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“Defective” is episode six of season two of Perception, and the episode opens with Lewicki chopping a watermelon in two with a machete in Daniel’s class. Daniel calls it a hemispherectomy to remove the diseased side of the brain. Tossing half of the melon in the bin. Yet the stuff that was controlled by the removed left hemisphere will eventually be controlled by the right. So hemispherectomies not only save lives, they show that to be fully human only requires half a brain. A definite straight line, which he then uses. So, do people have more brainpower than they think or vast amounts of unrealised potential?
Dean Haley meets with Daniel after class. The event tonight will have donors with deep pockets and faculty endowments don’t fund themselves. Daniel replies that it’s a fundraiser for Parkinson’s research, not Haley’s personal slush fund. The dean’s philosophy is that if someone is willing to write one cheque, they may write another. Haley tells a couple they pass to get a room; it turns out that one of them is Lewicki. He introduces the woman, Eva; he wants Daniel to talk to her about extension school. Daniel says they are heading to hear one of the greatest violinists in the world.
Only the violinist doesn’t sound that great. His hands start shaking, then he collapses. Daniel rushes over, removes something from the violinist’s pockets and uses it. Paramedics arrive; Daniel recognises the side effects of deep brain stimulation, implants in the brain designed to relieve Parkinson’s. Daniel knew that the man had them because of an article he read. The man is being taken to the hospital; he wants to know his violin is okay and asks Daniel to come as well.
Dr Vetter doesn’t know why what happened did, but if Daniel hadn’t been there, it would have been worse. A Tess Williams from Oscidyne, the company who makes the DBS, is there. According to the doctor, eight patients using the same model have reported malfunctions. Daniel asks if it’s flawed; Tess says their techs haven’t found any problems. Daniel is not surprised. Dr Vetter wants to remove all the implants and have the company cover the costs. Tess does not agree, and it seems Vetter’s wife is one of the patients with an implant.
Daniel shows Kate an ad for the DBS 5.0. He wants her to investigate. She suggests the FDA instead. Who would have already approved it. Plus, Donnie enters and dumps a load of files on her. Then, later, Donnie turns up at Daniel’s. He thinks they might have a case. Oscidyne is heavily leveraged and if the DBS 5.0 is faulty, it will probably take the company down. Donnie is willing to try to prove a cover-=up. No, he doesn’t have an angle. He needs Daniel because he has a law degree not a PhD in brain science. After everything Donnie has done, Daniel asks why he would help. But does agree.
To be continued…
