The Irrational is back this week. And, like it did at the start of the season, it makes it clear from the jump that it is not playing around. Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin) hasn’t always had the easiest time of things. But this week’s episode is his most personal – and most emotional – yet.
Mirror, Mirror
In this week’s episode, Alec is called to try to help fellow burn victim, Izzy (Megan Best). Caught in a house fire that took the life of her boyfriend, she’s struggling with survivors guilt and injuries that will stay with her forever.
This may not see the first time we’ve seen Alec in a vulnerable moment. But as he faces what happened to him while trying to emotionally support Izzy, we get to see him at his absolute most vulnerable. At first, he tries to offer her words of comfort. Medicine has come a long way since his own burn injuries, after all. Her friends will stop avoiding her, once they’ve processed their own emotional conflict at the sight of her injuries. Things may never go back entirely to what they were, but this doesn’t mean it’s the end for her.
And to an extent, he’s telling the truth. Except not entirely. Because it’s true that this isn’t the end for her. But it is the end of who she used to be. Her friends will come back. But she’ll never be able to entirely forget they weren’t there when she needed them most. And medicine has come a long way. But there are still scars she will carry for the rest of her life. There is still pain and discomfort – and guilt and grief – that is now a fundamental part of her being.
When he finally allows himself to admit all of those truths – to himself and to her – it may not be what she wants to hear. But it’s probably what she needs to hear. It’s the truth, after all. As hard as it is for both of them to confront.
Also, it’s not entirely bad. As Alec put it, surviving his own injuries was the hardest and worst thing he ever had to do. But that also means that the worst is over. Surviving that is in a way a superpower, because it shows you what you can do, it gives you room to be brave in other ways in the future, and it reminds you of how precious and beautiful life can be.
So the fact that her life will be fundamentally different from now on doesn’t necessarily mean that her life will be bad. Though her journey to get to healing – emotionally and physically – won’t be an easy one. There’s some comfort in that.
Sisters-In-Arms
While Alec deals with his intensely emotional journey this week, his sister Kylie (Travina Springer) and ex-wife Marisa (Maahra Hill) are having a journey of their own. They had been close, when Marisa and Alec were married. But the divorce put some distance between them, and they’re struggling to bridge the gap.
Anyone who’s tried to maintain a relationship with someone had been an in-law and then stopped being an in-law knows how rocky that terrain can be. Even when Kylie and Marisa try to leave the specter of Alec aside, it still looms between them.
Of course, Kylie’s relationship with Marisa isn’t about Alec. Nor should it be. But the nature of their former relationship means that he was a big part of their history together. He’s a large part of why their relationship formed to begin with. So trying to figure out who they are together when he isn’t a part of the picture is going to take some doing.
Also, as good as their intentions are when they agree to leave the subject of Alec at the door…well, it simply isn’t that practical. Alec is still a huge part of both of their lives. He’s Kylie’s brother (and roommate). He still actively works with Marisa.
And Marisa? Well, she’s not as okay with him maybe-possibly moving on with Rose Dinshaw (Karen David) as she pretends. I mean, she gets upset with Kylie for calling her out on trying to get the dirt on Alec’s new relationship – they’d agreed not to say Alec’s name, after all – but what could she pretend she was after with her very significant, “Rose, huh?” type comment? Everyone knows she wasn’t prompting Kylie about Rose because she was curious to know if the two had spoken about the latest blockbuster movie. And Kylie’s neither an idiot, nor shy about calling out her friend for being…let’s say “not entirely up-front about her motives.”
It’s a tense moment for their relationship, but it gives both women a chance to be honest with each other. And with themselves. Figuring out who they are as friends, without Alec being a part of the equation, isn’t easy. And Kylie does have some hurt feelings about how the whole divorce went down, and how it distanced the two former sisters-in-law. They needed to be honest with each other in order to really move forward, and their relationship – one that grows separate and distinct from their relationships with Alec? I’m looking forward to seeing it.
Particularly since The Irrational 1×08 “Scorched Earth” ends with Marisa deciding to put her head in the lion’s mouth, in her ongoing efforts to find the bomber. I have a feeling she’s going to need as many friends as she can get.
