‘The Irrational’ Recap: ‘Bad Blood’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THE IRRATIONAL -- "Bad Blood" Episode 203 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer, Karen David as Rose Dinshaw -- (Photo by: James Dittiger/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘The Irrational’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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We are taught from a very early age, to not put much stock into what others think of us, and what others do to us. Because we can only control what we can control, so to put stock into that makes no sense. We should instead, do what must be done to make sure we are taken care of, and the reason that lesson is sent our way, is because our parents and eventually ourselves… come to learn that when you do put stock into that, the response is irrational in nature. Wherein we say and do things we should not, to find agency and find value. But thankfully, it really only gets that far before we figure it out and do something really awful. But it does beg the question… how bad could things get if we let the slights that people send our way, poison our soul to our core?

Well, it just so happens, that the next episode of The Irrational on NBC, ponders upon just that. A feat that ‘Bad Blood’ accomplished by having both Alec and Rose deal with quite the unique case. In that, a newly promoted financial guru died while playing hockey in a manner that was strange, and clearly grounded in notions of murder. Which of course, prompted Alec and Rose to believe that the killer was someone with obvious motive, and there were plenty of folks that met that particular qualification. Since her boss was a scumbag, her rival was the one who injured her on the ice and even her boyfriend had some suspicious overtones to him. But the more the duo dug into the case, the more it became clear… that there was no foundation for those people to commit murder, they just had their issues. So, they had to dig far deeper to solve this case.

Wherein they came to learn that the deceased had stumbled upon some suspicious behaviors and transactions at her firm. The kind that spoke to someone stealing from the company and that death may have been the order of the day over discovery, and well… that was indeed the case, for reasons… that were indeed irrational. Since it turned out that a mid-level employee, who was loyal and hardworking, and was also passed over for promotions and ignored from a value standpoint… was the one responsible for murder and theft. All because, she took to heart every slight, every passed over promotion with a sense of fury, anger and helplessness. That she in turn used against the company and an innocent life. All of which spoke deeply to how… we should only worry about our circle of influence and if we don’t feel valued or slighted, the best and rational revenge for such matters, would be to move on to better places.

But while that made for a juicy case that engaged us all, there was so much more to be found in this tale. Since Kylie and Marisa worked together on a hacking case, one that impacted Kylie since the hacker stole her work to enjoy some measure of value as well, something that spoke to the central lesson again. Since it taught us that we make our own value in this life and there are better ways to do it when we are worried, we have none. But it also showed growth for Kylie, since she slipped into her new role at the office nicely and found agency. Not to mention, Marisa was more of a leader here, and she even helped Phoebe with some issues because she was truly seen here as someone that could offer wondrous guidance, and of course… we have to talk about Rose and Alec.

Because at long last, they had a good talk about their relationship and their feelings and were open about everything and solidified their connection. Which was just lovely to see happen because they both deserve happiness. All of which makes this, a magnificent episode. Because it featured a wonderful case with a wonderful lesson we can learn from and apply to our lives. It harbored character and it was just… a lot of fun to watch, and you really cannot ask for much more about a show about the human condition than that. Plus, this episode was quite hopeful in nature, since it also reminded us… that while we stumble often and fall because of our irrational nature, we can still rise above and head into amazing new chapters, and it will be interesting to see what other lessons and moments of growth await us, as season two of this wondrous series continues along. Until next time.

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