SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 3.

The third episode of Brilliant Minds Season 2 is about struggles to communicate—so it’s not unexpected that the show itself has difficulty getting its ideas across. “The Pusher” has a common theme that emerges early on, yet its execution is somewhat lacking. And its case of the week is likely to send viewers back to another NBC show.

In 1997, Homicide: Life on the Street aired the episode “Subway,” which won an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award. Directed by Gary Fleder and written by James Yoshimura, the episode centered on a man who had been pushed onto the subway tracks, and the quest to find the person responsible before the victim’s death. It still is one of the best single episodes of drama in TV history. “The Pusher” has a similar premise, as a young man is suspected of pushing his caregiver in front of a subway train. Brilliant Minds approaches the plot from a medical perspective to tell a different—and more sympathetic—story that doesn’t work as well.

“The Pusher” focuses on Dr. Oliver Wolf and his team trying to communicate with Adam, who is autistic and nonverbal, in order to find out what happened. Almost everyone, and therefore the show itself, believes that he’s likely innocent. The only character who leans toward guilt is newcomer Dr. Charlie Porter—which doesn’t mean much because Porter continues to be an off-putting addition to the team. This means there’s no real suspense in the hour; viewers are just waiting to find out how the doctors get through to Adam. Everything is concluded by a deus ex machina moment when his caregiver, Gloria, remembers exactly what took place.

The case of the week also has to share space with explorations of different relationships. Adam’s new social worker is Dr. Van Markus’ ex Michelle, making them reflect on their breakup. (Michelle gets the most on the nose line when Van wonders why they didn’t work out: “We didn’t communicate.”) Dr. Dana Dang butts heads with her girlfriend Katie, because Katie risked her own life to pull Gloria out from under the train. Dr. Carol Pierce argues even further with Wolf, no longer quite so willing to help him out since she just got her own job back.

Of the three, Dana and Katie have the most memorable scene, because Dana thinks Katie is being “reckless” instead of heroic. It’s an odd sentiment when the pre-credits sequence makes clear that Katie didn’t really have a choice if she wanted to save Gloria’s life—but it becomes understandable when Dana explains that thought is based in a fear of losing the woman she loves. In turn, Katie explains that she risks her life because she knows every patient is someone else’s loved one. It’s an honest, thoughtful conversation.

The Carol subplot may feel a bit disjointed, depending on the viewer’s opinion of Carol. Brilliant Minds says twice that Carol just made “one mistake” in continuing to treat her husband’s mistress, but that seems like an understatement given everything that happened with Alison. Past that, things take another turn when Dr. Ericka Kinney wonders why Carol was disciplined when Wolf hasn’t been reported for any of his risk-taking. This is a valid point—but when Ericka suggests that gender and/or race played a factor, that creates a whole other issue where one doesn’t exist. There could be a great episode about gender or race bias in the health care system. But there’s been no evidence of that in this specific subplot. It also undercuts Carol’s attempt to make amends and move on when the show has another character saying that something else is at least partly to blame. Brilliant Minds should let Carol own her flaws and grow from them, rather than look for mitigating factors.

To that end, the show also rushes through the new mystery it set up just an episode ago by revealing who reported Carol to the hospital board. It’s also a strange answer: Dana admits to making the report, but then doesn’t want to tell Ericka what her reasons were, which means the audience has no way of understanding her point of view either. And Carol tells Dr. Thorne near episode’s end that she doesn’t want to know who reported her, so there’s no suspense in that direction either. Brilliant Minds didn’t have to resolve this cliffhanger that quickly and it could have done so more convincingly.

Last but certainly not least, “The Pusher” reveals that Dr. Josh Nichols is the new hospital chief. This is the most exciting part of the episode since fans automatically know how many story possibilities that opens up. Setting aside the lingering romantic feelings between the two, even the professional relationship is going to be fraught with disagreement. Audiences know how much Wolf and Nichols differ as doctors from the early episodes of Season 1, before they ever became a couple. On top of that, this move gives actor Teddy Sears a lot more to do going forward. Nichols doesn’t have to be just brought in for consults, or only seen as Wolf’s now ex-boyfriend. He automatically has a role to play in any plotline. Sears has been the most underrated actor on Brilliant Minds because Nichols isn’t directly connected to Wolf’s team, and now he’s got the keys to the proverbial kingdom.

“The Pusher” wants to be about the lack of communication between people, and finding ways to communicate and connect. It’s a noble idea, and a good one that fits with the empathetic vibes of the entire show. But unlike “The Contestant,” this episode never fully realizes that idea. Brilliant Minds has its heart in the right place, yet it has to do more showing and less telling.

Brilliant Minds airs Mondays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT 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.