We’re back! Thanksgiving arrives on Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter,’ with Eric Dane guest-starring in the most emotional case of the season. Meanwhile, Sam’s diagnosis pushes Erika to work even harder for a small miracle, and Muriel’s visit forces Oliver to confront his true feelings. Ready?
Here we go!
Not Being Yourself
Ever since it was announced that Eric Dane would be guest-starring as a character with ALS, we knew this show was perfect for it. And Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter,’ didn’t disappoint. As we expected, it didn’t just stay on the surface. It went deeper, showing us the hard, the ugliest, but also the most hopeful parts. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
The episode showed us what an ALS diagnosis means for a family, especially when the disease is progressing fast. We see how Matthew refuses to accept that his disease is progressing. That would mean losing another part of himself, and he’s already lost too much. So he clings to what he has left.
At the same time, Matthew needs to protect his family, so in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter,’ he’s determined to hide his diagnosis from them and do everything alone. But he can’t. He needs them. However, we understand his need to avoid being a burden to them. He’s trying to prevent his illness from disrupting their lives and defining them. We understand his fear of not being there for them if they need him.
That’s why we’re proud that Matthew realized he has to let himself be helped by those who love him. He will never be a burden to them. They are his family, no matter what. And we can’t help but think how difficult it must have been for Dane to film these scenes. But it may have been cathartic for him. And that puts a smile on our faces.
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Family Is Key
Furthermore, Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter,’ also shows what Matthew’s diagnosis means for his ex-wife, Alice. Matthew became a different man. She knew something was wrong, but he wouldn’t open up to her, and that destroyed them. Alice never knew why. And now, facing the fact that he did open up to a stranger creates a mix of feelings in her. On one hand, she’s happy that Matthew is getting the help he needs, but on the other, she can’t help but wonder why he didn’t choose her for it.
And once Alice knows the truth, all she knows is that she wants to be there for Matthew, even if he won’t let her. Alice is furious with Matthew for not letting her be there for him, for making the decision for her. That anger and pain are mixed with the love she still feels for him. But Alice knows that Matthew needs her. And she needs him. The challenge for Alice is adapting to having her husband, her Matthew, back, but in a different way. And stay with him every step of the way. Even when he loses the ability to communicate with her. Because, even then, he will still be him.
Finally, Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter’ also gives space to Gabby, Matthew’s daughter. That little girl who is desperate to help her father, for him to get better, so she never stops looking for information, trying to fix everything. Even though it’s something she can’t do. Gabby is determined to take care of her father, no matter what she has to do.
And that’s exactly what Matthew feared and didn’t want for her. Taking care of him isn’t her responsibility. She has to move on with her life. Except Gabby can’t. Not when her father’s life is on the line. But we’re glad she finally understands that she can do nothing more than be by her father’s side, but putting her life on hold won’t solve anything.
MORE: John Clarence Stewart Talks What’s Coming Up for Thorne on Brilliant Minds
Thanksgiving Miracles
On another note, we’re very proud of Erika. She didn’t give up in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter.’ Sam’s diagnosis isn’t promising. He needs a transplant, but no matter how hard Josh, Oliver, or Carol try, he’s not eligible for one. But Erika rebels against the injustice of it all, against the injustice that a man who wants to live can’t simply because he’s alone. And she’s determined to help Sam.
The best part is that she succeeds. Erika can’t change his diagnosis or make the transplant happen faster, but she gives Sam something better. She brings his family back to him. Sam had distanced himself from his parents and siblings for fear of endangering them, and his parents let him go. It wasn’t a good decision to leave him to his fate, to abandon him—and a part of us will never forgive them for it—…but we understand it wasn’t easy for them either. It wasn’t easy to abandon a son to save others, but they felt they had no other choice.
The important thing is that they’re there now. As soon as Erika called them in Brilliant MindsSeason 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter,’ they showed up at the hospital, and they have no intention of abandoning their son again. That gives Sam a chance to receive the transplant he needs. But it also gives him something much bigger: hope. And we trust Erika and everyone else to save Sam, but even if they don’t succeed, they gave him back something he thought was lost. A Thanksgiving miracle, after all.
MORE: Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 7 Review: ‘The One That Got Away’
Unexpected Visits
Finally, Muriel’s visit in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter,’ catches Oliver off guard. He doesn’t want his mother close to him, because she’ll realize he’s not okay. Muriel will realize that Oliver has been burying himself in work to avoid his feelings after his father left.
But Muriel is nothing if not stubborn. She goes to Oliver’s house and discovers the truth. Oliver hasn’t been there since his father left. Even his plants, which he always kept well-tended, are dead. Oliver abandoned them. They’re gone. Like a symbol of what happened with his father, like a symbol of how Oliver truly feels: abandoned and broken. And Muriel feels her heart breaking for her son. Oliver can’t hide anymore. Not from his mother.
And it would have been so easy for Muriel to confront Oliver directly in Brilliant MindsSeason 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter,’ forcing him to voice his feelings. But instead, Muriel chooses to stay by Oliver’s side. She puts on a facade of normalcy that she doesn’t feel, but she knows that’s what Oliver truly needs. He needs to feel her there, right beside him, because he’ll open up to her when he’s ready. Forcing him to do it now, when he’s not ready, won’t work with Oliver.
And that somehow both confounds and infuriates Oliver. Oliver expected a fight with his mother, not for her to stay there, supporting him until he’s ready to talk. His mother isn’t going anywhere, so Oliver can’t pretend anything’s wrong anymore.
In this moment of Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter,’ all of Oliver’s instincts tell him to make his mother disappear. Just so he can keep pretending nothing’s wrong a bit more. But Oliver takes the advice he gave Matthew and stops himself. He knows that would be the easiest, most comfortable thing to do… but not the right one. That’s why Oliver lets Muriel help him, taking the first step toward moving forward. Talk about character growth! We’re proud moms!
MORE: Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 6 Review: ‘The Doctor’s Graveyard’
Other Stuff in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 9 ‘The Firefighter’
- Carol is a wonderful professional.
- We love that Markus is rebuilding his family.
- We loved seeing everyone celebrate Thanksgiving at the hospital.
- We miss Jacob. And Josh.
- Eric Dane’s storyline made us cry. We’re not hiding it.
- We still have hope for Sam.
- We really liked that Thorne met his future sister-in-law, AKA Carol’s sister.
- We love Silva.
Brilliant Minds Season 2 airs on Mondays at 10 pm ET on NBC.
