SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 5.

The fifth episode of Brilliant Minds Season 2 features some shocking moments—and only one of them in an operating room. “Once Upon a Time in America” will be buzzworthy, but the discussion isn’t all positive. The NBC show just made a major cast change, for one.

“Once Upon a Time in America” introduces Al Calderon as nurse Nico Silva, who is assigned to work with Dr. Oliver Wolf. Calderon is billed in the Brilliant Minds opening credits as a series regular. Yet eagle-eyed viewers may also have noticed who isn’t anymore. Spence Moore II, who’s been excellent as Dr. Jacob Nash since the series premiere, is now credited as a guest star. It begs the question: why introduce yet another new character (the fourth this season) while demoting an existing series regular? No offense to Calderon or any of the Season 2 additions, but Brilliant Minds is better off with more of Moore and Alex MacNicoll, not less.

Silva’s subplot is also questionable. Aware of Wolf’s face blindness, Silva still expects that Wolf learn the names of all the nurses on the floor. This comes across as him showing no regard for Wolf’s condition, and as a viewer with a disability, it’s also mildly offensive. Think of it as having a physical disability, but still being asked to do physical labor, because your colleague just thinks you need to try harder. In fairness to Brilliant Minds, Silva does later apologize to Wolf for “trying to get you to speak my language without knowing yours”—but then the impact of that conversation is blunted by an unnecessary joke about TV preferences.

Especially on a show that is all about being seen and heard even if you’re different, this plot point could have been executed far better. There would have been nothing wrong with showing an actual conversation between the two, and Silva trying to help him learn the names of the nurses. In fact, that would have gone further as far as endearing Silva to the fans, because it would show he wanted to be a teammate instead of just expecting Wolf to adapt. And even if the writers didn’t want to change the plot, then let the perfectly serious apology stand and resonate on its own; don’t button it with a joke.

“Once Upon a Time in America” has other ideas that start out well, but then just don’t get executed. The case of the week is about two brothers, Jorge and Benny, who barely survive a 39-foot fall. Their mother Ana favors the former, and there’s what is supposed to be an emotional moment when Ana and Benny make up. But instead of Ana getting there on her own, it’s because Silva takes some liberties in talking to her. What could have been the high point of the episode does not feel earned.

There’s a similar sentiment when Ana slaps Dr. Josh Nichols and curses him at the end of the hour after Benny dies—because their reunion is so sudden, to see her that enraged over his death feels sudden, too. In fact, her cursing him honestly just seems like a setup for next week’s Halloween episode, especially because it’s followed specifically by another Silva comment about “just in time for Halloween.” So was that supposed to be a shocking moment of a mother grieving her lost son, or a tease for next week? Brilliant Minds doesn’t seem to know what it really wants to be, and so the end product is average at best.

There are small moments of brilliance. Teddy Sears gives his best performance of the season so far, as Nichols pushes himself far too hard to perform surgeries on both brothers, and naturally blames himself for not being able to save Benny’s life. It’s always great to see the depth of emotion Sears can bring to the character and how he and the writers have developed Nichols from where he started. And seeing Dr. Ericka Kinney and Dr. Dana Dang make up is appreciated, even if it’s still hard to believe that Dana reported Dr. Carol Pierce.

But as a whole, Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 5 is a disappointment. It’s an episode that means well, yet once again the show can’t get those intentions out completely. And this episode is particularly flawed in that respect. Add in the apparent step back for Spence Moore II, and it’s not a great time at Bronx General. New characters and ideas are great, but only if a TV show doesn’t forget the existing characters and ideas that it started with, and this feels like things are getting lost in the shuffle.

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.