We’re back! After the holidays, Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 11 ‘10 Minutes’ gives us an hour that explores what grief entails and the importance of having people who love you and support you, especially when you can’t carry it all by yourself. Ready?
Here we go!
The Grief
No other show moves us like this one, and ‘10 Minutes’ is no exception. We wanted everything to turn out alright. We really wanted Michelle to recover and for her and Markus to have the happy ending they deserve with their little one. But this series is nothing if it isn’t real, and life isn’t a fairy tale. So Michelle isn’t okay. She’s gone. And now, all that’s left is to accept it and start picking up the pieces of a broken heart, a broken life, a future that will never be.
But it’s not easy to do that. And it wasn’t easy for Markus. He was unable to accept the reality of the medical tests and what his colleagues and friends were telling him. Markus felt that accepting it was like surrendering, and neither he nor his son would forgive themselves if he did. Markus needed to do everything possible to try to avoid that feeling of giving up. But it was a battle Markus couldn’t win. No matter what he did, he would always feel he could have done more. No matter what he did, acceptance would always feel like surrender at some point.
It’s a vicious cycle. A dichotomy with no answer and no way out. After all, what wouldn’t we do for the people we love? We would give everything for them, to bring them back, to bring them the grace of a small miracle. But neither life nor death works that way. Michelle is gone, and Markus can do nothing to bring her back in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 11. Another hospital, other doctors, other medical tests, a minor loophole in a rule—none of it will change anything. And the moment Markus accepts this is both sad and beautiful.
MORE: Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 10 Review: ‘The Resident’
Saying Goodbye
Markus says goodbye to Michelle, but also to the future they won’t be able to share, to the life they won’t be able to have with their son. It’s at this moment that Markus focuses everything on that little boy, who is his world. Markus makes him understand, lets his son know that he’s there for him and that his mother won’t be coming back, but that she will save the lives of many others. And Markus does it with tenderness. That doesn’t eliminate the pain, but it softens the blow. And yes, this made us cry buckets.
And one of the most touching things amidst so much sadness was seeing how everyone supported Markus in ‘10 Minutes’. Oliver gave Markus space to verify for himself that the medical tests weren’t lying and to accept reality at his own pace.
Meanwhile, Jacob, Erika, and Dana were by his side and even stole an ambulance because Markus needed it. Markus needed to see that they were there for him, no matter what. Even Charlie, who, despite a rough start, was able to apologize for his insensitivity and help Markus through his own experience. They are a family, all of them. And we love it.
MORE: 5 Things We Want to See in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Next Episodes
Other Stuff in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 11 ‘10 Minutes’
- We understood that Oliver and Charlie’s confrontation had to wait a bit. At this moment, Markus and Michelle had to be the priority. Although we’re dying to see it!
- It’s significant that Charlie realized Oliver wasn’t letting Markus believe Michelle had any chance of living, but rather simply allowing him time to grieve in his own way.
- We like that Oliver confessed to Carol who Charlie really is…but we don’t understand why he doesn’t tell her about his father.
- Oliver came a long way. He didn’t want to have interns, and now that Markus and Jacob are leaving, he can’t imagine daily life without them. But Oliver knows he has to let them go.
- The farewell was very emotional. Oliver taught them to treat patients as more than just numbers, and they taught Oliver that connecting with people isn’t a weakness, but a strength.
- We understand that Markus and Jacob are making the right decisions. But we wanted more from them, since they were practically absent in the first part of the season. We’ll miss them.
- Erika and Jacob’s farewell made us long for what could have been.
- We couldn’t care less what happens to the other driver. It was so obvious he was just filler. #sorrynotsorry
- Markus’s family’s final hug made us cry.
- Who is that woman who went into Oliver’s father’s house? She knows him…and we can get a slight idea of who she is thanks to this news.
Brilliant Minds Season 2 airs on Mondays at 10 pm ET on NBC.
