[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Brilliant Minds Season 1 Episodes 12 “The Doctor Whose World Collapsed” and 13 “The Man Who Can’t See Faces.”]
Brilliant Minds put one of the interns in the middle of some serious danger in the first of the last two episodes of Season 1 (which aired back-to-back for a tense night!).
Ericka (Ashleigh LaThrop) was trapped in an elevator for most of Episode 12 after her building partially collapsed. An older man and she both survived, but his granddaughter did not, after she insisted the doctor climb out first; the elevator then fell before she could follow. She struggled to get into any elevator in the finale — both in now roommate Dana’s (Aury Krebs) building and the hospital — and with the other interns (especially Dana) stepping in one as well. But she was seemingly doing better by the end of the episode … only for a reveal that she’d been taking Dana’s anxiety medication.
Also in the finale, Muriel (Donna Murphy) revealed to Carol (Tamberla Perry) that a complaint had been filed that she breached an ethical code about a conflict of interest in her continuing to treat a female patient (the woman with whom her husband had an affair). As a result, Muriel had to place her on administrative leave. Carol’s response (which we loved)? “Like hell you do.”
Below, showrunner Michael Grassi breaks down those key moments and more. Plus, read what he had to say about that reveal about Mandy Patinkin‘s character, as well as Wolf (Zachary Quinto) and Nichols’ (Teddy Sears) romance here.
Muriel tells Carol about the complaint against her, just as things seem to be going better for Carol at home. She’s moving on. Why add that on? And what can you say about her potential fight against administrative leave? I loved her response to that.
Michael Grassi: That’s one of my favorite moments of that finale, is when Carol leans forward and she’s like, like hell you are. I love Tamberla’s performance of that line. And I think that really captures her spirit and where we’re going to find her when we come back, which is fighting for her role and her position. It’s also like, she’s given so much to this hospital. She’s also helped Muriel through so much with Wolf. And then for Muriel to turn around and to put her on administrative leave, I think she’s going to fight like hell. And I also think she wants to know how this got out. Was it Morris [Rainbow Sun Francks], was it Alison [Julia Chan]? Was it one of the interns? Who did this? And how did it get out there? So I think there’s a bit of a mystery going into our next season, and how she’s going to sort of fight for her job and her livelihood now that she’s a single mom in a way is going to be really interesting to see how she navigates this very tricky situation.
Rafy / NBC
Why did you put Ericka through the elevator and collapse experience out of all the interns? And I have to say I like that you focused on her and Dana’s friendship versus using it for the love triangle with Jacob (Spence Moore II) and Van (Alex MacNicoll).
Well, thank you for saying that. Yeah, I think a lot of the audience is like, who’s Ericka going to choose? Is it going to be Jacob? Is it going to be Van? And the thing that we were really excited to do was flip the narrative on the love triangle and make it a friendship story between these two, which is something that we’ve been sort of simmering all season, and that really is the true love story is these two finding each other. And all the interns, I think in a way, are finding each other, which is really nice.
And then it’s funny, Ericka is so type A and she’s so by the books and I think of her sort of as the leader of the interns and she’s sort of been a little bit unflappable this season. She’s been amazing at work. She’s really also made herself vulnerable and tried to have a love life, which didn’t go so well. But after that all explodes — we also have tested the other interns in various ways. All the interns have sort of had their sort of big emotional tests. And Episode 12 is Ericka’s big test. She’s put in a situation where she has to take everything she’s learned and really listen and really hone in. I think we see little things she’s learned from Wolf and how she addresses the patients and treats the patients, and she ends up saving that man’s life in the elevator. And at the same time, she’s confronted with her own issues of not living her own life, even just being in these conversations in this elevator. And I think the tragedy that happens in this elevator really holds up a mirror to her, and we’re going to see her struggle to move through that.
Also just even in Episode 13, the conversation with Dana with the meds is one of my favorite scenes of the season as well. Just because it’s so relatable. I think a lot of us have those conversations in life, but also with ourselves, do I need medication? Will it help me? Am I strong enough to do it on my own? And I love that our two interns have different POVs on this and are talking it through.
But then Ericka popped one of Dana’s pills.
So the reveal is that she’s able to get back into elevators and she’s like, oh, yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just sort of worked through it. And we revealed that she’s actually been taking Dana’s meds while she’s been living with her, and that’s why she’s able to get back on elevator. That’s something that we’re definitely going to explore moving forward.
There is the matter of the love triangle though, because it seems like you’re really leaving Ericka and Van in the past, but then Ericka and Jacob might have a future and had a moment in the finale where he apologized for treating her like a prize to be won. But it feels like that needs to wait because it’s more important to focus on Ericka right now as an individual…
That moment’s really important, Meredith, because I think it’s Jacob owning that he was wrong by treating her like a prize and it’s sort of like him stepping up and being like, I was wrong. And it’s also a pretty vulnerable moment for him. He hasn’t had many this season. He had that moment when he was drunk at her apartment, and other than that, Jacob’s pretty guarded. And for him to say that one of the reasons why he’s sort of made it through as an intern is because of her and her support I think is a really moving moment. I think it does open the door ever so slightly to a potential romance in Season 2. But I think it’s going to be complicated, and I don’t know if Ericka’s ready to let somebody in just yet after everything she went through. So we’re excited to dig into all that for sure.
Related‘Brilliant Minds’ Boss Breaks Down Mandy Patinkin’s Role, Oliver & Josh Romance in Season 1 Finale
I liked Dana and Katie’s (Mishel Prada) moments in the finale. After they kissed and now that Dana’s no longer her doctor, what do you imagine their future looks like?
Yeah, so I love Mishel Prada, I love Aury, and the scene where they finally kiss is so satisfying, and I think that seeing Dana sort of see herself as a romantic lead in this episode feels really, really satisfying. But I think that when you’re dating a paramedic and you have issues about losing people — because I know that Dana struggles with anxiety and it’s all related to loss and her potential future love interest has a job where she’s putting herself in danger — there might be some interesting conflict there moving forward. But I’m excited to explore their dynamic and just get to know Katie more and Dana more and see where we can take them.
Brilliant Minds, Season 1, Streaming now, Peacock
More Headlines:
‘Betting on Paradise’ Stars on Dramatic Life Changes They Made for New HGTV SeriesBill Maher Shuts Down Jon Cryer as Pair Argue Over Why Trump Won Election (VIDEO)‘Brilliant Minds’ Scoop on Carol’s Fight, Ericka’s Struggle, and More in Potential Season 2‘County Rescue’ Star Keller Fornes Dies at 32‘Brilliant Minds’ Boss Talks Casting Mandy Patinkin as [Spoiler], Oliver & Josh’s ‘Heartbreaking’ Finale
