Medical dramas are legion and Brilliant Minds could therefore be lost in the mass of a multitude of others, except that the series revolves around unusual neurological problems and that its protagonist is gay. In short, after 21 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, it is probably finally time to move on, bad pun intended, to “Gay Anatomy”.
The series follows a neurologist with a decidedly atypical profile: Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto). Not content with being a medical prodigy, he distinguished himself by advocating a more human approach, shaking up very rigid protocols and a reductive vision of disease. His ways are not without friction, so he is fired from his job at a prestigious medical center and forced to take a job at an overcrowded hospital in the Bronx.
He is also affected by a very specific neurological condition: prosopagnosia, that is to say the inability to identify faces, including one’s own reflection. This very rare disorder complicates relationships with his colleagues, including the interns whom he is initially unable to distinguish, but also his love life. From a very young age, two certainties have guided his trajectory: he is gay and will be a neurologist. Throughout the episodes, flashbacks share Wolf’s childhood marked by ostracization, both in terms of his illness and his sexual orientation. As in any medical drama, a lot of passionate stories emerge and Doctor Wolf is obviously not indifferent to the charms of his male colleagues.
Beyond voice and personality, however, seduction and identification revolve around voice, gait, hairstyle or another dominant physical characteristic. The series is based on the career of British neurologist Oliver Sacks, to whom we owe several works popularizing neurological disorders, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, which enjoyed great success in the mid-1980s. There is therefore no shortage of raw material to fuel the different episodes of the series.
The first two episodes take the classic case-of-the-week approach: a mother is convinced that her children are copies of the originals; a woman who has lost all contact with her body and a moving opening scene where a man suffering from Alzheimer’s briefly regains his lucidity, long enough to play the piano at his granddaughter’s wedding. However, it is in episode 3 that the series really takes off with a moving story where a biker faces the heartbreaking choice of losing his life or his ability to generate new memories.
Beyond the fascinating medical case, interest also lies in the developments surrounding the strained relationship between neurosurgeon Josh Nichols (Teddy Sears) and Wolf. Does this tension hide more than it seems? Annoyed at never being recognized by his colleague, Nichols is taken aback when Wolf reveals that he can now recognize him because of his gigantic hands. The doors of fantasy thus open wide: it remains to be seen whether the series will dare to engage in them. The most curious will also be interested to learn that the two actors have already played a couple in the first season of American Horror Story.
The series takes a fascinating look at the twists and turns of the human mind and presents a range of colorful characters, particularly the interns who all have very strong personalities. The golden rule of television series is that you have to know how to touch the head and the heart and even if it is still too early to say, Oliver Wolf could well achieve this double. Only time will tell us if this bet is won.
INFO | The series Brilliant Minds is available, in English, on NBC.