“Survival is determined by the ability to adapt. The mind can push the body to great lengths in the name of survival, but at what cost?”
Tonight’s episode of Brilliant Minds was a bit of a wild one. Five girls from the same school are seemingly pregnant – yes, at the same time. You’d think that this was some sort of “pregnancy pact” that they all decided on, but no, that’s not the case here. Why? Because neither of them are actually pregnant. They only think that they are.
When Sarah comes in for an ultrasound, the sonographer has Carol and Oliver come in to observe. With every reason to be confused, Oliver has no idea why he was asked to observe until he sees that there is, in fact, no baby. Now this is where things got a bit odd to me: Sarah’s body was reacting in a way that truly made her believe she was pregnant. She looked like she was in her second trimester and her hormones caused her to feel her body “preparing for a baby”. After her appointment, four other girls meet her squealing in excitement at their future bundles of joy that will never come.
“Chapter Six: The Girl Who Cried Pregnant” - BRILLIANT MINDS - Pictured: Alex MacNicoll as Dr. Van Markus, Aury Krebs as Dr. Dana Dang, Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf, Spence Moore II as Jacob Nash, Ashleigh LaThrop as Ericka Kinney. Photo: Rafy/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Now, how is it that their school has failed them so badly that they’ve convinced themselves that they’re pregnant without the… usual activity it takes to create this reality? That’s the only thing that I kept thinking throughout this episode, but then again the mind is such a complex thing that I can’t hold it against these young girls; something is definitely up.
“Chapter Six: The Girl Who Cried Pregnant” - BRILLIANT MINDS - Pictured: Aury Krebs as Dr. Dana Dang, Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf. Photo: Rafy/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Oliver and his team go back to the high school with (Mandy Moore’s “Candy” playing in this scene was pure nostalgic joy for me so thank you!) the goal of finding out what happened to the girls and if the reason they all believe they’re pregnant could be due to a shared traumatic event. We come to find out that these girls found "WitchTok" and cast a spell to make them all pregnant. Please imagine me breaking the fourth wall when I heard that. It gets even better; the reason they got to "WitchTok" and tried to get themselves pregnant is because their friend Samantha, who really was pregnant, had to leave the school and thus separated from the group. They didn’t want her to feel alone so they casted a spell to conjure up their pregnancies. Remember when I said Sarah’s body was reacting in a way that made her believe she was pregnant? Well, being that she was the closest to Samantha, losing her friend hit her a lot harder, and that stress caused pseudocyesis: a false pregnancy.
“Chapter Six: The Girl Who Cried Pregnant” - BRILLIANT MINDS - Pictured: Tamberla Perry as Dr. Carol Pierce, Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf. Photo: Rafy/NBC © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
What I thoroughly enjoyed about this episode was learning more about Oliver’s father. Up until now (admittedly I could’ve missed something) I thought that his father was dead. Tonight’s episode led me to believe that he may just have been lost this entire time. Through Oliver’s flashbacks we learn that while camping in the woods, his father wandered off, leaving Oliver to fend for himself. As time passed, Oliver grew concerned, but stayed in place hoping that his father would come back for him. It isn’t until an officer finds him that he realizes his father was gone. That was the last time Oliver saw his father and that breaks my heart. It’s no wonder he cares for his patients the way he does. I wish that in time he is able to do something for himself and allow himself to be happy rather than hiding behind his work.
What’d you think of tonight’s new episode of Brilliant Minds? Share your thoughts below or connect with me on X/Twitter @chenfordhugs.
