Last week’s episode was so emotional and personal, it was almost a relief when The Irrational 1×09 “Cheating Life” had the kind of ridiculous shenanigans that could only happen on television. By the way, that isn’t an insult to the episode. It was absolutely a lot of fun, and something of a breather between emotional beats in the series. I have nothing against an episode that’s a level of absurdity that’s just fun. But, then, I like superhero television.
Cheaters Never Prosper
Alec Mercer’s (Jesse L. Martin) job this week is to track down who murdered ex-friend/associate self-help guru/influencer Vincent Lee (Steven Allerick). On livestream, no less. Yeah, broadcasting your murderous activities isn’t exactly the wisest move. (The show IS called ‘The Irrational’ after all – it’s not about the most logical choices humans make.) Well, broadcasting a murder wouldn’t be the smartest move if the person being murdered was actually the person being murdered. And if the entire exercise wasn’t just a way to establish the most airtight of alibis.
Because nothing on The Irrational can be entirely straightforward, it turns out Lee wasn’t the victim, after all. It was his bodyguard, who was intentionally chosen because of his physical resemblance to the supposed victim. Mercer’s investigation reveals that Lee is battling cancer – and hiding it, because his whole “brand” is centered around the idea that his miracle pill will prevent you from ever getting a disease. The truth would tank his company, so…murder is better?
I don’t have a lot of respect for self-help gurus who push snake oil and extol the idea that illnesses are in some way your fault. Or, for that matter, for people who claim THEIR “miracle cure” is all their victims others needs. Even as they jump in line to be the first to take advantage of modern medicine when they get sick. So they really didn’t need to make Lee the murderer for me to think he was a bad person.
Yeah, okay. The murder might have been something you only see on television. The type of character presented through Lee? Yeah, you see those all the time.
Anyway, despite Lee’s claim that he was simply trying to save the company so that it could continue to “help” people, Mercer’s not buying it. His former friend’s going to have to get cancer treatment in jail, because it turns out that faking your own death by actually murdering someone isn’t really the best solution to your problems, after all.
Feeling the Love
If there’s one character in The Irrational who seems to be the most “work in progress,” it’s Kylie (Travina Springer). She just seems…lost lately. That’s not to say she’s a mess, because she’s often more put-together than her brother, Alec. (Is that saying a lot? I’m not sure that’s saying a lot.) But while everyone else has a clear sense of purpose, Kylie is still somewhat adrift. Trying to figure out where she wants to go with her life and who she wants to be.
Maybe that makes her the most relatable character on the show, too. I think most people can relate to the feeling of being somewhat adrift in their own lives. Wanting something but not quite sure yet what that is.
Kylie may still be struggling on a professional level, but her love life may be another matter. The potential is there, at least. Although it’s a somewhat sticky situation for Kylie, given her personal issues against cops. Her new love interest? Is a cop. Of course. Though the show took pains to clarify that Morgan (Paloma Nozicka) became a cop because she wanted to change the problems in the system.
I want only the best for Kylie, so I’m looking forward to seeing where this romance with Morgan goes. I also want her to find that six-figure calling she’s seeking. (When she does, can she send one my way? That actually sounds great.)
Hot and Cold
While things between Kylie and Morgan heat up, Marisa (Maahra Hill) seems to be cooling in her own romance with Jace (Brian King). He still seems all-in, but she doesn’t seem entirely certain. Though maybe she’s not looking for an exit so much as a slow-down. Things could just be moving a little fast for her, as she claims. She did recently get divorced, relatively recently, and her feelings toward her ex aren’t entirely cut-and-dried.
That said, it’s interesting to me that I actually found myself feeling a little bad for Jace, as he tried to connect with Marisa and was met with some distance. Particularly on the heels of him making it clear he’d be happy to take the next step with her. (The next step being, like, “leaving a toothbrush at each other’s houses,” not marriage or anything.) If her sudden withdrawal was obvious to me, it had to be obvious to him. He’s an investigator, after all.
Still, I have to admit, I have no emotional connection to this relationship so far. If I’m being honest, I don’t have much to his character. This episode seems like the most I’ve ever seen of him. I don’t dislike Jace as a character; I’m just ambivalent about him. So the fact that I felt bad for him at all this episode really is a testament to what King did with the character this week.
I felt bad for Jace, but I also am kiiiiinda rooting for Alec and Marisa to get back together? Although part of me also likes seeing a positive relationship between exes. Just because a relationship didn’t work out doesn’t mean things have to be acrimonious all the time, and it doesn’t have to mean love isn’t there. I like seeing that. But, yeah…I also kinda want Alec and Marisa to make out. I don’t know. I’m conflicted. I guess I’m up for wherever this storyline is going at this point.
Roadblocks
While Marisa put the brakes on her personal life, she went all-in on her suspicions that a local politician could have been behind the bombing. I really thought they were onto something. “Powerful senator is behind it all and now the investigation – and its investigators – are in trouble” is totally the kind of drama television shows do, right? So I was stressed when Marisa decided to go “undercover” (so to speak) to get answers. I really thought she was sticking her head in the lion’s mouth. She might get answers, but the Big Bad would also realize she was onto him, and she’d be in Danger.
So imagine my shock when it turned out to be a dead end, after all. The lead looked so promising, but the senator didn’t have a motive, like they’d believed. He was already ahead in the polls; if anything, the bombing could have made people scared to come out to vote, which would have cost him the election. It didn’t happen that way, of course, but the real possibility means it wouldn’t have made sense for him to stage the attack for some sympathy points.
My initial response to this turn of events was relief, that Marisa wasn’t about to become imperiled, after all. Then frustration that this meant they’d hit another dead end. On the other hand, that’s probably more realistic to how investigations go in real life than you see on most television shows. You get a lead you think is really promising, only for it to be…nothing. And you have to start all over from scratch.
It may be realistic, but the fact The Irrational 1×09 “Cheating Life” closed this does leaves our heroes without a solid next step in their investigation. I have faith something will break soon. After all, they can’t end the first season without any forward movement on their overarching plot. And they only have a few episodes left. I can’t wait to see where this plot goes next.
