Warning: this article contains spoilers for Brilliant Minds season 1, episode 9.Brilliant Mindshas continued adapting Dr. Oliver Sacks' work in episode 9’s standout case,“The colorblind painter.“NBC’s newmedical dramadelves into the typical case-by-case episode structure with an exciting twist:the patients in the show are directly inspired by real medical cases,as recorded by neurologist Oliver Sacks. Zachary Quinto leads theBrilliant Mindscastas Oliver Wolf, the modern stand-in for Sacks and the character who carries on his legacy.
While still maintaining creative liberty,Brilliant Mindspays homage to the life and career of Oliver Sacksby turning each episode into a case study of its own, one that connects the characters through a universal experience or philosophy. Though the jury is still out regarding ifBrilliant Mindsseason 2is a possibility, there is more than enough source material to keep adapting Sacks’s work for the public eye. Despite how fresh the show feels, the case study episode 9 is based on dates back to 1986.
Brilliant Minds Episode 9 Is Based On The True Story Of Mr. I
The Case Study From The 1980s Lays The Episode’s Groundwork
LikeBrilliant Minds, Dr. Oliver Sacks came across the peculiar case ofa painter developing total color blindnessfollowing a car accident in 1986. As the painter (“Mr. Johnathan I”) described to Sacks in a letter,“My brown dog is dark grey. Tomato juice is black. Color TV is a hodge-podge”(viaOliversacks.com.) For someone whose career centered on color, all at once seeing the world in total black and white was devastating. But it ran deeper for Mr. I, a man with synesthesia where everything turned to color. He searched for answers to no avail before discovering Sacks and his colleagues.
“The Case of the Colorblind Painter” is one of the case studies included in Oliver Sacks’s book,An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales.
Sacks and his cohorts studied Mr. I as they attempted to make sense of his condition, navigating his deep depression with care before diagnosing him with acquired cerebral achromatopsia. While they couldn’t return his color sight, Sacks and his team focused on the patient’s unique strengths. Mr. I could see high-contrast images better than the average, non-colorblind person possibly could, so much so that he claimed to be able to read a license plate at night from four blocks away. With the help of green sunglasses,Mr. I adapted to his colorblindness and continued his painting careerusing grayscale.
How Accurate Is Brilliant Minds' Adaptation Of Mr. I’s Narrative
Brilliant Minds Retains The Heart While Making Necessary Changes
TheBrilliant Mindsequivalent to Mr. I is Gabriel Ferguson, whose story mirrors Mr. I’s aside from a major detail: the fictional painter’s wife died in the car accident. The real Mr. I was not bereaved while grappling with his colorblindness, and he even recounts using his green sunglasses to watch television with his wife. Additionally, Mr. I sought out the help of Oliver Sacks while Gabriel pushed Wolf away for the majority of the episode. The biggest addition in the modern iteration is Wolf’s use of psilocybin to elicit colorful hallucinatory memories within Gabriel.
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WhileBrilliant Mindsisn’t a perfect comparison, it retains the heart and soul of the original case study. The exploration of identity, the individuality of treating patients, and finding common ground makesBrilliant Mindsa compelling watch, but it isn’t afraid to construct narrative devices to better the viewer’s entertainment experience (even if that means sacrificing picture-perfect detail). Instead of trying to perfectly recreate the life of Oliver Sacks and sensationalize what he left for the world,Brilliant Mindsbalances its responsibility as a fictional show with the tribute it paysto a renowned neurologist.
Brilliant Mindscontinues Monday, December 2, 10 ET on NBC.
Sources: The Oliver Sacks Foundation,An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales
Brilliant Minds
Cast
Brilliant Minds is a 2024 series about an eccentric neurologist with face blindness, offering a unique perspective on patient care. The story follows him and his team of young interns as they tackle complex psychological cases, all while managing intricate personal and professional relationships.
