We’re back! After a brief hiatus, Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Upside Down’ brings us the first confrontation between Charlie and Oliver, while Carol learns more about Amelia and her mental institution, and Erika finally asks for help. Ready?
Here we go!
Loss of Trust
We can’t stand Charlie anymore, and his attitude in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Upside Down’ makes us want to punch him. Hard. Playing devil’s advocate here, part of us understands what Charlie is saying. It’s true that the hope Oliver tries to instill in all his patients and their families is a double-edged sword.
When you least expect it, that hope can turn into false hope. And that’s worse because it means there’s no closure. And everyone needs closure to move on. However, Charlie’s actions are inexcusable. If he was truly worried about Jorge and Ana, he should have talked to Wolf. Seriously. Not a fleeting comment in a hallway. And, if Oliver hadn’t listened to reason, he should have sought another opinion from Carol or Nichols…anything before speaking to Ana on his own, without Oliver’s authorization.
As Oliver told Charlie in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Upside Down,’ what he did resulted in a loss of trust from the patients and their families. And trust is paramount in his work. Trust between patients, their families, and the doctors. And trust among all members of the team. Charlie broke that trust in both directions. And Oliver couldn’t allow it. In fact, he should have stopped Charlie sooner. But now he can’t let it go.
And what most infuriates Oliver—and us—is Charlie’s attitude. Instead of reflecting on what he did and understanding why it was wrong, he becomes arrogant and defies Oliver, even questioning his integrity. So yeah, Oliver lost his temper and yelled at him, throwing him out of his office. That wasn’t the most appropriate response, but honestly, we all would have done the same, and it was the least Charlie deserved. We can’t wait to see how their partnership will be from now on.
MORE: Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 7 Review: ‘The One That Got Away’
Facing the Consequences
On another note, we’re very proud of Erika. She did the right thing in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Upside Down.’ Her first instinct upon learning about the test was to try to cheat to pass it. But that’s normal; it’s human. She’s about to lose everything she’s fought for her whole life. Erika knows that if that test comes back positive, it’s over. So she tries to do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening. If Erika manages to buy time or trick the system, she’ll pass the next one cleanly.
But that’s not the solution. That would have made everything worse. Not only at work, but also for her sobriety. It’s very dangerous for an addict like Erika to feel she can get away with anything because her actions have no consequences. In the end, it’s Markus who finally makes Erika realize it was time to be honest…and hope for the best. Only then, only by being willing to face the consequences of her actions, will she be one step closer to recovery.
Luckily, everything turned out alright in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Upside Down,’ and Silva was understanding. Although, we were quite disappointed by the reaction of Silva, Markus, and Jacob when they found out what Erika was going through. Like Oliver, we felt they patted her on the back, told her “you can do it,” and then left her alone. We think only Dana rose to the occasion and not only did she support Erika, but she also stood by her. She listened to Erika, didn’t judge her, and stayed by her side, and she still does.
MORE: Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 6 Review: ‘The Doctor’s Graveyard’
Deceptive Smiles…
We knew Amelia couldn’t be trusted! Too many smiles, everything too perfect, too selfless…in short, too good to be true. And Carol suspects as much in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Upside Down.’ Hector’s family’s warning was what put her on alert. Amelia was keeping him there without any medical reason and in isolation. Just like she’ll do to Oliver.
When Carol came to investigate, Amelia had no choice but to put on her best smile and pretend everything was fine, so Carol wouldn’t suspect anything—although we didn’t think that would work perfectly—…but four months later, Hector is still there, acting as Amelia’s henchman. What could they have done to the poor man to make him willing to do whatever Amelia orders without question?
Furthermore, in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Upside Down,’ Amelia assured Carol that Hector would be released from the mental institution soon. However, when he doesn’t, will Carol investigate again, or will she not even find out? We need answers! What’s clear is that Amelia isn’t all she seems, and Oliver knows all her secrets. However, proving it won’t be easy for him. And we just hope that Carol and Josh trust him and believe him. Our hopes are pinned on them.
MORE: Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 5 Review: ‘Once Upon a Time in America’
Other Stuff in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Upside Down’
- We still don’t like Charlie and Dana being around each other. We don’t want them to exchange a single word. Especially if he’s going to twist everything to criticize Oliver.
- Seriously, criticizing Oliver is this guy’s favorite pastime. He has a personal vendetta against him.
- Charlie deserved to be yelled at by Oliver like that. What’s more, he deserves for Oliver to talk to Nichols and get him fired. We said what we said.
- That said, for a moment it felt like the whole “false hope” thing was personal for him, and he was speaking from experience.
- We didn’t expect Dr. Thorne to support Oliver like that. We’re happy he did.
- We loved seeing Dr. Thorne share some of his history with the patient. We’re finally starting to get to know him better.
- We’re glad that shameless creep got suspended. I wish it were that simple in the real world and that those who are bad always got what they deserve.
- We’re happy Jorge woke up!
- We hope Carol follows her instincts with Amelia…and gets Oliver and Hector out of there.
Brilliant Minds Season 2 airs on Mondays at 10 pm ET on NBC.
Things are starting to ramp up! I agree Charlie earned that verbal lashing and more. Another less patient doctor would have had him dismissed!
Thorne coming through was great, and I’m having a hard time believing that Carol wouldn’t listen to her gut about Amelia. Did you see her car? She’s keeping patients there against their will, not treating them, and probably pocketing insurance money and cooking the books. I keep getting the feeling she and Charlie are somehow associated…