This week’s Brilliant Minds served up a potent cocktail of adolescent angst, magical thinking, and phantom pregnancies. “The Girl Who Cried Pregnant” found Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto) and his team thrust into the hormone-soaked halls of high school, a setting that clearly brings back some unpleasant memories for our socially awkward protagonist. A cluster of teenage girls, convinced they’re pregnant despite negative tests, leads Wolf to diagnose a case of mass psychogenic illness, complicated by one girl’s full-blown pseudocyesis.
The episode effectively captures the intensity of teenage friendships, particularly the desperate need to belong, which fuels the girls’ shared delusion. Their coven-like rituals, complete with tarot cards and spells, initially provide comic relief, but the underlying anxieties about identity and the future resonate. The writers cleverly weave in a subplot about Dana’s (Aury Krebs) own high school trauma, which resurfaces amidst the library stacks.
While the premise is certainly unusual, the episode’s most successful moments are the smaller, character-driven ones. Van (Alex MacNicoll), typically uneasy with his mirror-touch synesthesia, discovers an unexpected aptitude for obstetrics during a surprise delivery, demonstrating a previously unseen ability to remain calm in a crisis. His connection with Ericka (Ashleigh LaThrop) continues to develop, hinting at a future romance. Even the perpetually aloof Oliver, usually surrounded by his books and plants, displays moments of genuine human interaction, stumbling through a potential date with the unexpectedly appealing Principal Owens.
The episode isn’t without its missteps, however. The pacing feels somewhat disjointed, with certain plot points, such as Dana’s panic attack, wrapped up a bit too quickly in the final moments. The focus on the central case occasionally overshadows opportunities for more substantial character development, especially for the supporting interns.
Despite these shortcomings, “The Girl Who Cried Pregnant” manages to be both bizarre and intriguing. It suggests that even in the current era of social media and constant connectivity, the pressures of adolescence persist. And sometimes, a touch of magical thinking is simply a way of processing the very real fears that accompany growing up.
