Original subtitles

Previously on Brilliant Minds. How is your father doing? Still leaving half

-empty coffee cups in every room? I haven't noticed.

He left again.

I'm good. Mom, you don't have to worry about me anymore. Are you guys back

together? We haven't had, like, the official conversation yet, but, uh,

are. 30 -year -old schizo -affected male complaining of baby chest pains.

And what did you hear just now? Feels like ten different radio stations on at

the same time. Got to a stay in a temporary housing facility.

Here, you need money.

Did Sam show back up for his appointment?

Matthew! Dad!

Please!

Matthew, we need you!

Help us!

Matthew?

Hey. Where are you?

Dr.

Wolf.

Always good to see you.

Matthew, how is Bronx Jen's favorite silver fox doing?

Living the dream, my man.

But I've got a bone to pick. Well, a few, actually.

Two obstructed evacuation routes, a broken sprinkler deflector, and I'm

sure I saw Nurse Carter light up a pumpkin spice candle.

Who's the fire marshal on this floor?

I assigned Dr. Wolf because he never leaves.

Give him the cute little vest and everything.

Thank you, Nurse Silva.

It's great to see you, Mr. Ramadi. Hey, Christmas Station wants to know why you

ghosted him.

Well, you can tell Christmas Station that I'm working double shifts and I

answer to you up.

Noted. Well, you never set me up with a fireman.

Well, take my safety cards, Fire Marshal, and you can have your pick of

litter.

Well, why don't we get you in for your monthly checkup first? How's that sound?

Great.

I know what y 'all thinking.

It's Thanksgiving week.

Thorn's buying big.

Let me remind you.

Lunch specials only.

I don't make enough to be buying y 'all full -size shaken beef entrees.

Oh.

Luckily for you, Sam, I can edit my order.

What's it gonna be? Banh mi sando.

Something new.

Sam, you okay, bro?

I got a live one here. I need access.

Blood pressure.

And airway ready.

And blood.

MCP and Salman now.

Hey, Sam.

Talk to me.

What in the hell happened to you?

Mama.

No. Quake, you have to hide.

Why am I hiding from my own son?

I don't want to confuse him. We don't know what this is.

Well, I think I know what this is.

Mama, are you awake?

I didn't wake you. Hello.

Hi,

honey. Morning.

Oh, my.

I'm so impressed you got that on all by yourself.

Not the tail. I couldn't reach.

Oh, here. I'll help you.

Stick your arm through here. This looks great.

Okay, turkey.

Let's get you some breakfast.

Come on, Matthew. Push.

Push all the way up. Three, two, one.

Very good. Okay. Take a minute. Catch your breath.

I like your new look.

They call it athleisure. How we looking, Dr. D? There appears to be a

significant decline since your last visit. Your lung capacity is at 55%.

tells us that your respiratory muscles are getting weaker, and we need to talk

about the next steps.

Fine. I'll quit smoking cigars.

Test me again. I'll do better.

Hey, sorry to interrupt, Wolf. You have a visitor.

Matthew.

So this is where you hide out.

You stood me up for our last appointment.

It must have slipped my mind. Must have.

Well, consider this your reminder. I will see you later. It's a date.

Okay, you two can carry on without me. I'll be back.

All right, let her rip.

You got it.

Trigger warning.

Your mom is on the premises planning the holiday gala.

Apparently, she's still chairing it. I thought she was in Turks and Caicos. She

was, and now she's here telling Silva and all the nurses about a masseuse

Baptiste who made her feel like she was 25 again.

Okay, tell her Josh fired me and I moved to a yurt in the desert. I'm not

getting involved. I got my own mama to deal with.

The entire Pierce posse is coming to stay with me because they don't want me

Maya to be alone on Thanksgiving.

At this point, I'd take Morris back if it meant they'd stay at the hotel.

Carol, for shame.

Well, if my mom keeps sending me links to better mattresses.

Sounds like she needs a Baptiste in her life.

Hi, Mom.

Hello, my guap.

You look tired.

Is he sleeping? Uh -uh, not getting involved is nice seeing you, Muriel.

Okay, these are filthy.

You're always so good about keeping your glasses clean.

Mom, just please.

Okay, okay.

Why don't you take a break and spend Thanksgiving with your mom? Oh, I can't.

Work, patience, saving lives, busy, busy. I'll make my sweet potato

with the mini marshmallows.

Come on. It's no fun cooking for one, and I miss you. Okay, well, I'll see

I can do.

Okay.

Hey, can you page me?

Yeah, so Sam came in with sky -high LFTs and hematemesis.

Liver failure. Yeah.

How? He doesn't have any history of liver disease.

Exactly. Not a drinker, doesn't shoot up, never overdosed. Is he still

Not since the endoscopy, but he is in renal failure.

If this doesn't reverse itself, he's going to need a liver transplant.

Can I see him?

Yeah.

I know you care about him.

If he needs a transplant, he's going to need all the help he can get.

Well, we got the same number three times. The test results aren't changing.

This is where we are.

Matthew, we need to talk about what that means.

I'm not sleeping with some machine to help me breathe.

That is not me. I am not that guy.

Well, we don't have to make a decision right now, but the breathing test is

telling us that things are moving faster than we'd hoped and we need to make a

plan before we get into trouble.

Dr. Wolf, when I told you I couldn't use my hands, you said I couldn't live

alone.

Fine. The guys at the station, they got me.

Dennis is downstairs in the cafeteria right now. He loves the egg salad here.

But that's it.

I'm not having to deal with... strapped me in and out of my machine at night. I

got to draw the line.

Matthew, what about your family? Have you told them yet? What's it matter?

It matters because ALS isn't something you survive alone.

And sometimes lying to your loved ones can hurt them more than the truth.

You're talking about my family or yours.

Nobody survives this.

We both know that.

And I know how to take care of my family.

So I guess you heard about the breathing test.

That was a total bust.

You're up against some hard decisions.

I also heard that your family still doesn't know about your diagnosis.

My daughter has one semester left at Amherst.

I am not about to do anything that's going to distract her. So you're not

to see them over the holidays?

They take one look at this, my ex will take me back out of pity, my daughter

will fail her finals, lose her focus.

So, yes, that means I don't see them. Didn't you say Thanksgiving was your

holiday? The one you all do together, even after the divorce?

Not this year.

I know who's to say there's a next year, but if there isn't, then this is the

gift I give them. One more happy moment.

Not that voice banking app you keep recommending to me.

I understand.

How considering a future where you can't talk might feel intolerable. I do.

But Matthew, this is the umbrella, not the rain.

We're giving you more power over this disease, not less. And I think telling

your family might serve a similar purpose.

You know what?

There is something I need to tell them.

Okay, Siri, text Alicia.

Okay, what do you want to say to Alicia?

I won't be home for Thanksgiving this year.

I got to work.

Sam is in a fulminant hepatic failure, and we don't know what happened.

Erica, this is... That... Yeah, I know. I'm going to call the liver transplant

team to evaluate him. Hold on. Not yet. What is his neuro exam?

He's low, but he's awake and alert.

Have you ever treated acute liver failure before?

These are some of the sickest patients you'll ever see. Your job is to ensure

this doesn't become a neurological emergency.

I want you to think of Sam's mental status as a key prognostic sign. Once

declines, his time is even shorter. But if he's awake, we can afford a way to

beat before calling transplant. With this team, we have one shot.

If they say no, they will never reassess.

So what do we do?

I have an idea.

He's just not a good candidate.

Look, I know Sam's young, and you all care about him and have developed a

relationship with him during his many visits to RER. But that committee will

an unhoused man with unstable psych disease and zero family support. Someone

won't take the meds that will keep him from rejecting his new liver. I know

the chart says, but that's not the whole story. I had just started seeing Sam.

He had good premorbid function, was a college student when he had his first

break, and he wanted to get better.

I was hopeful.

You'll get the chance to talk to the transplant team. I don't think that'll

enough. Sam still has no family here, which means there would be no one here

help him take his meds or get him to appointments.

Whether right or wrong, you simply cannot get a transplant if you're

alone. So for Sam, being alone means death?

And I'm supposed to accept that?

Transplant decisions can be capricious and outright biased. We've all seen

candidates rejected because of something that feels unjust, but these concerns

are valid.

Patients like Sam get overlooked all the time.

But he wanted to get help. Dr. Pierce said it. He told us that in his own way

each time he came into our ER.

I'm not giving up. Neither am I. Okay, we need to talk to Sam. Figure out if a

transplant is even something he would want, and we need to do it now before he

loses his mental status.

Oof, Carol, you know this.

Even if this is what he wants, he's just not a good candidate on paper.

Then we make him one.

I can't believe Sam is in liver failure.

He'll be a hard sell to the transplant committee, but I'll do what I can. Thank

you. Hey, how is Matthew? I'm worried about him.

His disease is progressing faster than I had hoped, but he's still in denial.

Some aspect of denial is necessary.

Adaptive, even.

No, it's unsustainable.

Matthew's stubborn, and I don't want him wasting what time he has left avoiding

the people who are closest to him.

I'm going to go down to the station and check on him there, see if I can make

any progress.

That's a good idea.

But I also know you want to see some firemen in action. Carol, do not

New York's bravest.

But the 2026 calendar did come out.

Remind me to show you Mr. October.

Sam.

Hi.

Can you hold your hands out like this?

That's called asterixis.

It's a sign of liver failure.

Sam, I'm not going to sugarcoat this. We need to get you a new liver. But in

order to do that, I need to know some things first.

What happened since the last time we saw you here?

I'm mad about your credit card.

I'm sorry.

Hey, I'm not mad.

You got yourself some stuff you needed. That's why I gave it to you. No.

I didn't use your card for anything.

The meds helped.

But the voices, oh.

I yelled at them.

Then these kids started beating me, hitting me, kicking me. Why didn't you

here? We could have helped you. They took your card.

I told you I'd bring it back.

I don't want to.

I had my meds, though.

Took them every day.

Meds for pain, too. What were you taking for pain?

Red. I took them all.

Acetaminophen. That's what caused the liver failure.

Is there any way you could get in touch with your family?

It would really help if they could be here.

Already dead to them.

Okay, junior firefighters, there are four very important things you need to

when caught in a fire.

Number one,

stay low to avoid the smoke. Number two, to raise the alarm, pull the fire alarm

or yell for help. Number three, exit the building as quickly as possible. And

number four, never, ever hide in a burning building.

So just remember, Fred, floor, raise the alarm, exit,

don't hide.

Which reminds me, there is a very special member of our team I think you'd

really like to meet, so I'm going to bring him out now.

You ready?

Okay, Fred, where you at, boy? Come on out.

Come on, meet Fred, y 'all. Come on.

Where is he?

Where is he?

Matthew, we need to talk right now.

Where do you get off not coming for Thanksgiving? Our little girl's coming

and you're blowing us off? Alicia, can you not do this here?

I'm so sorry to interrupt.

Who are you?

I am Dr. Oliver Wolfe.

Perhaps we should all talk?

What happened?

I cooked healthy meals for the family every night. I always had a cruciferous

vegetable at the table, and this is what we get? I can assure you that this is

not about what you did or did not do. Alicia, I'm the one who's dying, not

No, Matthew, don't say that. No one is dying.

How could you have kept this from us? Let's all just try to understand the

position Matthew is in. There's no right or wrong way to process this diagnosis.

So what do we do? How do we fix this?

Unfortunately, we can't fix this.

ALS is a progressive disease.

I did some Googling on the train.

I want a list of all the medicines he's taking, upcoming appointments.

I read that there are only a few FDA -approved treatments, so I want him to

pushed into a trial as soon as possible. We are exploring every trial, and yes,

this is a devastating diagnosis.

But I want you all to know that research is accelerating. There are thousands of

people all over the world studying this disease, and there is real hope for

effective treatment on the horizon.

In the meantime, our goal is to help Matthew live the best life possible.

So Matthew is going to live with me. I'm taking care of him, no question. Are

you guys done speaking about me like I'm not even in the room?

And there's plenty of resentment there. I'm not moving in with you. Nobody

resents you. And I'm going to come back home, too. I only have one semester left

of school, so I can go back and finish whenever.

What does that mean, whenever?

Dad, don't be ridiculous.

I can't just stay in school.

The hell you can't. You can't do this on your own.

Be for real, Daddy. We're going to walk up. I live at a fire station, Gabby. I

can manage.

Remember, we fight the disease, not the tools we have to help us.

No.

I'm not letting anybody uproot their lives from me. I can fight this on my

End of story.

Thank you.

Eastgate Medical didn't have any family contact for Sam, and he is too confused

now to be able to tell us anything, even if he wanted to.

Neither did St.

Elizabeth's, Queensbridge, or anywhere else Sam's been hospitalized.

I'm striking out here, too.

It's wild how hard it is to get a transplant.

I don't think I'd even qualify.

Two people, really?

I'd vouch for you. I wouldn't let you.

You'd have Liam.

How about you, Erica? You think you'd make the list?

Um, I don't know. My parents wouldn't move. Would you even want one?

Immune suppression and infections the rest of your life, fearing rejection?

If the alternative is death, yeah, I would take it.

The thing is, we would be listed.

Even if we drink or don't have social support, we'd be listed because we're

people they make exceptions for. And that sucks.

Privilege.

Hey, I think I found the number.

Green beans.

Sweet potatoes.

Look at this big boy.

As if we needed that much turkey.

Uh -huh.

You kids, you're getting cold for Christmas. Hey!

Hello?

Hi, I'm calling to speak with Claire Mayberry.

Yes, this is Claire.

Who is this?

What's going on?

It's Sam.

No, I don't know what's more shocking, that Matthew has ALS or that he's seeing

a psychiatrist.

Reluctantly seeing a psychiatrist.

Well, that tracks.

If your sessions are anything like our marriage, you ask him how he's doing, he

mumbles fine, cracks open a beer, and...

Plops down on the couch to watch a Jets game. Oh, honey.

If he's a Jets fan, he's never fine.

He does talk.

Sometimes I can't get a word in.

Huh.

I see that strikes a chord.

Can you tell me why?

My sister set us up on a blind date.

I was so pissed at her at first.

She knew I liked the strong, silent type.

And Matthew would not shut up.

I closed the restaurant down, and when he kissed me goodnight, he whispered, we

will never run out of things to say to each other.

Well, sometimes marriage is all about how you navigate the silences.

How do you navigate an abyss?

It wasn't all his fault. We went through a lot early on.

9 -11.

We had friends whose husband didn't come home that day, so how could I complain?

My husband did.

But he didn't really... I would look at him and say, Matthew, where are

you?

He never let me back in.

It's why we... split so to hear that he talks to you what he practices in this

office is what he'll bring to his relationships outside of this room

his relationship with you that's all i ever wanted was for him to tell me that

he wasn't fine

Yo, guys, what are you trying to do? Burn this place down?

Guys!

Thanks

for the

patch -up.

So how did you fall?

I was being careless.

Matthew, I'm glad that you have support at the fire station, but I am worried

it's not a safe long -term solution for you. What's long -term here?

I'm not sure I can keep fighting it.

I'm tempted to tell you how resilient you are, to talk about adaptation, to

you it's incredible what people can learn to accept as their new normal.

But none of that's going to help right now, is it?

I feel like every time I learn to adapt to a new loss,

I lose something else.

From where I'm sitting, all of the core elements that make you Matthew are still

intact. Then let me keep this one.

I don't care about me.

But my girl Gabby and even Alicia, I need to protect them.

Sam, there are some people here to see you.

Sam.

Did I ruin your Easter?

It's Thanksgiving.

No way, kid.

This is the only place we want to be right now.

With you.

Hey, Doc.

Sorry to surprise you like this.

Oh, uh, you're the chief?

Mr. October, right?

You can call me Dennis.

What can I do for you, Dennis?

Look, we all knew Matty living at the station was temporary.

But we thought it was safe.

I, uh... I shouldn't have left him alone.

Don't blame yourself.

You got him out of his apartment. You helped him maintain something that felt

normal for a little while longer.

That's not nothing.

No.

Maddie's the best we got.

You know, he trained me.

My first weekend, I thought, there's no way I could do this. But Maddie made me

realize I could.

He'd always say, alone, we could do so little.

But together, we could do so much.

It's a quote from Helen Mirren, I think.

Yeah, Helen Keller, but easily confused.

I wish we could do more for Maddie.

Actually, I might know a way you can.

Cow's milk is back, right?

Thanks. I've been reading about stem cell clinical trials.

Is that something that my dad could do?

It's a possibility.

But ultimately, that's for him to decide.

You and your dad seem close. I mean, he talks about you all the time.

I've always been into modern art.

It's really not his thing.

But he used to keep a calendar on the fridge of openings happening in the

And every weekend, he'd take me to a new one.

And when I got a phone, he started texting me these random photos and

them, art or not.

He's one of a kind.

I can't imagine that... What your dad needs is for you to keep going.

One good thing about modern art, you don't need fine motor skills to enjoy

Keep going.

Together.

Talk to me, Sam.

Open your eyes, Sam.

Sam.

Sam.

Sam.

What happened?

He's unresponsive. He was talking 30 minutes ago. He wouldn't wake up. We

you right away. I need a rapid response to room 12 in the ICU.

I'm sorry.

We're going to need the room. What's happening to him? We're taking care of

okay? Sam?

Sam?

Pupil's equal and reactive, but he's obtunded and needs a satting. He can't

protect his airway. Severe hepatic encephalopathy, likely cerebral edema.

Erica, prep an airway now. I'm ready for a tomodate and suck.

You told me that my job was to keep this from becoming a neurological emergency.

Is there anything I could have done differently? You were monitoring him and

gave him the only antidote for a acetaminophen overdose, but after the

failed and ammonia accumulated, brain swelling became inevitable.

Which can lead to brain herniation and death.

What's the immediate treatment?

Hyperventilating him and dosing him with mannitol and hypertonic saline will

lower their ICP as a temporary measure. But only a new liver will stop the

swelling permanently.

And we don't have long to get it for him.

He's on the list for this new liver? Not yet, unfortunately. It's been difficult

because of Sam's housing situation. The committee is reticent to list Sam if he

doesn't have a support system.

People committed to caring for him after the transplant.

Well, he has that. He has us.

We used to be so close, but when he got sick, we became the last people that he

wanted. Those thoughts in his head, all that paranoia, the voices, it turned him

against us.

He didn't want to stay with us. He said it felt like prison. I mean, I went to

the city once to bring him home, but he wouldn't come. He thought we were trying

to hurt him.

Told me never to call him again.

I had his siblings back home. I had to be there for them, too.

Doctor, I feel guilty and scared for Sam every single day. Can I just bring him

home?

I'm afraid to transfer to another hospital now, particularly one farther

is too risky.

I know that you have a life back in Ohio, but if there is any way that you

be here for Sam... We can rent a place here, whatever Sam needs.

He's our son.

We'll let him go once we're not doing it again.

You watch all your patients while they sleep, or are they just your favorites?

No, just my favorites.

How are you sleeping?

Terribly.

I keep having this dream.

It wakes me up most nights.

I'm in my old house with my family, and there's

a fire, and I can...

I can hear them calling for me.

I... I try to save them, but I can't.

That sounds terrifying.

I wonder whether your weakness and trouble breathing at night may be

this vivid dream. Your oxygen level drops, carbon dioxide climbs.

Your REM sleep is in disarray. The good news is there's a solution. That BiPAP

machine I mentioned will help you breathe deeper while you sleep.

I'll take your machine.

Fight the disease, not the tools.

Yeah.

You gonna discharge me now?

No, tell me more about this dream first.

Walk me through it.

Careful what you wish for.

Matthew! Please!

Matthew, we need you!

Matthew, where are they?

Matthew!

I don't know.

I don't know. I can't move.

I can't save them.

Please,

just come out.

Daddy!

What if you're not supposed to? What if they're supposed to save you?

But I'll move along, can't keep on looking back.

The transplant committee said no.

What happened?

I told them that Sam had just started a medication regimen that I hoped would

work for him, the meth he's been taking since discharge, and that he had a

supportive family.

I also told them that the acetaminophen was an unintentional overdose and that

Sam truly wanted to get better and to live.

But he was on the margin, Erica, and they had to take a leap. Sometimes they

take it, sometimes they don't. I thought...

When we got his family, they would see that he is someone worth saving.

Just because they declined him doesn't mean all programs will. I've already

called my friend at Columbia. We'll call Cornell as well. We just need to find a

program that isn't so risk -averse.

But even if they say yes, what are the chances they decide in time?

Okay, how long does Sam have? He needs a new liver faster. He won't make it. For

now, we manage Sam's ICP as best we can, and we hold out hope.

Uh,

hey. Silva!

Um, where are you going with that pie?

Bringing it to our staff potluck.

I know this is weird, but I could actually use it for a patient, if that's

Okay.

Anything for your patients.

Thank you.

Um, I finally convinced Matthew to attend his family's Thanksgiving. He

to go with him.

I can't show up empty -handed.

Isn't it too late to bail?

Uh, yeah, it sure is.

Besides, I went to a lot of trouble to get that pie. I want to eat it. Why

we just run down the street to the pub and grab a whiskey?

Okay. Dr. Moore, please have a seat.

I just want to say how much it means to me to have all of you around the table.

This year, what I'm most grateful for is second chances.

Dr. Wolf, would you like to go next?

I guess I'm coming to appreciate unexpected reunions.

Matthew.

Yeah.

I'm grateful for my family and that I haven't been a burden

on them. Matthew, please.

I can't live in my apartment anymore, and I can't live at the station. It's

much.

So I made arrangements with a facility, a

home, a place I can move to.

I'll be safe, you know, for as long as I can tolerate it, but my ship

is sinking.

And I'm not taking any of you with me. Dad, we want to help. That's not your

job, honey. It's too much. It's not, though. It's not.

Because we wouldn't be doing it alone.

What do you mean?

We all agree that living at the station isn't a solution.

But the guys, they want to help out as much as they can.

Matthew, I want you to move back into the house.

I won't be doing it alone, and neither will you.

And don't even try to argue.

Dennis has planned a month's worth of frozen meals. He's one full Martha

Stewart, okay?

I'm Betty Ann. You have a lot of good people around you who want to help out

much as they can.

Take a look.

Yeah, Matthew!

Wait,

who are all these people, Dad?

People from work.

And lives he saved.

Sometimes letting people help is the greatest gift you can give them.

Thank you for

bringing

all this stuff.

Yeah, thanks, Auntie. Everything looks great.

I'm sorry I had to work on Thanksgiving.

No worries. We got you.

Always. Thank you. Okay. Hey, hey, hey.

Okay, word on the floor, your sweet potato pie is to die for. It sure is.

an old family recipe.

Anthony,

this is my sister Helen.

Anthony runs our emergency room.

Lovely to meet you.

Any plans for the holidays, or is it all gunshot wounds and severed limbs?

Mostly cuts and burns, actually.

But I'm headed out.

Kids are with my ex, so it's going to be a quiet one.

But you know what I am thankful for this year?

An entire Thanksgiving in the E .D. and not one patient. Spoil the Cowboys game.

The Cowboys?

Oh, no. And I was just starting to like you.

Look, ladies, look. I'm not that bad.

Tell us. I'm not that bad.

Oh, my God.

Who made this?

I told my staff.

Best dish gets Christmas off.

You realize this is our first Thanksgiving as a family?

I wish I could have made it special.

This is special.

We're together.

Matthew? Hey.

Caught you a little something if you want to take a break from math leisure.

The act of rescue is often linked to things like heroism and bravery.

But for guys like me, I've always looked at it as an act of caring.

I'll get it.

Dad, it's art.

If you say so.

Oh, the glory of it all.

I guess I never saw myself as the one who needed to be cared for. I saw how

it'd be to reach you.

And I would always be light years, light years away

from you.

Light years,

light years. But I know now that even on my hardest of days, you and your mom

will be there to save me from any fires that may come our way.

Mom? Oh, Oliver, too soon.

I wanted to surprise you. I brought Thanksgiving to you.

Ta -da!

I saw your ferns, Oliver.

I've been so busy at work.

I know. So, you know, I took some of them upstairs to the bathroom. I ran the

shower for a while. The steam should perk them right up. They're dead.

They'll be better tomorrow.

You'll see. And now we are going to get this big boy out.

Woof! You know...

It was always his job to carve the turkey, and our friends would applaud

he made it look so easy.

It would drive me crazy.

I'd do everything else. Mom.

Sometimes the most heroic thing you can do isn't

running into the burning building.

It's quieter.

smaller, but in a way even harder, at least for me.

Letting you and your mother in, accepting help, agreeing to this voice

business Dr.

Pierce has been talking about, allowing myself to be rescued, even when I don't

want to.

For me, this is the bravest thing I've ever done.

And it's scary as hell.

But it is worth it.

If it means more time with you.

Greg, we'll get ahead.