‘The Irrational’ Recap: ‘Lost Souls’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THE IRRATIONAL -- "Lost Souls" Episode 209 -- Pictured: (l-r) Travina Springer as Kylie, Maahra Hill as Marisa, Karen David as Rose Dinshaw -- (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 209 of ‘The Irrational’. To revisit the previous episode, clickhere.
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For the most part, stories that feature a guru of sorts, that person with a unique understanding of a particular situation or the many quirks of humanity… make those characters infallible in many ways. As though their understanding of the subject matter, makes them a grand hero, one who may have stumbled in the past but now… cannot be corrupted, cannot make mistakes and cannot by any means be seen in any kind of negative light. For they are the guiding force of the story, and that does add a sense of purity to the whole thing, and this is so commonplace that it really is quite jarring when a show takes the time to show that kind of character in a far more human light.

Which is precisely what happened this week during The Irrational on NBC. For ‘Lost Souls’ showcased Alec Mercer in a far different manner than we are used to. A feat accomplished by way of a unique case involving a tennis star that went missing. For she was in a slump and there was real worry that she was in a dark place and might have succumbed to self-harm because of that. Which put Marisa and Rose, quite literally on her trail. For she went missing in the woods and well, while there, they had to combat the star’s, trash stepfather, who was so angry over being fired as the star’s coach and was so desperate for money that he resorted to attempted murder to get retribution and the insurance payout. But he quickly learned his irrational behavior was no match for Marisa and Rose. 

But you’ll notice that Alec played almost no part in the physical rescue of that star, which is not something that happens often here, but there was good reason for that, and it related to that central surprise. For Alec spent his time in this episode, in the hospital. For the many tough situations, he has put himself into this season, induced appendicitis and required surgery, and while he was able to do interviews and some work from afar, the majority of the work was relegated to his sister and his team and that allowed for the show to reflect upon Alec’s beautiful imperfections. Of how in many ways, he can be as irrational as the people he studies. Because he is in fact, only human, and we tend to do irrational things to bring as much good into the world as others do to bring forth the bad, and that if he wants to find some measure of peace, he will have to find balance within.

That made for a fascinating journey for Alec. One that truly took the character to new heights and showed him as a man instead of a godlike being as these stories tend to do and that was refreshing and wonderful, and played beautifully by Jesse L. Martin, and well, it should also be mentioned that this wasn’t the only surprise in this tale. Because we also came to learn while in the woods, what drives Marisa and what made her into such a brave and bold person. An exploration that took place because she was having panic attacks in these woods, because memories from her youth were popping up, and she took the time to tell Rose about how she went into labor in the woods as a teenager and was terrified that she wouldn’t be able to bring her to child to bear. But she did, and she gave her baby boy away to give him a life she did not feel she could have provided and used that moment… to build a new life that made her worthy of going through all that.

Which made for a powerful sequence for certain. One that spoke to Maahra Hill’s skill as an actor and outright moved so many of us, but more importantly… it really added amazing depth to Marisa and helped us to love her even more as a character and all of these elements made… for a unique episode for certain. Since it really did buck a long-standing trope and worked toward character development and exploration over anything else and well, all of this was amazing. For this was a compelling and moving watch and this just served to remind us… of the sheer brilliance of this series. Of how it really is about the complex creatures that we are and the many things that make us rational, irrational and downright fascinating as a species. Until next time.

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