I'm not sure to what extent I think Brian needs to be "saved."

I admire immensely his strength, independence, confidence, and ability to be himself no matter what anyone else thinks. I worry that in "saving" him people want to smooth away his rough edges, have him conform and settle down and be "normal" and all that boring bullshit.

But yes, he is also very emotionally damaged. Did you see the episodes with Brian's parents? I think those pretty much explain it. One of my favorite scenes in the series is the first time we see Brian cry, which is of course with Michael, after Brian visits his dad. All the stuff with Brian and his father is great, actually.