‘The Irrational’ Recap: ‘Zero Sum’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THE IRRATIONAL -- "Zero Sum" Episode 104 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer, Karen David as Rose Dinshaw -- (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘The Irrational’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the first three episodes of The Irrational on NBC, have done a phenomenal job of looking at the more unique scenarios that prompt people to make poor decisions in life. Since to date, we’ve seen a jilted lover go to extremes to punish, a greedy writer be inspired to harm a close friend over money, and we’ve even seen stature come into play. All of this while Alec and Marisa have quietly worked to solve the biggest mystery in Alec’s life, who bombed that church and put him on a long road to recovery. All of which has made for compelling and fascinating stories, that seemingly inform us that this series will indeed focus on more outlandish concepts of irrational thinking.

Which isn’t a bad thing by any means. For this is entertainment. But it turns out that this series does indeed wish to offer a wide gamut of explorations regarding what pushes people to be irrational and make wild decisions, and that does include looking at more traditional ideas as to what can break us, as evidenced by its next episode. For ‘Zero Sum’ saw Alec be asked directly by a broken dad to solve the kidnapping of his daughter, Veronica, and well… it did not take long for this case to become so much more to Alex. Because the kidnapper wanted $2.7 million from a blue-collar worker. Who could never raise that kind of money, and well… that meant some interesting decisions were made to bring this kidnapping to fruition.

The kind that made it clear to Alec and Marisa, who he quickly brought into the fold, that someone else was the target of this money, and that turned out to be… the man that Veronica’s mother had an affair with. For he was rich beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, and a jerk, and while he was eager to help here… it was obvious he hurt someone deeply to bring this about. As it turned out, it was his very own son. Who never received the love or care he wanted, and even an investment his father could have helped with was ignored. Meanwhile, Veronica was fawned over and cared for, and she wasn’t even his daughter, and well, that lack of love, and lack of support, broke that young man and pushed him to kidnap and blackmail to find love and peace.

Thankfully of course, Alec was able to stop him before he caused real trouble, but that really did make for a classic concept to work with. Because not being loved by a family member, especially a parent we admire and want to please… can indeed put us down a strange path emotionally. One where we go to weird extremes to please them. Granted, most don’t go this far, but it is possible to do so through and through as evidenced here, and this made, for yet another fascinating case. One that spoke to love’s negative power when invoked correctly and well, the wonder of this tale didn’t end there. Thanks to the fact that Alec might have a new romantic interest in the mysterious, Rose, and also because… Marisa received quite the message, in that… the man that bombed the church was ready to talk.

For she wanted answers on that, and answers she received, in a unique manner no less. Since the ‘bomber’ was in fact, a patsy. One whom confessed to a crime he did not commit thanks to the right kind of pressing. A truth that will allow for Marisa to push harder to solve this crime since the wrong man is in custody and well, that… and the case at hand… made for one compelling tale. One that informed us this series will indeed explore some fascinating ideas as season one continues along, and it won’t leave us hanging with that ugly case, and well… all that does… is compel us to continue the journey. So, we can learn what other life issues can push people to do wild things, so we can avoid them… and to learn the truth about what happened during that fateful day. Until next time.

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