SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 1, “The Phantom Hook.”

The Brilliant Minds Season 2 premiere has a much stronger sense of self. When the NBC show started, it needed to figure out what made it different from all the other medical dramas and their stereotypes. Second seasons are specifically about developing a TV series further, and so Brilliant Minds is hitting its stride.

Season 2, Episode 1, “The Phantom Hook” concerns a professional fighter who shockingly begins punching himself, and the too-close relationship he has with his father, who also happens to be his coach. The audience won’t be shocked by the emotional arc of the episode, as Tommy grapples with how much control his dad has over his career and his life. The themes of male bravado and living vicariously through a child are clear from early on. What makes the plotline is that Brilliant Minds continues to have a brilliant guest cast. Tommy is played by Heels alum Duke Dallas Roberts and his wife Cynthia is portrayed by Smallville‘s Laura Vandervoort, both of whom are excellent in their roles.

The writers understand better now that the stars of each episode are the patients, and that their personal journeys are what make the medical mysteries relevant. That’s not to say the main characters aren’t important. Zachary Quinto has settled even further into the role of Dr. Oliver Wolf, and Brilliant Minds seems to have relaxed the way it writes Wolf as well; the premiere places much less emphasis on his quirks and just lets the character be. Wolf’s relationship with Dr. Josh Nichols has cooled as quickly as it heated up in Season 1, but Chicago Fire alum Teddy Sears gets two great scenes as well.

As for the squad, the Brilliant Minds Season 2 premiere doesn’t offer much of a refresher for anyone who either didn’t see or doesn’t recall the Season 1 finale. It takes some time to get up to speed. But Ericka Kinney is back after her traumatic experience, which continues to be part of her character. The biggest development is that Dr. Carol Pierce, Wolf’s best friend and the person who brought him to Bronx General, was placed on leave after her scandal. Carol is now practicing privately on the Upper East Side and divorcing her unfaithful husband Morris. Of course Tommy’s case brings her back into the fold so that Brilliant Minds can continue to utilize Tamberla Perry. But the core characters feel much better defined now in terms of what they want and what they bring to the series’ big picture.

There are still some of the flaws from Season 1 in this first episode of Season 2. The new resident, Charlie Porter, is a caricature in the same way that the original team was for parts of the first season. He serves no purpose to the medical plot, and offers no entertainment value in his abrasiveness—until he goes to Wolf and offers up a fairly random mea culpa. The episode does introduce three new characters, and one wonders if it couldn’t just have focused on the existing ones. Meanwhile, the writers are continuing to rely on narration and montage to cover story ground, and some of the beats are clearly telegraphed, such as ER chief Dr. Anthony Thorne’s flirtation with Carol. (Hopefully he lasts longer than Brendan Hines’ character.)

Tommy’s Dad: You smug son of a bitch.

Dr. Oliver Wolf: My mom is a lot of things, but I wouldn’t go that far.

Some may also take exception to the ending, in which Wolf discovers that his father has disappeared from his life for a second time. It’s frustrating that the Season 1 cliffhanger was this momentous introduction of his dad, only for the character to be written out so quickly. Actor Mandy Patinkin barely appears in the episode after all that build-up. However, from a long-term perspective, it makes sense because Wolf’s house is a primary setting in the show, and it would be hard to tell stories there with his father as a new roommate. The best fans can hope for is that Noah returns later in Season 2 to actually finish off that story. It feels like there must be a connection between him and the new ongoing mystery: how did Dr. Wolf end up as a patient in a mental hospital?

Brilliant Minds can sometimes get too in love with things like plot devices and character quirks, and forget the fundamental elements of great drama. “The Phantom Hook” course corrects that habit for the most part. There’s still a nonlinear narrative and still pieces that are easy to predict. But the characters are on much more solid ground, there’s a strong sense of where the season is headed so that fans don’t feel it’s just change for change’s sake, and the episode provides emotional satisfaction at the end. Brilliant Minds Season 2 has clearly grown and opened the door for even more compelling storytelling.

Brilliant Minds airs Mondays at 10:00 p.m. on NBC. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.