying to navigate that and some days are better than others. It seems like he moves him in as a way to force himself to deal with it, but then just completely avoids his actual home instead. QUINTO: Totally, yeah. He ends up sleeping in his office. Someone’s intentions and someone’s best laid plans can get derailed and upended by unexpected emotional triggers and vulnerabilities, and I think that’s what happened with Oliver. His father comes back after 30 years of being gone and says, “I need your help. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Of course, anybody who thought their father was dead for 30 years is going to want to try to rebuild a relationship with them, but you can imagine how complicated that might end up being. That’s what happens with Oliver and Noah. It’s like, “Okay, yeah, let’s try this.” But then, it’s like, “I don’t want to be reminded of these things. I don’t want to be confronted with the past. And I don’t have to be because there’s a hospital that needs my attention and there are patients that require care.” Oliver is like, “Let me go deal with the things that I’m good at, that I’m comfortable with, and that are easy for me, maybe to the detriment of his own well-being. It’s easy to understand where he’s coming from, but at the same time, selfishly, I would just like to see you and Mandy Patinkin do more scenes together. QUINTO: Sure, yeah. Totally. Let’s see where the season goes and if that’s possible. I don’t know. I can’t say, I guess is more to the point. But we’ll find out soon enough. I really enjoy Oliver’s friendship with Carol. What do you most enjoy about that relationship? Is that the most relaxed that he gets? QUINTO: Yeah, that’s really true. I absolutely adore Tamberla [Perry], so I love working with her. She’s so positive and so funny and fun. Ultimately, all of us have a great time on our show. It’s a really good set. It’s a really good energy. It’s a really good company of actors. We all enjoy being there. We enjoy each other’s company. It’s nice when we get to let that translate into the world of the show. I think that is especially true of Carol and Wolf because it’s especially true for Tamberla and me. There’s an ease and a pleasure of being in each other’s company. I love the days when I get to show up and know that I have multiple scenes with Tamberla that day. She’s such a great partner in this show. In so many ways, our relationship reflects the dynamic between Wolf and Carol, and I feel really grateful for that. There’s an ease there. Nobody understands Wolf better than Carol. That kind of trust and that kind of unfettered loyalty and commitment is an important foundation to build on in any show. For those two characters to have that really allows them to navigate all the challenges that present themselves over the course of the season. And I think that’s especially true in the second season of the show. Over the course of the first season, we got to know and care about this team of interns that was working with Dr. Wolf, but that’s shaken up a bit this season. You have one of them off in a different place with the new doctor, and you have this new resident? What was it like to find those new rhythms? It’s hard to get a read on Dr. Porter. QUINTO: Yeah, intentionally so. We really hit the ground running in the second season. We brought in Dr. Charlie Porter, played by Brian Altemus. We brought in Dr. Anthony Thorne, played by John Clarence Stewart. We bring in a new nurse character later in the season, played by Al Calderon. There is new energy at the hospital this season and a whole new department that we get to explore, and that’s been really exciting. Anthony Thorne is a new character in the show, who is the head of the emergency department at Bronx General. The intern you’re referring to is Jacob Nash, played by Spence Moore, who is on his rotation in the emergency department. All of our doctors end up spending a lot more time there this season. We have a whole new wing of the hospital, so we have a lot of new hallways and triage areas and treatment rooms, which is exciting when you’re on a long-running show, to have a new set to play in. That’s really quite rewarding. And then, there are the psychological hallways that open up as a result of these new characters and the dynamics that they bring into the show. It was quite fun for all of us to figure out, as actors, how to make space for these new characters. How they fit into the broader picture of the season will unfold as it goes. There are sparks between Thorne and Carol. Charlie comes in and rubs the interns the wrong way and is a little bit of a foil for their cohesiveness, and is a little bit of an antagonist to Wolf into the dynamic and the equilibrium that he’s established with the interns, which took him a long time to do because he was resistant to them from the first. So, it’s going to be interesting to see what it represents and how it unfolds.
The Nature of the Relationship Between Oliver and Josh Will Change in ‘Brilliant Minds’ Season 2

“Is Oliver capable of showing up in the way that Josh needs him to?”

Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf sitting at a bar with Teddy Sears as Dr. Josh Nichols in Brilliant MindsNBC

There’s a scene in episode two when Oliver tells Josh that he just wants everything to go back to the way it was before his father showed up, which clearly doesn’t work for Josh. Is Oliver going to have to take the time and work a little harder to be able to give Josh what he needs from him? Will we see more of that relationship throughout the season? QUINTO: The nature of their relationship dramatically changes through the course of the first part of this season. How they navigate that and straddle the line between the personal and the professional becomes a huge part of their storyline. The question is, is Oliver capable of showing up in the way that Josh needs him to? Obviously, at the end of the first season, he quite literally didn’t show up. That’s obviously a bit of a metaphor. And so, as we enter into the second season, the return of Oliver’s father and the emotional upheaval that sets into motion really calls into question his preparedness for an actual relationship. Is he able to move past his own limitations and allow himself to be cared for and to be present in an actual mature and functional relationship? I don’t know the answer to that yet. We’ll explore that. But there are some circumstantial developments that will complicate that even further for both Oliver and Josh. Their working relationship changes quite a bit over the course of the first few episodes as well. It’s a really fun relationship to watch because it feels like you and Teddy Sears have an ease between you. QUINTO: I love Teddy. I’ve known Teddy for many, many years. There’s a real shorthand and familiarity and comfort there. It’s great to imbue their relationship with that same kind of familiarity.

Release Date

September 23, 2024

Directors

Lee Toland Krieger, David Katzenberg, Dawn Wilkinson, Harry Jierjian, Jordan Canning, Maggie Kiley, Sudz Sutherland, Charles Randolph-Wright, Deborah Kampmeier

Writers

Sara Saedi, Ryan Knighton, Will Ewing, Daniela Lamas, Davia Carter, Stasia Demick, William Yu, David Carter, Alex Berger, Shannon Looney

Brilliant Minds airs on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock. Check out the Season 2 trailer: