‘Brilliant Minds’ Boss Breaks Down Larger-Than-Life Finale Twist: Oliver ‘Starts to Question Everything’

Note: The following story contains spoilers from “Brilliant Minds” Season 1, Episode 13.

NBC’s “Brilliant Minds” wrapped up its first season with a shocking twist that leads Zachary Quinto’s Dr. Oliver Wolf to “question everything.”

After learning how his dad’s passing traumatized Oliver during his adolescence, the penultimate episode of “Brilliant Minds” revealed that Oliver’s dad, Noah (played by Mandy Patinkin) was, in fact, alive and well. In a dramatic confrontation between Oliver, Noah and Muriel (Donna Murphy), Oliver learns not only that his dad has been alive, but that his mom has known, and lied to him.

“For Wolf, when he learns this huge secret, I think he starts to question everything in his life,” showrunner Michael Grassi told TheWrap. “Everything that he believed to be true is no longer true, and the thing that defined him, which was his dad, and is not what he believed it to be.”

Grassi added that as Wolf sorts out dealing with his family, he might need a moment before starting to let people back in, namely Josh (Teddy Sears), whom he ditches at the end of the finale to meet with his dad, who asks sincerely for Oliver’s help as a neurologist after unsuccessful seeking help for his unknown condition.

“All season long, we’ve been telling the story of what is it like to grow up with a parent who is struggling with a mental illness, and I think in these last two episodes, we turn and look at the parents, and we see the story from their POV … of what is it like to be a parent who’s struggling with their mental health, and what decisions do you make, even if they’re extreme ones, that you think are best for your child at the time,” Grassi said.

Below, Grassi tells TheWrap why he always saw Patinkin as Oliver’s dad, unpacks the interns’ various romances and shares his Season 2 hopes.

TheWrap: The last two episodes saw Mandy Patinkin join as Oliver’s dad. Why was he the right pick for the role and what did he bring to it?

Grassi: When I first met with Zach the very first time, before Zach signed to do the show … I pitched Zach his arc for the season and then I was like, “at the end of the season, your dad arrives,” and I was like, “imagine Mandy Patinkin,” and this was before Mandy Patinkin had signed on. In the writers’ room, every single day, we always just said, “well, it’s Mandy Patinkin.” He was … the only person we saw playing Zach’s dad, and then when it became a reality, it was a dream come true, and a “do meet your heroes” moment, because it was such an incredible collaboration and really incredible to have him. He has this paternal quality and this complexity and this honesty in every role he inhabits. We couldn’t imagine anybody else playing Zach’s dad in this role.

The end of the episode sees Noah asking for Oliver’s help. What’s going through Oliver’s head at this point? 

Oliver’s Achilles heel — the way to get him — happens in the pilot where Carol’s like, “come work at Bronx General,” and he’s like, “No way” and she’s like, “Well, I have a really rare, exciting case,” and then you see him sort of sit up — That is the thing that gets him. When his dad is like, “I’m struggling with something that no one else can figure out,” I think the doctor in Wolf is sitting up. It tees us up for Dr. Wolf taking on his most challenging patient yet — his own father — because he always steps into his patients’ shoes, and now he has to step into the potentially the most complicated person’s shoes possible and unpack so much — where has dad been? What’s been going on, what is wrong with him? Seeing their dynamic and finding who they are in the present day, I think will be really fun and really interesting and juicy.

During all of this with his dad, Oliver misses Josh’s gala. Does this cross a line for Josh?

Yeah, they’ve had a few conversations where Josh is like, “I don’t think you value what I do as a surgeon.” The way Oliver approaches medicine is very different from the way Josh approaches medicine, and I think at times, Josh has felt disrespected by Wolf, and I think he has some vast reasons why, because Wolf is so passionate on his end that it can maybe seem dismissive at times. Wolf not showing up to this gala, and Wolf not reaching out to him, I think is hurtful, and I think that does definitely shake up their relationship moving forward.

Throughout the season, we’ve seen a love triangle between Ericka, Van and Jacob, but now it looks like there’s a glimmer of hope for Erika and Jacob. Where does Ericka stand, especially after her traumatizing accident?

Ericka is so by the books and so type A and she’s a little bit like Wolf in that way, where she has some walls up and she’s just really committed to her job. Throughout the season, we sort of see her say, “OK, well, what if I did live a little bit and what if I did do some stuff for myself?” And we saw it get messy and open up love triangles to two guys that she really cares about and works with, and she likes them both, but at the end of the day, when she goes through this really intense and traumatic incident in the elevator, we sort of are thinking, “Who is she going to turn to, Jacob or Van?” And really, the love story I think we’ve been telling all season is a friendship love story, and that’s with Dana — you sort of see her fall into Dana’s arms, and we understand that these two are going to be growing closer as friends, which is really exciting. Jacob, all season long, hasn’t been able to sort of tell Ericka directly that he has feelings for her, even though he has feelings for her, so I think that moment at the end is him really owning up to his missteps, and I think it’s maybe potentially opening up a path for them to find a way forward, but I think they have a long way to go.

We also see Erika take one of Dana’s pills after saying she didn’t need a crutch. Is she afraid of the stigma?

That scene between Ericka and Dana is one of my favorites in these in this last episode. I think a lot of us can relate to both sides of this — a lot of people feel like they don’t need medication, a lot of people feel like, whether personally or whether they for other people, there’s still a lot of stigma and judgment, whether it’s self-judgment or judgment of others, when it comes to taking meds to deal with anxiety or mental illness. So putting those two in conflict over that, I feel like is an important conversation that’s playing out in real time. When I was talking to Ashleigh [LaThrop] about this, we were talking about how there is a lot of shame sometimes in taking medication, and it’s a really interesting story to explore, and I love that she gets in the elevator, she’s like, “I’m fine. I’m just working it through,” and then we reveal that she’s secretly taking Dana’s meds because she hasn’t fully accepted for herself that it’s okay to do it. She’ll go on her own journey to figure out what’s best for her moving forward.

We also see Dana take some strides with Katie (Mishel Prada). Why was she initially hesitant about taking that leap?

Dana is so confident, she’s so vocal about herself and her mental health and her journey and all that stuff, but I do think that she also really protects her heart, and that stems from sort of things that she’s dealt with in the past, and loss of the sister and other things, so letting someone in is scary to her. We see her vulnerable and and we see her struggling with romance heads towards the end of the season, and I’m excited to keep exploring that relationship. They’re very different people, and there’s going to be a lot to sort of unpack there.

We also saw Carol get put on administrative leave for treating a patient she knew was involved with her husband. Does Carol regret treating her?

I don’t know if Carol is one to regret. She went through a lot, and I think that moment is so loaded, because Carol has been so supportive of Muriel — She’s been pulled into the family drama. She brought Wolf in, she has been in the middle of all of this mess, and then for Muriel to turn to her and put her on leave feels like such a blow. I think we’re going to see Carol fight, and we’re going to see her also try to figure out who reported her. Was it Morris? Was it somebody else, potentially? There’s a bit of a mystery coming into Season 2 as well that we could explore.

Have you heard anything about a potential Season 2?

Not yet, but our fingers are firmly crossed. We all love the show so much, and we love making the show, and we just think it’s such an important message and conversation to continue putting out there and continuing destigmatizing mental illness, which is what Oliver Sacks, who the show is inspired by, dedicated his life to. It’s a show that’s also sort of grounded in a lot of hope, and we want to continue sharing those those stories.

What would you look forward to exploring in a potential Season 2? 

There’s so much to unpack — Obviously, there’s Wolf and dad, but there’s so much more, and I would say many more medical mysteries and suspense, and a lot more of Oliver’s unique approach to medicine that feels like it really sets us apart.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

“Brilliant Minds” Season 1 is now streaming on Peacock. Episodes 12 and 13 will begin streaming on Tuesday.

The post ‘Brilliant Minds’ Boss Breaks Down Larger-Than-Life Finale Twist: Oliver ‘Starts to Question Everything’ appeared first on TheWrap.