Chapter Three: The Lost Biker
Hailey (Hannah Whitmore) is about to make a very rash decision.
Recap of Brilliant Minds Chapter 3: The Lost Biker
Overall score: B-
Points lost for heavy-handed fern-based symbolism
Points awarded for realistic depictions of medical issues
Viewer advisory: Obligatory patient freak out (Code Gray) and hospital break out (Code Wolf).
Our opening scene shows Wolf Cub losing track of his dad in a giant greenhouse -- a real problem for faceblind kids -- while Wolf in voiceover instructs us to think back to an early memory. (Note: Some people, like me, can’t do this. Also: The monkey and tropical bird calls seem out of place in what looks to be a basic plant conservatory, not a zoo.)
He then says that if we don’t reactivate memories, the synapses fade over time, and we can lose them. This is true, but it’s only a half truth. Every time you reactivate a memory, you actually overwrite it. You change it bit by bit, and over time it will become less literally accurate, but possibly more meaningful, because your revisions are not random -- they bring your memories in line with your overall life story arc.
The writers know this, by the way, and this will come up later.
Cut to the present day, where Dr. Wolf is examining a resurrection fern. Thumping on his front door. “Open up!” It’s a motorcycle gang or -- as Wolf will later describe them to his mom, a group of motorcycle enthusiasts -- and one of them has a bullet in his arm that needs removing. Why didn’t they go to the hospital? I half expect our wounded biker, Wyatt James (Steve Howey) to say that it’s too expensive, and that he doesn’t have medical insurance! But he’s actually concerned about the cops.
James explains that he shot himself while cleaning his gun, because he has a tremor. As Wolf removes the bullet and stitches James up, it also becomes clear that James is Wolf’s motorcycle mechanic. Wolf is concerned about the tremor and convinces James to come in for a workup by likening his neurology practice to a motorcycle mechanic shop.
Intern Van is lurking into the hospital wearing a hoodie. The camera shows his point of view, which suggests that the emotions of everyone around him feel very exaggerated. We see a man emphatically arguing something, a tired nurse yawning theatrically.
“Bad news, Emily’s Back,” Dr. Brownnose says. “Who’s Emily?” Dr. Wolf asks. Emily is apparently a young girl who has recurrent seizures. Wolf is carrying his resurrection fern, who is named Gertrude. Emily’s parents explain that she was on her iPad this morning doing math homework, and then she passed out on the floor, not breathing.
Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto) cuddles his fern, goofy husband makes his exit.
Wolf asks the Paw Patrol what her seizures looked like, and they admit that they have never seen one. He’s aghast and instructs them to provoke a seizure so they can observe it.
In the hall, Wolf is still carrying his fern. Mama Wolf tells Wolf that there’s a motorcycle gang there to see him. Wow, these guys all travel together all the time? That’s some serious social support. She expresses concern: Is he in a gang? “If you mean a group of enthusiastic gentlemen who share a passionate enthusiasm for motorcycle riding, then yes, he’s in a gang.” Ha!
Mama Wolf tells Wolf to shower with the fern to revive it. She also says she wants to catch up with him, and he resists until she promises to bring bagels and cream cheese. “Russ and Daughters?” he says, intrigued. Mama Wolf agrees, which is quite an act of motherly love, because Russ and Daughters is on the Lower East Side! Since they are in the Bronx, I’d recommend Riverdale.
Cut to Wyatt and his girlfriend Rosie. (Kate Corbett) (I guess the rest of the gang was told to stay in the waiting room.) Kate clarifies that Wyatt didn’t shoot himself because he had a tremor, he shot himself because he forgot there was a bullet in the chamber. Apparently he’s been forgetting all sorts of things lately -- retelling stories and jokes and ordering air fryers. He also gets headaches and is more tired than usual. Wolf orders a brain MRI.
New scene, a real bummer: A cute dorky guy named Morris Allen (Rainbow Sun Francks) shows up and chats with Dr. Carol (Wolf’s work bestie, the psychologist -- or at least I thought she was a psychologist but now she’s claiming to be a psychiatrist.) Anyway, it’s clear they are an estranged married couple with a daughter named Maya. Wolf interrupts them and Morris leaves.
“Hmm it’s nice to see Morris,” says Wolf. He studies Carol’s face and tries again. “It’s not nice to see Morris.” Cute! Apparently Carol and Morris have been together for 20 years and Morris made one “mistake” that’s caused them to separate. Couples counseling isn’t helping. “This is distressing for me,” Wolf says. Way to make it all about you! (I bet this is a real departure from Oliver Sacks, who was British and I get the sense that he would have died before inquiring into someone’s personal life.) There’s a Code Gray, and both doctors go running -- Wolf is still carrying his Botanical Symbol of Resilience -- the resurrection fern, Gertrude.
In three episodes, there have been three Code Greys, by the way: aggressive patients! This is becoming an obligatory scene, along with the Mama Wolf Walk-and-Talk and Gleaning Wisdom from Past Memories to Solve Current Patient Problems. (Sadly, there hasn’t been a reappearance of the antimetabolie trend we saw in Chapter 1.)
It’s Wyatt, of course. He’s got Dr. Jock against the wall and is yelling.
Now he’s in Wolf’s office, and Dr. Nichols is there too, using binder clips to put a brain MRI on an old school light board. Nichols explains that Wyatt has a brain tumor that will kill him in a matter of weeks unless they remove it -- and along with it, a large chunk of his brain that will make it impossible for him to make new memories -- a condition called anterograde amnesia. He will be able to recall his old memories, however. This is quite similar to a real life case, a man named H.M. (Henry Molaison) who died in 2008. (He gifted his brain to science, and I just heard that scientists made a 3D printout of it.)
Wyatt is horrified and says he’d rather die. (His brain tumor is GINORMOUS by the way.)
Just a little living-room surgery with Dr. Wolf and Wyatt James (Steve Howie.)
As someone with Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM) -- I am rather offended by someone saying they’d rather die than lose their episodic memories. I don’t have any and I’m just fine! To be fair, though, scientists don’t know how SDAMers like me are so functional -- clearly we have workarounds for getting information from our short term to long term memory that doesn’t require an episodic memory waystation. Someone with amnesia from brain damage would be a lot more impaired than us.
Dr. Wolf goes to check in on the Paw Patrol who hasn’t been able to get Emily to have a seizure. Good thing he checked in on them because the interns forgot to give her an EEG cap! There’s no point in provoking a seizure to “observe” it if you can’t record the brain’s electrical activity. This is not a plot point, btw, just a production mistake. In the actual show, Wolf helps by getting Emily to admit that she wasn’t doing her math homework, she was watching the Three Stooges and laughing. Apparently laughter induces her seizures! uh-oh.
This child actor (Markeda McKay) by the way, has the most glorious laugh. I imagine a casting agent having a joyful day asking children to laugh and then pretend to pass out. Clearly they picked the right kid.
With that info in hand, the Wolf Pack affixes electrodes to her scalp in between scenes, and then has her watch a Three Stooges scene where they pretend to be doctors. Emily giggles and passes out. Drama while they wait for her heart to restart. Also, Dr. Softie passes out too. It’s kinda funny how he’s lurching to help Emily and then just keels over.
Apparently Emily doesn't have epilepsy, she has laughter induced heart block, which is a real thing, apparently! Dr. Jock makes fun of Dr. Softie, and Dr. Kissup defends him, which causes Dr. Softie to make googly eyes at her.
Dr. Wolf gives John Doe a lecture on plant memory. Dr. Carol shows up and they discuss Wyatt. She rules that he has the mental capacity to make the decision not to get surgery if he doesn’t want to.
Dr. Wolf makes a house visit to Wyatt, who talks about his experience, giving the cinematographer the opportunity to show us the world through his eyes. He mentions that things disappear on him, with a glass as an example. Friends, this happens to me all the time! Once, my husband Steve played a hilarious and mean trick on me where he kept moving my iced tea to different locations every time I put it down, and it wasn’t until move #5 that I felt frustrated and noticed anything was amiss. So, again, this whole losing your memory thing doesn’t have to be so terrible if you can take it in stride. (Though I have always been like this -- so I guess that’s the difference.)
“I walk into a room and I have no idea where I came from or even why I’m there,” he complains. Me too! Apparently this is really upsetting for neurotypical people, but this happens to me at least once a day.
As Wyatt talks about feeling lost, at sea, a curtain falls behind them showing nothingness, blankness. Another famous amnesiac, Kent Cochraine (K.C.), once said something similar, about feeling lost and at sea, when he thought back on his life.
We learn from a tattoo that Wyatt has a daughter he hasn’t seen in a long time.
Back at the hospital, mama wolf reprimands Wolf for missing a staff meeting. Apparently his house call worked because Wyatt is scheduled for surgery. Mama Wolf points out that not all memories are worth revisiting.
Flashback to Papa Wolf showing the resurrection fern to Baby Wolf. Papa Wolf says that these ferns represent family in Japanese culture. That gives current day Dr. Wolf an idea. Cut to Dr. Nichols who is about to operate on Wyatt, who is not where he is supposed to be!
Hospital breakout! Dr. Wolf takes Wyatt to make his last memory before surgery. They go to a bar where his daughter works. The daughter is mad that he wasn’t a part of her life. Wyatt apologies. Wyatt’s daughter says that she does NOT forgive him, and when Dr. Wolf says this will be his last memory, she doubles down. “Good luck with your lobotomy,” she says. Cold! (Just curious: Daughters of absent dads, what would you do? Do you feel angry? I just assume that you would feel more sad than angry.)
Nichols shows up to retrieve his patient because, why not? Anyway, Wyatt’s cranial pressure causes him to go ataxic, and Drs. Wolf and Nichols rush him to the hospital in Nichols’s car, with Nichols driving. Quick scene where the Paw Patrol tries to come up with an alternative for never letting that kid laugh again.
And here is my favorite scene of the episode: Dr. Wolf demands music, and Dr. Nichols plays thumping edm. “This is what you listen to?” Wolf says, judgmentally. “It’s my workout mix.” Nichols says defensively. A voice message from Dustin at Equinox plays. “Last night was so hot. You free tonight?” LOVE THAT! (Wolf: What??)
Nichols says to do a trans orbital ventricular puncture in the moving car. Apparently he carries a spinal needle in his glovebox. Personally I think he should pull over, but I’m not a neurosurgeon. Wolf does the procedure.
Van visits Mama Wolf and says they are going to a pacemaker for Emily. Mama Wolf says why are you asking me? He says Dr. Wolf told him to, and she’s like, unlikely! Mama Wolf knows Dr. Wolf is out and about and tells Van not to cover for him ever again.
As Nichols operates, Rosie frets. “Wyatt is in capable hands. Dr Nichols is one of the … he’s an excellent surgeon,” Wolf says. Funny! The daughter shows up.
Wyatt survives the surgery. Wolf VO’s some stuff about memory, as we see how Wyatt adapts to life after surgery. He watches a video every morning and reads his journal. His poor daughter has to tell him that she forgives him now every day, forever!! Well, damn, that doesn’t seem fair.
The girl’s pacemaker works. Carol separates from her goofy husband. Wolf diagnoses Van with Mirror-Type Synesthesia. Just so you know, this is not a real thing. Also, if you recall the mirror neuron hype of the mid aughts, things have simmered down a bit. Now scientists believe that mirror neurons probably have more to do with basic motor-skills imitation than empathy.
CORRECTION! I misheard. It’s Mirror-Touch Synesthesia and apparently it is real!
Wolf and his mom hang out in a greenhouse, and Wolf realizes that his memory of his dad explaining the resurrection fern was wrong -- it was his MOM who told him about it. He asks why she didn’t say anything when he kept talking about his dad and that dang fern, and she says that memories are subjective and she wanted him to remember things the way that he wanted to.
This mama wolf has LAYERS! She’s definitely the most interesting character.
