Warning: spoilers are ahead for the second episode of Brilliant Minds Season 2, called “The Contestant” and available streaming next day with a Peacock subscription.
Brilliant Minds hit the ground running in Season 2 in the 2025 TV schedule, with the premiere ending on a flash forward that signals disaster on the way for Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto), the second episode pretty definitively sending off his dad (at least for now) and then saying goodbye to his mom within the walls of Bronx General. Throw in the second flash forward sequence of the season, and I’m left wondering: who is going to betray him as the new episodes catch up with what’s happening at Hudson Oaks?
Muriel (Donna Murphy) decided to step down from her role as head of Bronx General’s Chief Medical Officer so open the door for Carol (Tamberla Perry) to return to the hospital after the board was split on whether or not she should be allowed back. Carol tried to protest, but Muriel’s mind was made up, and neither she nor Oliver were upset about it. In fact, Oliver pointed out that it would be nice to have Muriel as his mom and not as his boss.
The twist doesn’t mean that actress Donna Murphy is leaving the show either, as star Zachary Quinto told TVLine that she’s “always around” and “she’ll be back.” I wouldn’t be surprised if we just see less of her now that she bid her farewell to the hospital, though. At least Carol can come back!
While Carol’s return seems like nothing but a positive in the present, the flash forward indicates that perhaps she’ll be betraying her dear friend within six months. She was the ally Oliver needed in “The Contestant” when it came to talking a patient out of agreeing to sign on with Dr. Amelia Frederick (Scandal and Prodigal Son alum Bellamy Young) and the Hudson Oaks facility, which sounded too idyllic for comfort when she described it. (Plus, we saw the character having Oliver drugged in the Season 2 premiere flash forward.)
Oliver and Carol seemed to be on the same page about encouraging basically every method of psychiatric treatment before signing on for inpatient care. So, based on the jump ahead in time where a Carol is encouraging Oliver to sign an important document, it appears that something drastic is going to have to happen for her to think this last resort is the best option for her best friend.
That said, I’m not entirely convinced that we should interpret that ending as Carol institutionalizing her friend. Oliver was seemingly under the influence of some kind of drugs and visibly confused, then Carol enterted the scene and told him to “go ahead” and sign himself in because “it’s for the best.” Could this Carol be a hallucination due to whatever has happened to Oliver, or whatever he’s on in the sequence?
Dr. Frederick looking at Carol puts a wrinkle in this theory, but I can’t shake off the sight of Oliver looking so clearly impaired being encouraged to sign a document. If this really is Carol telling her friend to sign himself into a facility that he clearly didn’t think much of in the present storyline, I sure hope Brilliant Minds has a story to justify it.
Find out with new episodes of Season 2 on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, and/or streaming on Tuesdays.
