Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Irrational season 2 finale.The Irrationalseason 2 finale aired Tuesday, March 25 on NBC, wrapping up its sophomore run with a total of eighteen episodes. Starring Jesse L. Martin, it follows “world-renowned professor of behavioral science Alec Mercer as he lends his unique expertise to high-stakes cases and mysteries.” The finale sees Alec come to terms with the revelation that Rose is married, a bombshell that was dropped in the prior episode.
Rose and Alec meet up with Logan to assist in a multi-national prisoner exchange, becoming even more devoted to the mission when a colleague is wrongfully incarcerated. At the end of the hour, Rose is offered the chance to return to MI6, but opts to stay with Alec and open her own agency.The Irrationalseason 3is yet to be confirmed by the network, but Alec receives a startling text in season 2’s final seconds, leaving the door open for future storylines.
“We Did The Damn Thing”: Jesse L. Martin & Karen David Reflect On The Irrational Season 2’s Musical-Themed Episode
While visiting the set in Vancouver, ScreenRant spoke with stars Jesse L. Martin and Karen David about filming The Irrational season 2, episode 17.
ScreenRantinterviews showrunner Arika Lisanne Mittman about why Rose chose to stay put,Alec keeping his scars, and how Rizwan feels about Phoebe’s relationship with Simon.
Mittman Explains Rose’s Decision In The Irrational Season 2 Finale
“We needed that thing, that moment that she knows that she is leaving that piece of her life behind in favor of life with Alec.”
ScreenRant: What inspired you to bring in Rose’s husband and tell this story in the season 2 finale?
Arika Lisanne Mittman: A couple things inspired the story. Early in the season, we planned on Rose having a husband. We kept pushing it because the Rose-Alec relationship is so sweet. We kept loving seeing the two of them have fun together, and so we kept delaying it. And then we were like, “Wouldn’t that make a great shocking twist at the end of this super fun musical episode to turn it on its ear?”
So we definitely wanted to surprise the audience, but we always knew that she was going to have a husband and that he was going to be MI6. That it was not going to be a love triangle, per se, between Rose and Alec and this person. We did not want to do that trope at all, but we did want to tease it and give viewers an “Oh my God” moment. But the reality is, of course, as you could see, they were a team who worked together. They did have some romance in their past, but it is not in their present.
And getting to see Alec grapple a little bit because he’s always so even-keeled and having him deal with that and be involved in this case was definitely something we knew we wanted to see. And then the case, specifically, right around the time we were trying to come up with this idea, there had been a prisoner exchange with Russia. I just thought it was really interesting how those things happen and that they often don’t go directly through official channels.
This seemed like a perfect thing to do with spies. I wanted to tell an espionage spy story, obviously, since we have this ex-spy and a spy working together. I read about different cases of people who were detained, and I was like, “What if someone Alec knew got stuck in Russia for a random reason, and we had an opportunity and Alec had an opportunity to get that person out? It would make for a more emotional connection to the prisoner exchange story.” So it’s not just kind of a cerebral idea. It was an emotional story as well.
That moment when Logan gets shot felt very pivotal for Rose. She said something along the lines of, “I’m not a spy anymore,” indicating that the mission doesn’t come first. Is that what pushed her to leave MI6 behind and open her agency instead?
Arika Lisanne Mittman: Absolutely. I’m glad you called attention to that moment because that moment was definitely a big deal for Rose’s character and her arc. At the beginning of Rose’s journey, in Episode 1 of this season, they have this whole intense kidnapping thing, and her first reaction is, “I’m leaving. I have to go,” and she bolts. I always knew that, at the end of season 2, that it was going to be she stays, and she commits to staying. But as you point out, we really felt that we needed something to get her over.
She’s moving in that direction all season and grappling with that. But we needed that thing, that moment that she knows that she is leaving that piece of her life behind in favor of life with Alec. And so we had to put her in a position where you have to choose between the mission and a human being. And so it really puts that into stark relief for Rose. It’s not about, “I love this person,” it’s about humanity, being a human, which is something that Alec represents in the show—what it means to be human, and her deciding to stay for humanity and to be a person and not be a spy on a mission.
And so that was a very important moment, and I’ll also share that it was a really important moment for Karen [David] too. We were very rushed. At the end of the day, we were shooting all this stuff at this air hanger in Vancouver, and it was like, “We’ve got to get this shot and we’ve got to go.” Karen was like, “Please give me one more take. I really want to make sure we get this right.” And we got it. Afterwards, she was texting me, “Did we get it?” I’m like, “I promise you, we got it. It was a beautiful moment.” That was definitely a big one for all of us.
Alec’s Emotional Journey In The Irrational Season 2 Mirrors Dan Ariely’s
“We wanted him to have that emotional storyline and ultimately to make that decision that he likes who he is with his scars.”
This entire season, you’ve been playing with the idea of Alec getting rid of his scars. Did you always know he wasn’t going to get them removed?
Arika Lisanne Mittman: Yes. I always knew that he was not going to remove his scars. We see that as a signature of the character. But it was a really interesting journey to take him on of, “What if that became an option?” It felt like we could get a lot of story out of that question for him and the ups and downs of it. We didn’t want it to be a straight line. So in Episode 6, it looks like he’s not going to do it. He runs away from it a little bit.
And then we realize his discomfort, not Rose’s discomfort with him and his body, but as he gets closer to Rose, he starts to have discomfort with his body, which I really liked seeing in a storyline about a male having discomfort with his body because we don’t see that as much and about the reality of how he feels about himself with his scars and how he feels in a new relationship.
Marisa knew him only a certain way from when he was in a hospital bed and getting into a new relationship with someone and realizing, “Oh, I’m going to have to show her all of me, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.” It really gave us more story to tell and something nice for him to play off with his dad. We’re a procedural show, but we’re a very character-driven procedural show. We wanted him to have that emotional storyline and ultimately to make that decision that he likes who he is with his scars.
It also mirrored a journey that Dan Ariely, who the character is loosely based on, went on himself. He had a journey with his scars and why he wears a half-beard. So it’s something that’s very organic to the show and very real for Alec. But there was no way we were getting rid of his scars. Jesse L. Martin called me in the middle of the season, and he was like, “I’m not losing my scars, am I?” I’m like, “Absolutely not.”
We find out that someone is following Alec at the end of the episode. Could it be someone that he or Rose knows?
Arika Lisanne Mittman: You have to tell NBC to give us a season 3. If we have a season 3, we can answer that question. I have some ideas, but I want to get all the writers back in the room to find the best version of that story.
Rizwan Has “Mixed Emotions” About Phoebe’s Relationship With Simon
“Simon and Phoebe have something he’s not a part of, so there’s no way that there’s not a little bit of loss there.”
Phoebe and Simon tell Alec about the relationship, and he does a little check-in on Rizwan. Is he sensing something from Rizwan for Phoebe? Or is it about the group dynamic being off kilter?
Arika Lisanne Mittman: It’s funny that you bring that up. When I wrote the line, I meant it a hundred percent straightforward. I didn’t even think about it. Like, “Oh, that’s how Rizwan feels.” And then Arash [DeMaxi] was like, “There’s no way that I mean that line, right?” And I was like, “Oh, maybe he’s right,” and I thought about it. He built this friendship over the course of season 1 with Phoebe and there’s a really special relationship there.
And then in the beginning of season 2, he builds this really good friendship with Simon. And now Simon and Phoebe have something he’s not a part of, so there’s no way that there’s not a little bit of loss there. But at the same time, I think Rizwan is a loving giving person and wants to see his friends happy. So I think it’s a mix of emotions.
About The Irrational Season 2
Created And Executive Produced By Arika Lisanne Mittman
The Irrationalfollows world-renowned professor of behavioral science Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin) as he lends his unique expertise to high-stakes cases and mysteries. His insight and unconventional approach to understanding human behavior lead him to work alongside varying clients ranging from the FBI to everyday people caught in perplexing situations desperate for answers. With the help of his trusted team and social-science experiments, Alec solves crimes and uncovers the truth to answer intriguing, and irrational, questions.
Check out our previous interviews withThe Irrationalcast and crew:
The Irrationalseason 2 is currently available to stream on Peacock.
The Irrational
Based on the novel by Dan Ariely, The Irrational is a crime drama series created by Arika Mittman. Alec Mercer, a behavioral psychology professor, is enlisted for his uncanny ability to profile and analyze people. Helping to solve several cases for governing bodies, Mercer’s world is shaken when he finally meets his equal in a female suspect in a domestic terror case.
