Brilliant Minds (2024) s02e07 Episode Script
The One That Got Away
1
For millennia, humans have wondered,
where does our sense of self
reside in the body?
Ancient Egyptians believed
the answer was in our hearts.
But the Greeks
was not to be ♪
If you all wouldn't mind, um,
silencing your phones.
[MUSIC STOPS]
The Greeks believed
our self and identity
was formed in the brain.
However, in modern times,
the question remains unanswered.
Got a picture of ♪
I'm sorry, but whoever's
phone keeps going off,
be a champ and step out, would you?
We don't hear anything.
[SCOFFS]
What is this, some kind of a prank?
No one hears that?
What is he talking about?
Seriously, what is that?
Where's it coming from?
Want you back, want you back ♪
I want you back for good ♪
♪♪
♪♪
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
♪♪
Does the chief know you're
pocketing hospital supplies?
Uh, well, I certainly hope not,
'cause that guy is a real pain.
Listen, Wolf, I, um
I wanted to say thank you
for all the care you've taken
with Jorge and his recovery.
Well, that is how it works, Nichols.
You save them on the table
even when they fall 39 floors
to what should have been
certain death,
and I make sure
that they are set up for
recovery when they wake up.
I know you go above and beyond.
That is a frustrating thing
that you do.
But it means a lot to me
with this patient.
Does that mean
you trust my judgment now
and you'll give me free rein
of the neuro budget?
Maybe if I wasn't such a pain.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
What was that?
The flirting, the looks, the yearning.
You and the chief.
Interim chief.
And there's nothing to tell.
Wolf, how long
have we been working together?
Uh, not that long.
You know I'm never gonna let this go.
- It was a fleeting dalliance.
- A situationship?
Never DTR'ed?
We're totally different people.
We didn't even get along at first.
Workplace enemies to lovers. Classic.
Well, things were actually
going well at first
until life got complicated.
I stood him up at his awards dinner.
You left that man on his big night,
standing alone in a tux in the rain?
I don't think it was raining.
You don't make it easy on a guy, Wolf.
But now I need my dads together.
- No, no, no. He's chief.
- Interim chief.
And that didn't stop your mother.
Mm. It's "Gay's Anatomy" up in here,
and I am fully invested.
[LAUGHS]
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
Sam, how have you been?
It feels like I'm caught in this loop.
Every day is
Every day is the same. I wake up.
The clock starts again.
I've got 12 hours to figure out
where I'm gonna sleep next.
Shelters
fill up quick.
I wander around the city,
pop in for a movie at the dollar
theater when the weather's bad.
I like the old ones
where they talk a lot.
It helps drown out the noise.
Well, when I need cash, I, uh
I hustle chess at the park.
You know, it's not much,
but it gets me by.
And, then, um, I do it all over again.
Being unhoused can lock the brain
into a trauma response state.
It makes us feel trapped
in a survival-mode cycle.
It's my fault.
People don't trust me.
They They assume I'm an addict.
I make them uncomfortable.
[INDISTINCT, MENACING VOICES]
You are a worthless!
Expendable.
You shouldn't be here.
I said get out!
[SNIFFLES]
Can you tell us more about the voices?
It's like demons
in my head.
What about medication?
Uh, I think the E.D.
gave you Risperidone.
Mnh-mnh, mnh-mnh.
I don't like what they give me.
It turns me into something else.
A-A zombie.
I don't feel like me anymore.
Well, that's not uncommon.
It takes time
to find the medication and the dosage
that works best for you.
And that's my job.
The emergency department's
job is to stabilize you
and to provide a hot and
cot for our psych patients.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
It's good enough for me.
Well, it's not good enough for us.
We can do better.
Sam has had 25 hospitalizations
since his first psychotic break
four years ago,
after he moved here to attend NYU.
And exactly zero of those times
did he get a true workup
to see if any of his symptoms
were organic.
I thought he was diagnosed
with schizophrenia.
Yes, by some doctors.
Schizoaffective by others,
even bipolar.
Everybody always writes Sam off
because of his situation.
I actually didn't see
any presentation of mania
or any other signs of an episode.
Schizophrenia is the
more probable diagnosis.
A psych diagnosis, Dr. Kinney,
which after all these years
and how he's presented,
does seem
the most likely scenario here.
Which doesn't mean
that we can't figure out a treatment
to help him better navigate his life.
But there's probably no miracle
cure that's gonna "fix him."
I know that.
But Sam told us
he was ready to get help,
and he showed back up
for his first appointment.
I just think he deserves good,
genuine, unbiased care,
because his is not the type of case
that people take an interest in.
So, then why the interest
from you, Dr. Kinney?
Because you taught us
that every patient matters.
And because you're the best
teacher I've ever had, Dr. Wolf.
- And also you, Dr. Pierce.
- Mm-hmm.
Well, I cannot argue
with my own advice.
Go ahead and admit Sam.
I agree.
[INDISTINCT P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS]
I know she takes after me,
but I'm not that
relentlessly persistent, am I?
Mm.
I think, um
it's time for the next step,
as in our relationship.
I was thinking that maybe
you could meet my friends.
- Okay.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Alright.
Well, a group
of first responders and I
started a kickball league.
It's super casual.
We go to Flanagan's afterwards.
And there's a game tomorrow
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
Uh
count me in.
I've always been a sandlot girly.
That's baseball.
- Right.
- Yeah. [CHUCKLES]
Your next consult's
waiting inside, Dr. Wolf.
- Chart's on the desk.
- Thank you.
Hey there. I'm Dr. Wolf.
How are you doing today?
Already better now that you're here.
Thank you for seeing me
on such short notice.
Well, why don't you tell me
what's going on?
Um, well, I'm
I'm experiencing, uh
I don't even know what to call it.
A song.
A song?
I keep hearing it sporadically,
one particular song.
It's like a radio
turning on and off in my head.
It's incredibly distracting.
I'm in the city for work,
and it's completely derailed my trip.
What do you do?
I'm somewhat of a historian.
I specialize in the fringe
facets of medicine.
Oh. Did you know that mercury
was the primary treatment of syphilis
for hundreds of years
Before the discovery
of penicillin in the 1940s.
[LAUGHS]
Uh, you haven't changed a bit.
I'm sorry?
You really don't recognize me, Oliver?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
♪♪
Tom?
H-How are you here?
I happened to be in New York
and in need of a neurologist.
And your name
Your name kept coming up.
I wasn't sure if you'd remember me.
Well, of of course.
I-I remember you.
behind now ♪
Is it happening right now?
Whatever I did, I didn't mean it ♪
I need your help, Oliver.
back for good ♪
And again, tell me where
the sound is the loudest.
[TUNING FORK RINGS]
The first position
[TUNING FORK RINGS]
Or the second position?
The first one.
Okay.
I'm so glad you could see me, Oliver.
I feel like I'm losing my mind.
Uh, and you were right to come in.
I would like to admit you,
just to run some tests.
Uh, it's comforting to see
that some things never change.
You're still collecting rocks.
Oh. Not a rock, a mineral.
Lepidolite, to be specific.
It's actually one of the few
naturally occurring resources
of lithium. So
Okay. Um, if you could tell me
a little bit about the song.
When you hear it,
are there other symptoms
flashing lights
or muscle weakness, pain?
It's not exactly painful,
but there's like a pressure
that builds in my head.
I try to relieve it sometimes
by holding my nose
and blowing to pop my ears.
It It seems to dampen
the effect a bit.
Can I ask what song is playing?
Maybe there's some significance.
Well, that's what's so funny.
Oliver knows it.
It's that song
from our summer together.
But what could it possibly mean?
[SIGHS]
It means that he never forgot you
and that he's back
to rekindle the flame, honey.
It was 30 years ago.
"Oh! I still can't believe
that Tom is here."
Okay. I honestly thought
that you made him up,
like a Canadian boyfriend
no one ever meets.
He wasn't a boyfriend at all,
Canadian or otherwise.
It was one summer.
We shared one kiss.
- One magical summer
- [LAUGHS]
and one clearly memorable kiss.
And I love the idea
of you dating again.
I mean, I sometimes worry
that you don't think that you're
relationship material,
- but you are.
- "Relationship material"?
Carol, please don't mock me.
I'm not. I'm being serious.
I mean, I thought you and Josh
were kind of circling something
again, but
Why do you say that?
Did he say something?
Is there something you want to say?
Well, don't you think
that my relationship with Josh
proves that I'm not
relationship material?
I messed everything up.
So unmess it up, then.
- I don't know how to do that.
- [SCOFFS]
But I do know neurology,
so perhaps we could focus on that
instead of my love life.
[GROANS] If we must.
- [SIGHS]
- Tom's case is exceedingly unique.
Although music is obviously such
a powerful force in our psyche,
in his case, it's hard to know
whether it's organic
or purely psychological.
Maybe seeing you again
is triggering him to hear your song.
This isn't
a bad romantic comedy, Carol.
He heard the song before he came in.
The song is incidental.
I'm worried it might be
symptomatic of a tumor
or AVM maybe.
Auditory hallucinations can accompany
all sorts of psych diagnoses.
Um, do you have any ideas
about his mental-health history?
I haven't seen him in decades.
I don't know who he is at all.
Well, maybe this is an
opportunity to get to know him.
I'm gonna get to know his brain,
starting with labs, a CT, and an EEG
to get a sense
of what's going on in there
when that song is playing.
Well, maybe the machine
will spit out a picture
of the two of you.
[LAUGHING]
We're supposed to tell our patients
that they're gonna feel
a slight pinch,
but it's more like a jellyfish sting.
We're gonna need you
to stay completely still.
I-I can handle a little pain.
Okay. We've numbed the area
with local anesthetic,
so you're gonna feel
some slight pressure.
You're a waste of space!
You are weak.
You're expendable.
- poison me!
- This is how they get you.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
They're after your mind!
They'll make things worse!
- This is how you die!
- [SCREAMS]
Sam, you got to remain still.
I think I hit a nerve.
We can't continue with him
in this state.
For patients with schizophrenia,
sedatives can help.
No! He doesn't want the drugs.
So, then, this procedure is over.
It's okay. It's okay, Sam. It's okay.
I It's okay. You're okay.
- Here. We got you.
- You're okay, you're okay.
I finally got approval
to do a workup on Sam,
but it's basically impossible
to stick a needle in his spine
without the voices
in his head yelling.
Mm. LP fail.
We've all been there, right?
- Spinal tap queen.
- I haven't.
How about I work on Sam
and you go play kickball
with Katie and her friends?
Come on. Sports plus strangers
equals peak Dana Dang social anxiety.
Unless
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
You'd like to come with.
No. [CHUCKLES] No, no.
I'm sorry. It's a ticking clock.
I don't know how much longer
will be able to keep Sam
in the hospital.
Yeah, but what about the voices
in my head
the one saying "They're all
gonna laugh at you"?
Oh, my God. Dana, that's it.
I told Sam
to ignore the hallucinations,
but how can I expect him to do that
if I don't know what he's hearing?
If I want to get Sam to trust me,
I have to find out
what they're saying.
[LAUGHS]
♪♪
So glad my deeply rooted
insecurities helped someone.
I'll go with him.
I mean, fair warning, though,
I get a little competitive.
Really? You'd play kickball for me?
Yeah. Used to be my game
back in middle school.
Those bitches won't know what hit him.
Okay. Maybe don't call him bitches.
Mmm.
Slow your roll, Bobby Fischer.
Work our way to the knight.
If the board was a battlefield,
pawns were
[INDISTINCT, MENACING VOICES]
[SIGHS]
Sorry.
Pawns are, uh,
the least powerful pieces.
Sam, what did you hear just now?
Sometimes it's like, uh, it feels like
10 different radio stations on
at the same time.
Chess helps me, uh, shut them up.
Can I ask what the voices are saying?
It's not really easy to tell.
Unless it's Lawrence.
He's the loudmouth.
Right now he's saying I'm the pawn
I'm weak
expendable,
waste of space.
He said there was no point
in doing the test,
because if I died,
nobody would miss me.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
I-I know it's not real.
But, uh
You hear the same voice long enough,
you start to believe it.
♪♪
Lawrence
hi.
Listen carefully.
You're wrong.
Sam isn't weak at all.
He is brave.
He is brave to be here right now.
He is brave to get help.
And if anything
were to happen to him
I would miss him.
♪♪
♪♪
Maybe, uh,
we could try the test again.
You got it.
And I might have a way
to get you through it this time.
You know what song
lives rent-free in my head?
- "Golden" from "KPop Demon"
- "KPop Demon Hunters."
Oh, I'm obsessed.
[GASPS] I like him!
Tom, uh,
why don't you get comfortable,
and the moment you hear the song,
- let us know.
- Well, it may take a while.
I'm not sure
what triggers the episodes.
Darn. How will we pass the time?
Ooh, I know. Dishing about Dr. Wolf.
Tell me, Tom,
what was he like in his youth?
- [SCOFFS]
- Sorry.
Um, smart, a bit intense.
Handsome, but didn't know it.
Woefully ignorant of popular culture.
When I finally did get him to open up,
it felt like I'd solved
the Riemann hypothesis.
Weird.
He's totally an open book now.
[INDISTINCT P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS]
[GROANS] What's happening?
[MONITORS BEEPING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
The song is actually a seizure.
And it's frying his brain.
Dr. Wolf, he's lucky
he hasn't dropped dead.
I'm having seizures?
Well, shouldn't I be aware of that?
Uh, not all seizures are the same.
In your case, the ictal event
manifests as this song in your head.
Each time you hear the song,
it represents another seizure.
We call it musical hallucinations.
Most musical hallucinations
stem from psychiatric issues.
It's actually quite rare for
seizures to present this way.
If I've been having
uncontrolled seizures for days,
I'm at risk of brain damage,
at the very least.
It's true the frequency
of your seizures is extreme,
but you did get here in time,
and we'll continue
to monitor you closely.
And we'll start you
on an anticonvulsant right away,
if that's the course
of treatment you agree to.
We can try you on various medications
until we find the right one
to help suppress the seizures.
We're gonna get this
under control, Tom.
Thank you.
I knew I needed you.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
[INDISTINCT P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS]
On your way to Dr. Nichols' office?
Yes
for a patient consult.
Oh, consulting
about the cute Brit in 311
who I hear is also your ex?
I didn't know,
you got around like that, Wolf.
But clearly this is an opportunity.
Um I don't follow.
Hey, if I wanted to make
my ex jealous,
I might let them know that my other ex
had specifically come to me
about his seizures,
especially if they're hot
British seizures.
But that's just me.
Yes, that is just you,
because I would never.
Okay.
- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- You have time for a consult?
What's up?
Patient with musical hallucinations
presenting as seizures.
EEG reveals
left temporal lobe epilepsy.
Musical epilepsy?
Oh, interesting.
Temporal lobe localized events
have been known
to activate musical memory
traces in the cortex.
- How often are the seizures?
- Frequent.
Are they responding to medication?
I started him on levetiracetam,
but I thought maybe
you'd want to meet him,
because this could be
a once-in-a-lifetime case.
Yeah, sure.
I should let you know,
because I don't want it to be awkward
that the patient is my ex.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
Right this way, sir.
What is going on?
Welcome to the LP Theater!
[CHUCKLES] You did this just for me?
Studies have shown that
a relaxing activity like a movie
can help decrease the intensity
of the voices you're hearing.
An old classic.
Lots of talking.
And after the procedure,
we'll open up the snack bar.
Popcorn, chocolate, gummy bears.
- You got any sour punch straws?
- Mm
all you can eat.
Shall we head to your front-row seat?
["KNOCK ON WOOD" PLAYS]
♪♪
Say, who's got trouble? ♪
We've got trouble ♪
How much trouble? ♪
Too much trouble ♪
Well, now, don't you frown ♪
Just knuckle down
and knock on wood ♪
[BANGING]
[INDISTINCT P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS]
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
[TELEPHONE RINGING]
Oh, Tom.
Uh, this is
Dr. Nichols, our head of neurosurgery.
And Chief Medical Officer.
And that.
Pleasure.
Uh, sorry for the state
of undress when you walked in.
I just had to freshen up
after all those tests.
Though I suppose it's nothing
Oliver hasn't seen before.
Right. Wolf, uh, mentioned
you two used to date.
It was just, uh, one kiss ages ago.
- One One kiss.
- One One kiss ages ago.
But it left quite the impression.
[TAKE THAT'S "BACK FOR GOOD" PLAYS]
[GROANING]
of you beside me ♪
[THUDS]
We have a code blue in 311!
Alright. It's alright.
I got you.
He's having progressive
temporal lobe seizures.
Draw 1 milligram of Ativan, stat. Tom?
Tom, Tom!
Hey, I need you to listen to me.
Stop! You're gonna hurt yourself.
Wolf, his ear.
That was a life-threatening
tonic clonic seizure.
Normally, I would keep trying meds.
But this ictal event
was clearly an escalation.
Surgery has to be on the table.
I know this is presenting primarily
as a musical hallucination, but
The next time he hears that song,
it might be the last thing
he ever hears.
Unfortunately, your brain
is not responding
to any of the medications we've tried,
and it appears your seizures
are getting worse.
We think you have
drug-resistant epilepsy,
meaning the normal course
of medication won't work.
One of the avenues
we'd like to explore
is a resection of the temporal lobe
that's causing the seizures to occur.
- Brain surgery?
- With seizures that intense,
the risk of permanent brain injury
or worse is high.
Yeah, we're not rushing
straight to surgery.
We will perform something
called a Wada test.
Where you shut down
each side of the brain
to figure out
where language and memory
are primarily stored?
We know the source of your seizures
is the left temporal lobe.
We need to see
how tied to these functions
that area is in your particular brain.
- Dad, Dad, Dad!
- Guys!
- Oh!
- I am so sorry.
We got here as fast as we could.
- I can't believe this!
- I know.
This must be his good friend.
Where are my manners?
I'm Rashid, Tom's husband.
[SNORTS]
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
[SLURPING LOUDLY]
Dang! Get over here! Come loosen up!
Don't you pulling a hammie.
I'm loose.
Loosey [LUCY] freaking Liu!
- Hey, I'm so glad you're here.
- [SMOOCHES]
- Sure.
- Okay. Come on.
Alright, everybody!
Bring it in to pick teams.
Everybody, come on!
Andy and I are captains.
Alright. For my first choice,
I am going with a sure bet.
They are quick, funny,
brilliant with a pen light
and on a six-game hot streak
Lex!
[ALL CHEERING] Lex!
[ALL CHANTING "LEX!"]
To be clear
my hot streak
isn't just confined to kickball.
[LAUGHTER]
Alright, you're up.
It's all negative.
The imaging, the LP.
Dr. Wolf confirmed
there is nothing here.
Just false hope.
I disagree.
You got Sam a true diagnosis.
Yeah. And for what?
Now I'm just gonna send him
out in the world
so he can keep reliving that same day,
to keep reliving that same trauma?
How is that helping him?
It may not be the outcome you wanted,
but people live
with schizophrenia every day.
You got Sam to trust you.
He's willing to do the work.
Now you have to trust him
to manage his own life and treatment.
I just wish it didn't
have to be so hard for him.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
You can't wave a wand
and make someone's life
magically different.
You can't erase the past.
Healing takes time
and work
and acknowledging reality.
And sometimes
that's as difficult for doctors
as it is for their patients.
♪♪
Hey, Van, do you think I could
get your help with a patient?
Actually, I need Michelle's help.
Call me back.
Hey, good job.
You good?
I can't believe she didn't
even pick me for her team.
Don't worry about it.
Oh
Hey, y-you think Katie dated her?
I think she dated them.
Who Lex?
No, like all of them,
like the entire infield.
[CHUCKLES]
Oh!
[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
Alright. Bring it in shallow.
You got it, coach.
Come on, Dana! You got this!
Show them who's boss! Let's go!
[APPLAUSE]
One by one, I'm coming for 'em ♪
Keep your eyes down
unless you wanna join the list ♪
I'm the heat wave rising up around ♪
Gonna wish
that you never met my fist ♪
Yeah, here we go again,
whipping up an evil plan ♪
Wiping my dirty hands, playing ♪
Look at this beautiful mess! ♪
It's coming down like a hammer ♪
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ♪
It's coming down like a hammer ♪
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ♪
It's coming down like a hammer ♪
And when you swing, I don't miss ♪
Whoo! Yes!
Alright. No, no, no. Don't get up.
- Head support, please.
- [LAUGHING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
So sorry.
Oh, uh, you okay?
The Wada test found that in your case,
language and memory come from both
temporal lobes in your brain.
The risk would be lower if they
came from the opposite side
of the temporal lobe causing seizures.
And much greater
if they're primarily stored
on the same side.
I understand.
So, it's somewhere in the middle?
So, what do we do?
In this particular case,
given how aggressive
your episodes are,
I believe the risk of surgery
is worth it.
A temporal lobotomy will likely cure
or markedly diminish your seizures.
But there are risks
stroke, paralysis, infections,
and, in extreme cases,
difficulties with language,
possible loss of old memories,
and the inability to form new ones.
So, I-I could wake up with amnesia.
I-I could forget my family,
my friends, my past.
I have done this procedure
hundreds of times,
and I'm not boasting when I say
that you will be
in the very best hands.
Ever since this started,
it has warped my brain.
To maybe lose my memory,
to forget the people that I love,
to forget
I just I just don't know.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
I heard you've opted
to reject the surgery.
May I ask why?
Because I don't want to stop
hearing the song.
Tom, the song isn't important.
These seizures are serious
life-threatening.
Maybe they're happening for a reason.
Since I started hearing it,
I've been transported back
to our time together.
More than just the memory.
The feeling.
As intense
as it was all those years ago.
Do you remember, Oliver?
I do. Of course I do.
It's like going back to a simpler time
when everything was
just possibility.
♪♪
Will you go somewhere with me?
Hey. Good news.
Michelle found a place
that'll hold a bed for Sam.
It'll cost him
to get the bus out there,
but I gave her your number,
and she's going to call you
with the details.
Oh, amazing!
Really going all out for this patient,
Yeah, well, I mean, you know how I am.
Thank you so much for this, Van.
Um, could I ask just a favor
in return?
Yeah.
Um, it's a little awkward,
and it might not even come up,
but if it does, uh,
could you just tell Michelle
that there's nothing
between us anymore?
Yeah. Of course. I mean, it's true.
Are you guys back together?
Uh, we haven't had, like,
the official conversation yet,
but, uh, yeah, we are.
That sounds really nice.
You deserve it.
Things are working out for both of us.
I mean, look at you being
all super-doctor.
You're gonna end up out-Wolfing Wolf.
Except, like, the actual
functional human version.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Sports just aren't my thing.
Well, neither is making an effort
to get along with my friends,
apparently.
It was a lot, okay?
All the butt slaps and the side eyes.
And what is with all of the chanting?
Organized sports are literally a cult.
Okay. It can be a lot.
I guess I could have given
you a heads up.
I'm sorry.
My friends are a little bit
easier to get along with is all.
Easy? Or judgmental?
The way that Ericka reacted
when you told her
it was you who reported Dr. Pierce
I was the one that lied to her.
And since when do you not like Ericka?
It's not that I don't like her.
No one's that perfect.
There's something off about her.
♪♪
Sam, we've reviewed your paperwork,
and there is no evidence
of any structural abnormality.
You are physically perfectly healthy.
What you're struggling with
is psychiatric.
Yeah.
I honestly can't say I'm surprised.
Thanks for trying, though.
I guess this means I gotta go.
We do have to discharge you.
But that's not the end of your care.
Beginning tomorrow,
I'd like to see you
three times a week,
with the goal
if you're comfortable
of starting you
on a low-dose neuroleptic.
- That's
- Not all meds are the same.
And with therapy,
we can find non-medical interventions
that will help you
better live with the voices.
How does that sound?
- Yeah.
- Okay. [LAUGHS]
Uh, think I can grab
a few things for the road?
You're You're not gonna
reuse this, huh?
[LAUGHING] No, it's it's all yours.
Dr. Kinney will work with you
on discharge,
and I look forward to seeing
you tomorrow.
- Cool. Appreciate it.
- Thanks, Dr. Pierce.
I called in a couple favors myself.
Got you a stay
in a temporary housing facility.
And not just for one night.
We'll have to reapply weekly,
but you are all set up
for the first week.
This folder has everything you need.
Intake forms, letter of referral
from the hospital,
and the name of your contact there.
The only downside is that it's
all the way out in Queens,
so you'll need money to get there.
- Here.
- What?
- Take this.
- No.
No, no, that's that's too much.
I'm not
I'm not taking your credit card.
Yes, you can,
because I know you'll be
back here tomorrow.
You trusted me enough to stay.
I trust you, too.
♪♪
Thank you.
Thanks. Thank you.
This is where we came that summer.
Some things never change,
even in 30 years.
Especially in New York.
Well, I think we Brits have you beat
on getting mired in history.
Indeed, I've made a whole career
out of it.
Yes.
You are a world-wide
guest-lecturing historian.
You've married a lovely man
and have two beautiful children.
Ah, I see now.
This was "trying to change
my mind" ice cream.
No.
It's true, Tom.
You're not who you were back then.
Neither am I.
You've become a smart
and handsome doctor.
Just as I always knew you would.
You don't know me, Tom.
Not who I am now.
You remember I told you about
how my father died?
- Yes.
- Well, it turns out he didn't.
With his bipolar disorder,
he and my mom
thought it was best
that he not be in my life,
so they devised the lie that he died.
- My God.
- He disappeared for 30 years.
And then he turned up out of nowhere.
Just as I was ready to reconnect,
he left a note and disappeared again.
Are you alright?
I'm not telling you this
for sympathy, Tom.
I'm telling you this
because those simpler times,
they don't exist.
They can't exist again for any of us.
We don't get to go back into the past.
Life changes us.
And that is not a bad thing,
but it is life.
The only option we have
is to move forward.
♪♪
So move forward.
♪♪
Did you take some of my pills?
What?
I haven't needed these in a while,
but I was in my head
about Katie and kickball,
and, uh,
I know how many
I'm supposed to have left.
- What is going on?
- What?
What do you want me to say?
Yes. I took a couple of your pills.
I just needed them until I could
Until Until what?
After all the crap that you gave me
about needing meds
and reporting Dr. Pierce,
and now you're, what,
just casually popping benzos?
Do you have any idea
how dangerous that is?
I am not casually doing anything.
I mean, do you think
this is fun for me?
Do you think I want to be like this?
I have no idea what you're doing,
because apparently you've
been lying to me for months.
Okay, fine. You want the truth?
The truth is that I am a mess.
I, uh, went to that wellness retreat
in Mexico to feel better, and, uh,
[LAUGHING] I couldn't even
manage to do that right.
And so, I ended up with
200mg of benzos in my suitcase.
- Oh, Ericka.
- Yeah,
I-I, um, I let Celia die.
I, uh, I got out first,
and I watched her die.
And that that was supposed
to be me.
And I'm I'm supposed to be
moving on,
and I'm supposed to be good,
and I'm supposed to be smart,
and I'm supposed to be a good doctor,
and I am supposed to keep it together,
and I am supposed to figure it out,
- and I just I [SOBS]
- No, no, no. No!
Okay. Okay.
Okay.
Shh!
I don't know what's wrong with me.
Okay. Okay. Come here.
♪♪
♪♪
Tom?
♪♪
You made it through the surgery.
Dr. Nicholas is very pleased
with the result.
I, uh, I don't think we've met.
Oliver Wolf,
there's no way
I could ever forget you.
We We've talked about this,
but we can't
Oliver,
I don't hear the song anymore.
Well, I should hope not.
That was the point of the surgery.
I'm so grateful
you got me through this.
Because I love my life.
I love my family. I love Rashid.
But old friends are nice, too.
Maybe that's why this happened.
And I might have made that fit
surgeon a bit jealous, hmm?
Dr. Nichols?
Oh, don't pretend to be surprised.
You're very bad at it.
And I know I'm right.
Well, if I'm being honest,
I wouldn't mind it if you were.
[CHUCKLES]
Whatever's happened in your life.
I always knew you would go on
to do the most extraordinary things.
And here you are.
♪♪
We all have voices in our head.
Voices of the people who shaped us.
Did Sam show back up
for his appointment?
Mnh-mnh.
There's always tomorrow.
It's never too late to seek help.
Yep. [CHUCKLES]
There's always tomorrow.
Mm-hmm.
I got a picture of you beside me ♪
Voices that tell us
we're not good enough,
no matter how hard we try.
Oh, yeah ♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Wolf, hey.
Uh, I just wanted to say thank you
for what you did for Tom.
I've been told that's how it works.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
I know Tom means something to you.
- I was glad I could help.
- Uh
well, he meant something
to me a long time ago,
but I've been thinking about
what I want for the future.
And I've been thinking about how
it felt when we were together.
And I would like to try again.
- I Wolf
- I mean,
if it's the chief thing, I get it.
But I think we can work around that,
- and it's worth.
- It's not that.
It's, um
I'm seeing someone, Oliver.
Who?
- Oh.
- I was with him before us.
We recently reconnected,
and I've been meaning to tell you.
But I didn't know how,
and it just happened.
Um, it's, um easy. You know?
Easy? Right. Um
I don't know
because I'm me.
But that sounds good.
- I'm sorry to
- No, no, no.
It's okay.
You should be happy, Josh.
I want you back ♪
You see, I want you back for good ♪
And then there are
the voices that tell us
we don't deserve to be loved.
I guess it's time that
you came back I for good ♪
I can understand how you feel.
You understand how I feel?
How long was it we had, honey?
- I didn't count the days.
- Well, I did every one of them.
Mostly I remember the last one.
The wow finish.
I was adopted.
I don't know that much
about my birth mother.
But I know that she had schizophrenia.
She couldn't
No one could help her.
She just got lost.
♪♪
Some of us don't get to be easy.
I know that can feel
like it'll always be a curse.
But I promise sometimes it's a gift.
♪♪
♪♪
Greg, move your head.
sync & corrections awaqeded
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
For millennia, humans have wondered,
where does our sense of self
reside in the body?
Ancient Egyptians believed
the answer was in our hearts.
But the Greeks
was not to be ♪
If you all wouldn't mind, um,
silencing your phones.
[MUSIC STOPS]
The Greeks believed
our self and identity
was formed in the brain.
However, in modern times,
the question remains unanswered.
Got a picture of ♪
I'm sorry, but whoever's
phone keeps going off,
be a champ and step out, would you?
We don't hear anything.
[SCOFFS]
What is this, some kind of a prank?
No one hears that?
What is he talking about?
Seriously, what is that?
Where's it coming from?
Want you back, want you back ♪
I want you back for good ♪
♪♪
♪♪
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
♪♪
Does the chief know you're
pocketing hospital supplies?
Uh, well, I certainly hope not,
'cause that guy is a real pain.
Listen, Wolf, I, um
I wanted to say thank you
for all the care you've taken
with Jorge and his recovery.
Well, that is how it works, Nichols.
You save them on the table
even when they fall 39 floors
to what should have been
certain death,
and I make sure
that they are set up for
recovery when they wake up.
I know you go above and beyond.
That is a frustrating thing
that you do.
But it means a lot to me
with this patient.
Does that mean
you trust my judgment now
and you'll give me free rein
of the neuro budget?
Maybe if I wasn't such a pain.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
What was that?
The flirting, the looks, the yearning.
You and the chief.
Interim chief.
And there's nothing to tell.
Wolf, how long
have we been working together?
Uh, not that long.
You know I'm never gonna let this go.
- It was a fleeting dalliance.
- A situationship?
Never DTR'ed?
We're totally different people.
We didn't even get along at first.
Workplace enemies to lovers. Classic.
Well, things were actually
going well at first
until life got complicated.
I stood him up at his awards dinner.
You left that man on his big night,
standing alone in a tux in the rain?
I don't think it was raining.
You don't make it easy on a guy, Wolf.
But now I need my dads together.
- No, no, no. He's chief.
- Interim chief.
And that didn't stop your mother.
Mm. It's "Gay's Anatomy" up in here,
and I am fully invested.
[LAUGHS]
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
Sam, how have you been?
It feels like I'm caught in this loop.
Every day is
Every day is the same. I wake up.
The clock starts again.
I've got 12 hours to figure out
where I'm gonna sleep next.
Shelters
fill up quick.
I wander around the city,
pop in for a movie at the dollar
theater when the weather's bad.
I like the old ones
where they talk a lot.
It helps drown out the noise.
Well, when I need cash, I, uh
I hustle chess at the park.
You know, it's not much,
but it gets me by.
And, then, um, I do it all over again.
Being unhoused can lock the brain
into a trauma response state.
It makes us feel trapped
in a survival-mode cycle.
It's my fault.
People don't trust me.
They They assume I'm an addict.
I make them uncomfortable.
[INDISTINCT, MENACING VOICES]
You are a worthless!
Expendable.
You shouldn't be here.
I said get out!
[SNIFFLES]
Can you tell us more about the voices?
It's like demons
in my head.
What about medication?
Uh, I think the E.D.
gave you Risperidone.
Mnh-mnh, mnh-mnh.
I don't like what they give me.
It turns me into something else.
A-A zombie.
I don't feel like me anymore.
Well, that's not uncommon.
It takes time
to find the medication and the dosage
that works best for you.
And that's my job.
The emergency department's
job is to stabilize you
and to provide a hot and
cot for our psych patients.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
It's good enough for me.
Well, it's not good enough for us.
We can do better.
Sam has had 25 hospitalizations
since his first psychotic break
four years ago,
after he moved here to attend NYU.
And exactly zero of those times
did he get a true workup
to see if any of his symptoms
were organic.
I thought he was diagnosed
with schizophrenia.
Yes, by some doctors.
Schizoaffective by others,
even bipolar.
Everybody always writes Sam off
because of his situation.
I actually didn't see
any presentation of mania
or any other signs of an episode.
Schizophrenia is the
more probable diagnosis.
A psych diagnosis, Dr. Kinney,
which after all these years
and how he's presented,
does seem
the most likely scenario here.
Which doesn't mean
that we can't figure out a treatment
to help him better navigate his life.
But there's probably no miracle
cure that's gonna "fix him."
I know that.
But Sam told us
he was ready to get help,
and he showed back up
for his first appointment.
I just think he deserves good,
genuine, unbiased care,
because his is not the type of case
that people take an interest in.
So, then why the interest
from you, Dr. Kinney?
Because you taught us
that every patient matters.
And because you're the best
teacher I've ever had, Dr. Wolf.
- And also you, Dr. Pierce.
- Mm-hmm.
Well, I cannot argue
with my own advice.
Go ahead and admit Sam.
I agree.
[INDISTINCT P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS]
I know she takes after me,
but I'm not that
relentlessly persistent, am I?
Mm.
I think, um
it's time for the next step,
as in our relationship.
I was thinking that maybe
you could meet my friends.
- Okay.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Alright.
Well, a group
of first responders and I
started a kickball league.
It's super casual.
We go to Flanagan's afterwards.
And there's a game tomorrow
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
Uh
count me in.
I've always been a sandlot girly.
That's baseball.
- Right.
- Yeah. [CHUCKLES]
Your next consult's
waiting inside, Dr. Wolf.
- Chart's on the desk.
- Thank you.
Hey there. I'm Dr. Wolf.
How are you doing today?
Already better now that you're here.
Thank you for seeing me
on such short notice.
Well, why don't you tell me
what's going on?
Um, well, I'm
I'm experiencing, uh
I don't even know what to call it.
A song.
A song?
I keep hearing it sporadically,
one particular song.
It's like a radio
turning on and off in my head.
It's incredibly distracting.
I'm in the city for work,
and it's completely derailed my trip.
What do you do?
I'm somewhat of a historian.
I specialize in the fringe
facets of medicine.
Oh. Did you know that mercury
was the primary treatment of syphilis
for hundreds of years
Before the discovery
of penicillin in the 1940s.
[LAUGHS]
Uh, you haven't changed a bit.
I'm sorry?
You really don't recognize me, Oliver?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
♪♪
Tom?
H-How are you here?
I happened to be in New York
and in need of a neurologist.
And your name
Your name kept coming up.
I wasn't sure if you'd remember me.
Well, of of course.
I-I remember you.
behind now ♪
Is it happening right now?
Whatever I did, I didn't mean it ♪
I need your help, Oliver.
back for good ♪
And again, tell me where
the sound is the loudest.
[TUNING FORK RINGS]
The first position
[TUNING FORK RINGS]
Or the second position?
The first one.
Okay.
I'm so glad you could see me, Oliver.
I feel like I'm losing my mind.
Uh, and you were right to come in.
I would like to admit you,
just to run some tests.
Uh, it's comforting to see
that some things never change.
You're still collecting rocks.
Oh. Not a rock, a mineral.
Lepidolite, to be specific.
It's actually one of the few
naturally occurring resources
of lithium. So
Okay. Um, if you could tell me
a little bit about the song.
When you hear it,
are there other symptoms
flashing lights
or muscle weakness, pain?
It's not exactly painful,
but there's like a pressure
that builds in my head.
I try to relieve it sometimes
by holding my nose
and blowing to pop my ears.
It It seems to dampen
the effect a bit.
Can I ask what song is playing?
Maybe there's some significance.
Well, that's what's so funny.
Oliver knows it.
It's that song
from our summer together.
But what could it possibly mean?
[SIGHS]
It means that he never forgot you
and that he's back
to rekindle the flame, honey.
It was 30 years ago.
"Oh! I still can't believe
that Tom is here."
Okay. I honestly thought
that you made him up,
like a Canadian boyfriend
no one ever meets.
He wasn't a boyfriend at all,
Canadian or otherwise.
It was one summer.
We shared one kiss.
- One magical summer
- [LAUGHS]
and one clearly memorable kiss.
And I love the idea
of you dating again.
I mean, I sometimes worry
that you don't think that you're
relationship material,
- but you are.
- "Relationship material"?
Carol, please don't mock me.
I'm not. I'm being serious.
I mean, I thought you and Josh
were kind of circling something
again, but
Why do you say that?
Did he say something?
Is there something you want to say?
Well, don't you think
that my relationship with Josh
proves that I'm not
relationship material?
I messed everything up.
So unmess it up, then.
- I don't know how to do that.
- [SCOFFS]
But I do know neurology,
so perhaps we could focus on that
instead of my love life.
[GROANS] If we must.
- [SIGHS]
- Tom's case is exceedingly unique.
Although music is obviously such
a powerful force in our psyche,
in his case, it's hard to know
whether it's organic
or purely psychological.
Maybe seeing you again
is triggering him to hear your song.
This isn't
a bad romantic comedy, Carol.
He heard the song before he came in.
The song is incidental.
I'm worried it might be
symptomatic of a tumor
or AVM maybe.
Auditory hallucinations can accompany
all sorts of psych diagnoses.
Um, do you have any ideas
about his mental-health history?
I haven't seen him in decades.
I don't know who he is at all.
Well, maybe this is an
opportunity to get to know him.
I'm gonna get to know his brain,
starting with labs, a CT, and an EEG
to get a sense
of what's going on in there
when that song is playing.
Well, maybe the machine
will spit out a picture
of the two of you.
[LAUGHING]
We're supposed to tell our patients
that they're gonna feel
a slight pinch,
but it's more like a jellyfish sting.
We're gonna need you
to stay completely still.
I-I can handle a little pain.
Okay. We've numbed the area
with local anesthetic,
so you're gonna feel
some slight pressure.
You're a waste of space!
You are weak.
You're expendable.
- poison me!
- This is how they get you.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
They're after your mind!
They'll make things worse!
- This is how you die!
- [SCREAMS]
Sam, you got to remain still.
I think I hit a nerve.
We can't continue with him
in this state.
For patients with schizophrenia,
sedatives can help.
No! He doesn't want the drugs.
So, then, this procedure is over.
It's okay. It's okay, Sam. It's okay.
I It's okay. You're okay.
- Here. We got you.
- You're okay, you're okay.
I finally got approval
to do a workup on Sam,
but it's basically impossible
to stick a needle in his spine
without the voices
in his head yelling.
Mm. LP fail.
We've all been there, right?
- Spinal tap queen.
- I haven't.
How about I work on Sam
and you go play kickball
with Katie and her friends?
Come on. Sports plus strangers
equals peak Dana Dang social anxiety.
Unless
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
You'd like to come with.
No. [CHUCKLES] No, no.
I'm sorry. It's a ticking clock.
I don't know how much longer
will be able to keep Sam
in the hospital.
Yeah, but what about the voices
in my head
the one saying "They're all
gonna laugh at you"?
Oh, my God. Dana, that's it.
I told Sam
to ignore the hallucinations,
but how can I expect him to do that
if I don't know what he's hearing?
If I want to get Sam to trust me,
I have to find out
what they're saying.
[LAUGHS]
♪♪
So glad my deeply rooted
insecurities helped someone.
I'll go with him.
I mean, fair warning, though,
I get a little competitive.
Really? You'd play kickball for me?
Yeah. Used to be my game
back in middle school.
Those bitches won't know what hit him.
Okay. Maybe don't call him bitches.
Mmm.
Slow your roll, Bobby Fischer.
Work our way to the knight.
If the board was a battlefield,
pawns were
[INDISTINCT, MENACING VOICES]
[SIGHS]
Sorry.
Pawns are, uh,
the least powerful pieces.
Sam, what did you hear just now?
Sometimes it's like, uh, it feels like
10 different radio stations on
at the same time.
Chess helps me, uh, shut them up.
Can I ask what the voices are saying?
It's not really easy to tell.
Unless it's Lawrence.
He's the loudmouth.
Right now he's saying I'm the pawn
I'm weak
expendable,
waste of space.
He said there was no point
in doing the test,
because if I died,
nobody would miss me.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
I-I know it's not real.
But, uh
You hear the same voice long enough,
you start to believe it.
♪♪
Lawrence
hi.
Listen carefully.
You're wrong.
Sam isn't weak at all.
He is brave.
He is brave to be here right now.
He is brave to get help.
And if anything
were to happen to him
I would miss him.
♪♪
♪♪
Maybe, uh,
we could try the test again.
You got it.
And I might have a way
to get you through it this time.
You know what song
lives rent-free in my head?
- "Golden" from "KPop Demon"
- "KPop Demon Hunters."
Oh, I'm obsessed.
[GASPS] I like him!
Tom, uh,
why don't you get comfortable,
and the moment you hear the song,
- let us know.
- Well, it may take a while.
I'm not sure
what triggers the episodes.
Darn. How will we pass the time?
Ooh, I know. Dishing about Dr. Wolf.
Tell me, Tom,
what was he like in his youth?
- [SCOFFS]
- Sorry.
Um, smart, a bit intense.
Handsome, but didn't know it.
Woefully ignorant of popular culture.
When I finally did get him to open up,
it felt like I'd solved
the Riemann hypothesis.
Weird.
He's totally an open book now.
[INDISTINCT P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS]
[GROANS] What's happening?
[MONITORS BEEPING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
The song is actually a seizure.
And it's frying his brain.
Dr. Wolf, he's lucky
he hasn't dropped dead.
I'm having seizures?
Well, shouldn't I be aware of that?
Uh, not all seizures are the same.
In your case, the ictal event
manifests as this song in your head.
Each time you hear the song,
it represents another seizure.
We call it musical hallucinations.
Most musical hallucinations
stem from psychiatric issues.
It's actually quite rare for
seizures to present this way.
If I've been having
uncontrolled seizures for days,
I'm at risk of brain damage,
at the very least.
It's true the frequency
of your seizures is extreme,
but you did get here in time,
and we'll continue
to monitor you closely.
And we'll start you
on an anticonvulsant right away,
if that's the course
of treatment you agree to.
We can try you on various medications
until we find the right one
to help suppress the seizures.
We're gonna get this
under control, Tom.
Thank you.
I knew I needed you.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
[INDISTINCT P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS]
On your way to Dr. Nichols' office?
Yes
for a patient consult.
Oh, consulting
about the cute Brit in 311
who I hear is also your ex?
I didn't know,
you got around like that, Wolf.
But clearly this is an opportunity.
Um I don't follow.
Hey, if I wanted to make
my ex jealous,
I might let them know that my other ex
had specifically come to me
about his seizures,
especially if they're hot
British seizures.
But that's just me.
Yes, that is just you,
because I would never.
Okay.
- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- You have time for a consult?
What's up?
Patient with musical hallucinations
presenting as seizures.
EEG reveals
left temporal lobe epilepsy.
Musical epilepsy?
Oh, interesting.
Temporal lobe localized events
have been known
to activate musical memory
traces in the cortex.
- How often are the seizures?
- Frequent.
Are they responding to medication?
I started him on levetiracetam,
but I thought maybe
you'd want to meet him,
because this could be
a once-in-a-lifetime case.
Yeah, sure.
I should let you know,
because I don't want it to be awkward
that the patient is my ex.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
Right this way, sir.
What is going on?
Welcome to the LP Theater!
[CHUCKLES] You did this just for me?
Studies have shown that
a relaxing activity like a movie
can help decrease the intensity
of the voices you're hearing.
An old classic.
Lots of talking.
And after the procedure,
we'll open up the snack bar.
Popcorn, chocolate, gummy bears.
- You got any sour punch straws?
- Mm
all you can eat.
Shall we head to your front-row seat?
["KNOCK ON WOOD" PLAYS]
♪♪
Say, who's got trouble? ♪
We've got trouble ♪
How much trouble? ♪
Too much trouble ♪
Well, now, don't you frown ♪
Just knuckle down
and knock on wood ♪
[BANGING]
[INDISTINCT P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS]
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
[TELEPHONE RINGING]
Oh, Tom.
Uh, this is
Dr. Nichols, our head of neurosurgery.
And Chief Medical Officer.
And that.
Pleasure.
Uh, sorry for the state
of undress when you walked in.
I just had to freshen up
after all those tests.
Though I suppose it's nothing
Oliver hasn't seen before.
Right. Wolf, uh, mentioned
you two used to date.
It was just, uh, one kiss ages ago.
- One One kiss.
- One One kiss ages ago.
But it left quite the impression.
[TAKE THAT'S "BACK FOR GOOD" PLAYS]
[GROANING]
of you beside me ♪
[THUDS]
We have a code blue in 311!
Alright. It's alright.
I got you.
He's having progressive
temporal lobe seizures.
Draw 1 milligram of Ativan, stat. Tom?
Tom, Tom!
Hey, I need you to listen to me.
Stop! You're gonna hurt yourself.
Wolf, his ear.
That was a life-threatening
tonic clonic seizure.
Normally, I would keep trying meds.
But this ictal event
was clearly an escalation.
Surgery has to be on the table.
I know this is presenting primarily
as a musical hallucination, but
The next time he hears that song,
it might be the last thing
he ever hears.
Unfortunately, your brain
is not responding
to any of the medications we've tried,
and it appears your seizures
are getting worse.
We think you have
drug-resistant epilepsy,
meaning the normal course
of medication won't work.
One of the avenues
we'd like to explore
is a resection of the temporal lobe
that's causing the seizures to occur.
- Brain surgery?
- With seizures that intense,
the risk of permanent brain injury
or worse is high.
Yeah, we're not rushing
straight to surgery.
We will perform something
called a Wada test.
Where you shut down
each side of the brain
to figure out
where language and memory
are primarily stored?
We know the source of your seizures
is the left temporal lobe.
We need to see
how tied to these functions
that area is in your particular brain.
- Dad, Dad, Dad!
- Guys!
- Oh!
- I am so sorry.
We got here as fast as we could.
- I can't believe this!
- I know.
This must be his good friend.
Where are my manners?
I'm Rashid, Tom's husband.
[SNORTS]
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
[SLURPING LOUDLY]
Dang! Get over here! Come loosen up!
Don't you pulling a hammie.
I'm loose.
Loosey [LUCY] freaking Liu!
- Hey, I'm so glad you're here.
- [SMOOCHES]
- Sure.
- Okay. Come on.
Alright, everybody!
Bring it in to pick teams.
Everybody, come on!
Andy and I are captains.
Alright. For my first choice,
I am going with a sure bet.
They are quick, funny,
brilliant with a pen light
and on a six-game hot streak
Lex!
[ALL CHEERING] Lex!
[ALL CHANTING "LEX!"]
To be clear
my hot streak
isn't just confined to kickball.
[LAUGHTER]
Alright, you're up.
It's all negative.
The imaging, the LP.
Dr. Wolf confirmed
there is nothing here.
Just false hope.
I disagree.
You got Sam a true diagnosis.
Yeah. And for what?
Now I'm just gonna send him
out in the world
so he can keep reliving that same day,
to keep reliving that same trauma?
How is that helping him?
It may not be the outcome you wanted,
but people live
with schizophrenia every day.
You got Sam to trust you.
He's willing to do the work.
Now you have to trust him
to manage his own life and treatment.
I just wish it didn't
have to be so hard for him.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
You can't wave a wand
and make someone's life
magically different.
You can't erase the past.
Healing takes time
and work
and acknowledging reality.
And sometimes
that's as difficult for doctors
as it is for their patients.
♪♪
Hey, Van, do you think I could
get your help with a patient?
Actually, I need Michelle's help.
Call me back.
Hey, good job.
You good?
I can't believe she didn't
even pick me for her team.
Don't worry about it.
Oh
Hey, y-you think Katie dated her?
I think she dated them.
Who Lex?
No, like all of them,
like the entire infield.
[CHUCKLES]
Oh!
[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
Alright. Bring it in shallow.
You got it, coach.
Come on, Dana! You got this!
Show them who's boss! Let's go!
[APPLAUSE]
One by one, I'm coming for 'em ♪
Keep your eyes down
unless you wanna join the list ♪
I'm the heat wave rising up around ♪
Gonna wish
that you never met my fist ♪
Yeah, here we go again,
whipping up an evil plan ♪
Wiping my dirty hands, playing ♪
Look at this beautiful mess! ♪
It's coming down like a hammer ♪
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ♪
It's coming down like a hammer ♪
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ♪
It's coming down like a hammer ♪
And when you swing, I don't miss ♪
Whoo! Yes!
Alright. No, no, no. Don't get up.
- Head support, please.
- [LAUGHING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
So sorry.
Oh, uh, you okay?
The Wada test found that in your case,
language and memory come from both
temporal lobes in your brain.
The risk would be lower if they
came from the opposite side
of the temporal lobe causing seizures.
And much greater
if they're primarily stored
on the same side.
I understand.
So, it's somewhere in the middle?
So, what do we do?
In this particular case,
given how aggressive
your episodes are,
I believe the risk of surgery
is worth it.
A temporal lobotomy will likely cure
or markedly diminish your seizures.
But there are risks
stroke, paralysis, infections,
and, in extreme cases,
difficulties with language,
possible loss of old memories,
and the inability to form new ones.
So, I-I could wake up with amnesia.
I-I could forget my family,
my friends, my past.
I have done this procedure
hundreds of times,
and I'm not boasting when I say
that you will be
in the very best hands.
Ever since this started,
it has warped my brain.
To maybe lose my memory,
to forget the people that I love,
to forget
I just I just don't know.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
I heard you've opted
to reject the surgery.
May I ask why?
Because I don't want to stop
hearing the song.
Tom, the song isn't important.
These seizures are serious
life-threatening.
Maybe they're happening for a reason.
Since I started hearing it,
I've been transported back
to our time together.
More than just the memory.
The feeling.
As intense
as it was all those years ago.
Do you remember, Oliver?
I do. Of course I do.
It's like going back to a simpler time
when everything was
just possibility.
♪♪
Will you go somewhere with me?
Hey. Good news.
Michelle found a place
that'll hold a bed for Sam.
It'll cost him
to get the bus out there,
but I gave her your number,
and she's going to call you
with the details.
Oh, amazing!
Really going all out for this patient,
Yeah, well, I mean, you know how I am.
Thank you so much for this, Van.
Um, could I ask just a favor
in return?
Yeah.
Um, it's a little awkward,
and it might not even come up,
but if it does, uh,
could you just tell Michelle
that there's nothing
between us anymore?
Yeah. Of course. I mean, it's true.
Are you guys back together?
Uh, we haven't had, like,
the official conversation yet,
but, uh, yeah, we are.
That sounds really nice.
You deserve it.
Things are working out for both of us.
I mean, look at you being
all super-doctor.
You're gonna end up out-Wolfing Wolf.
Except, like, the actual
functional human version.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Sports just aren't my thing.
Well, neither is making an effort
to get along with my friends,
apparently.
It was a lot, okay?
All the butt slaps and the side eyes.
And what is with all of the chanting?
Organized sports are literally a cult.
Okay. It can be a lot.
I guess I could have given
you a heads up.
I'm sorry.
My friends are a little bit
easier to get along with is all.
Easy? Or judgmental?
The way that Ericka reacted
when you told her
it was you who reported Dr. Pierce
I was the one that lied to her.
And since when do you not like Ericka?
It's not that I don't like her.
No one's that perfect.
There's something off about her.
♪♪
Sam, we've reviewed your paperwork,
and there is no evidence
of any structural abnormality.
You are physically perfectly healthy.
What you're struggling with
is psychiatric.
Yeah.
I honestly can't say I'm surprised.
Thanks for trying, though.
I guess this means I gotta go.
We do have to discharge you.
But that's not the end of your care.
Beginning tomorrow,
I'd like to see you
three times a week,
with the goal
if you're comfortable
of starting you
on a low-dose neuroleptic.
- That's
- Not all meds are the same.
And with therapy,
we can find non-medical interventions
that will help you
better live with the voices.
How does that sound?
- Yeah.
- Okay. [LAUGHS]
Uh, think I can grab
a few things for the road?
You're You're not gonna
reuse this, huh?
[LAUGHING] No, it's it's all yours.
Dr. Kinney will work with you
on discharge,
and I look forward to seeing
you tomorrow.
- Cool. Appreciate it.
- Thanks, Dr. Pierce.
I called in a couple favors myself.
Got you a stay
in a temporary housing facility.
And not just for one night.
We'll have to reapply weekly,
but you are all set up
for the first week.
This folder has everything you need.
Intake forms, letter of referral
from the hospital,
and the name of your contact there.
The only downside is that it's
all the way out in Queens,
so you'll need money to get there.
- Here.
- What?
- Take this.
- No.
No, no, that's that's too much.
I'm not
I'm not taking your credit card.
Yes, you can,
because I know you'll be
back here tomorrow.
You trusted me enough to stay.
I trust you, too.
♪♪
Thank you.
Thanks. Thank you.
This is where we came that summer.
Some things never change,
even in 30 years.
Especially in New York.
Well, I think we Brits have you beat
on getting mired in history.
Indeed, I've made a whole career
out of it.
Yes.
You are a world-wide
guest-lecturing historian.
You've married a lovely man
and have two beautiful children.
Ah, I see now.
This was "trying to change
my mind" ice cream.
No.
It's true, Tom.
You're not who you were back then.
Neither am I.
You've become a smart
and handsome doctor.
Just as I always knew you would.
You don't know me, Tom.
Not who I am now.
You remember I told you about
how my father died?
- Yes.
- Well, it turns out he didn't.
With his bipolar disorder,
he and my mom
thought it was best
that he not be in my life,
so they devised the lie that he died.
- My God.
- He disappeared for 30 years.
And then he turned up out of nowhere.
Just as I was ready to reconnect,
he left a note and disappeared again.
Are you alright?
I'm not telling you this
for sympathy, Tom.
I'm telling you this
because those simpler times,
they don't exist.
They can't exist again for any of us.
We don't get to go back into the past.
Life changes us.
And that is not a bad thing,
but it is life.
The only option we have
is to move forward.
♪♪
So move forward.
♪♪
Did you take some of my pills?
What?
I haven't needed these in a while,
but I was in my head
about Katie and kickball,
and, uh,
I know how many
I'm supposed to have left.
- What is going on?
- What?
What do you want me to say?
Yes. I took a couple of your pills.
I just needed them until I could
Until Until what?
After all the crap that you gave me
about needing meds
and reporting Dr. Pierce,
and now you're, what,
just casually popping benzos?
Do you have any idea
how dangerous that is?
I am not casually doing anything.
I mean, do you think
this is fun for me?
Do you think I want to be like this?
I have no idea what you're doing,
because apparently you've
been lying to me for months.
Okay, fine. You want the truth?
The truth is that I am a mess.
I, uh, went to that wellness retreat
in Mexico to feel better, and, uh,
[LAUGHING] I couldn't even
manage to do that right.
And so, I ended up with
200mg of benzos in my suitcase.
- Oh, Ericka.
- Yeah,
I-I, um, I let Celia die.
I, uh, I got out first,
and I watched her die.
And that that was supposed
to be me.
And I'm I'm supposed to be
moving on,
and I'm supposed to be good,
and I'm supposed to be smart,
and I'm supposed to be a good doctor,
and I am supposed to keep it together,
and I am supposed to figure it out,
- and I just I [SOBS]
- No, no, no. No!
Okay. Okay.
Okay.
Shh!
I don't know what's wrong with me.
Okay. Okay. Come here.
♪♪
♪♪
Tom?
♪♪
You made it through the surgery.
Dr. Nicholas is very pleased
with the result.
I, uh, I don't think we've met.
Oliver Wolf,
there's no way
I could ever forget you.
We We've talked about this,
but we can't
Oliver,
I don't hear the song anymore.
Well, I should hope not.
That was the point of the surgery.
I'm so grateful
you got me through this.
Because I love my life.
I love my family. I love Rashid.
But old friends are nice, too.
Maybe that's why this happened.
And I might have made that fit
surgeon a bit jealous, hmm?
Dr. Nichols?
Oh, don't pretend to be surprised.
You're very bad at it.
And I know I'm right.
Well, if I'm being honest,
I wouldn't mind it if you were.
[CHUCKLES]
Whatever's happened in your life.
I always knew you would go on
to do the most extraordinary things.
And here you are.
♪♪
We all have voices in our head.
Voices of the people who shaped us.
Did Sam show back up
for his appointment?
Mnh-mnh.
There's always tomorrow.
It's never too late to seek help.
Yep. [CHUCKLES]
There's always tomorrow.
Mm-hmm.
I got a picture of you beside me ♪
Voices that tell us
we're not good enough,
no matter how hard we try.
Oh, yeah ♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Wolf, hey.
Uh, I just wanted to say thank you
for what you did for Tom.
I've been told that's how it works.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
I know Tom means something to you.
- I was glad I could help.
- Uh
well, he meant something
to me a long time ago,
but I've been thinking about
what I want for the future.
And I've been thinking about how
it felt when we were together.
And I would like to try again.
- I Wolf
- I mean,
if it's the chief thing, I get it.
But I think we can work around that,
- and it's worth.
- It's not that.
It's, um
I'm seeing someone, Oliver.
Who?
- Oh.
- I was with him before us.
We recently reconnected,
and I've been meaning to tell you.
But I didn't know how,
and it just happened.
Um, it's, um easy. You know?
Easy? Right. Um
I don't know
because I'm me.
But that sounds good.
- I'm sorry to
- No, no, no.
It's okay.
You should be happy, Josh.
I want you back ♪
You see, I want you back for good ♪
And then there are
the voices that tell us
we don't deserve to be loved.
I guess it's time that
you came back I for good ♪
I can understand how you feel.
You understand how I feel?
How long was it we had, honey?
- I didn't count the days.
- Well, I did every one of them.
Mostly I remember the last one.
The wow finish.
I was adopted.
I don't know that much
about my birth mother.
But I know that she had schizophrenia.
She couldn't
No one could help her.
She just got lost.
♪♪
Some of us don't get to be easy.
I know that can feel
like it'll always be a curse.
But I promise sometimes it's a gift.
♪♪
♪♪
Greg, move your head.
sync & corrections awaqeded
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪