We’re back! Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses’ takes the time to show us how Oliver is improving his mental health while confronting Charlie with his own mistakes. Ready?
Here we go!
Charlie Faces the Consequences of His Actions
Charlie’s days at the hospital are numbered, and we can’t deny that he certainly earned it in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses.’ From the moment he arrived, Charlie always thought he was better than the other members of the team. As if he were above them and deserved to be a doctor, not an intern. It’s a fact.
His behavior softened as he got to know Erika and Dana, learning more about working with them than treating them as if they worked for him. Having Oliver keep him in check and working alongside him—even though he hates him—helped Charlie learn to be more humble and to start working as a team.
But in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses’, Oliver is absent…and Charlie reverted to his old ways. Charlie feels bad about Oliver’s situation, but his ego won out over his heart, and he was ready to take his place without a second thought or a shred of guilt. Charlie assumed Josh would put him in charge in Oliver’s absence, not even considering any other possibility.
And the way he was willing to replace Oliver…that didn’t sit well with Josh at all. We love that he stood up to him, but we have to admit we were surprised that he proposed his dismissal to the hospital board. The point is, Josh was facing a dilemma with Oliver’s situation. The board was demanding his head, and, putting himself in the boss’s shoes, he couldn’t let his feelings for Oliver guide his decision.
Josh had to put the hospital first in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses.’ But Charlie’s attitude reminded him of the difference between a good doctor and one who only thinks he’s good…but isn’t as good as he thinks.
MORE: Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 15 Review: Oliver Missing
What Makes Oliver a Better Doctor Than Charlie?
A good doctor puts their patient first and finds out what they really need. And Charlie was never very interested in that part of the job. For him, his ego and what he thinks is best always came first—proof of this is how he treated Erika as if she were his subordinate, not his colleague.
Although Charlie does his best to heal his patients and make sure they are well, they are still just a number to him. He can treat one or the other, and it will never make any difference to him. However, Oliver sees them as people. Oliver cares about them and tries not only to heal their bodies…but also much more. So the hospital needs doctors like Oliver—or Erika and Dana—but not as many as Charlie. There are many like him, but very few like Oliver.
The interesting thing here is that Charlie was learning. But in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16, ‘Senses,’ he’s back to square one. And the reason for that is Oliver. It’s not just his absence. It’s the fact that Charlie always demonized and hated him, and when he finally confronted him, he expected to find a horrible man and a doctor who cared more about success than his patients.
But Charlie found the complete opposite. He found a good man who cares—and people who appreciate him for it. And a doctor who fights for his patients to the bitter end. And Charlie can’t accept that, just as Erika told him, he spent his whole life hating and wanting revenge on a man who didn’t deserve it.
Oliver made a mistake, yes, but he didn’t do it maliciously. All Oliver did was try to fight for his patient, as he always does. And he’s felt guilty enough about that his whole life. So Charlie is grappling with this realization in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses.’ Accepting that he was so massively wrong would mean accepting that his entire life’s goal was…a lie.
Now, does Charlie deserve to be fired? Part of us screams yes. But another part…just wants to give him another chance to keep learning, apologize to Oliver and the rest of the team, and get his career back on track. Charlie needs to remain part of the team so he doesn’t get lost and can become the doctor he can be. A good one. And we think Oliver will fight to keep Charlie. But we’re not sure he’ll succeed.
MORE: Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 14 Review: ‘The Invisible Man’
Oliver Starts Questioning Everything He Believes in Brilliant Minds Episode 16
On the other hand, Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses’ gives Oliver the opportunity to reevaluate everything he believes to be certain. Among that, the existence of Sophia. It’s becoming increasingly clear that she was Oliver’s way of coping with his trauma. An outlet he needed. Oliver resists believing it, but it’s time for him to face what’s really going on and let Sophia go.
That said, Oliver is now convinced he was wrong about everything involving Hudson Oaks, including Amelia. And this was precisely her plan. Sophia may not exist, but Oliver isn’t chasing ghosts when it comes to everything else in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses.’
We know better. Amelia is shady, and it’s clear she’s determined to prevent her patients from leaving the hospital once they’ve recovered. And she’s willing to use any method to keep them there. In fact, the patient Carol took an interest in is still at Hudson Oaks and is helping Amelia—coerced, no doubt.
We still don’t know why, though. What interest could Amelia have in keeping her patients? Is it about money or a savior complex? We’d bet it’s more about money than anything else, but Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses’ left us more intrigued than ever about this.
MORE: Brilliant Minds Season 2, Episode 13 Review: ‘The Rabbit Hole’
Carol and Thorne Cross a Dangerous Line in Brilliant Minds Episode 16
Thorne and Carol kept us glued to the couch in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses.’ They were playing with fire. While Carol wanted to keep him away, the truth is she was letting him back into her life more and more. And Thorne never stopped getting closer to Carol. In the end, the boundaries between them blurred again in the blink of an eye, so that kiss didn’t surprise us.
And we can’t deny that we loved it. We ship them, we can’t help it. But we also know this isn’t fair to Carol. Unless we’re missing something, Thorne still has a girlfriend. And Carol deserves better than being Thorne’s another woman—and his girlfriend deserved more too. We know he doesn’t see Carol as just a fling or something casual, what they have is real, but he needs to prove it by ending his relationship.
That said, we love that in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses,’ Carol isn’t keeping to herself everything she feels about what’s happening with Oliver and what she had to do for him. Carol would have liked to help Oliver and pull him out of that dark place he’s in, like she always did. But this time it wasn’t possible. Oliver needed more help than she could give him.
Accepting that is hard enough for Carol because Oliver is her best friend. But it gets even worse because she knows what Oliver thinks about Hudson Oaks. Carol knows Oliver didn’t want to go there. And feeling like you had to go against your best friend’s wishes feels almost like a betrayal.
However, sometimes we have to do what’s necessary to protect those we love, even from themselves. So there’s no doubt that Carol did the right thing, even though we understand why she feels bad about it in Brilliant Minds Season 2 Episode 16 ‘Senses.’
PS: We hate that they tried to fire Oliver and we’re proud of Josh for fighting for him.
Brilliant Minds Season 2 airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm ET on NBC.
