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Here's What's Coming on The Irrational Season 2: “We Have Only Just Scratched the Surface”
The Irrational showrunner promised this is just the beginning of Alec Mercer’s story — and it's the same for other characters on the show.
The rollercoaster first season of The Irrational did not disappoint.
Questions like who was behind the church bombing, which left Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin) severely scarred both physically and emotionally, were answered. However, there are new mysteries and changes leaving viewers wanting more.
For instance, research assistant Phoebe (Molly Kunz) forged a new path for herself ... but will she return to Alec's team? And what exactly happened to Mercer’s girlfriend Rose Dinshaw (Karen David) in the finale episode? Was she actually kidnapped?
The team behind the NBC drama is getting ready to provide those answers and more.
What is Jesse L. Martin like to work with?
NBC Insider spoke with showrunner and executive producer Arika Lisanne Mittman to see what could possibly be store for Alec in the future season. She attributes much of the success of the show to Martin’s work.
“We are so lucky and privileged to have Jesse Martin playing the role of Alec,” Mittman said. “When I first wrote this character, there was a character I wrote on paper and there’s what Jesse brought to it and those two things put together have just created magic and I’m so grateful to have him. He’s wonderful to work with. He’s really a gift to all of us.”
The Irrational Showrunner on What Will Happen in Season 2
Mercer’s tech-savvy sister Kylie (Travina Springer) was recently hired as an independent contractor for the FBI, and we'll see more of her journey in Season 2.
“We felt like we weren’t, you know, doing enough with her when she was sort of just stuck in the apartment so we wanted to bring her out into the world and be doing more with Alec’s character directly," Mittman said.
Another relationship fans can expect more of is between Kylie and Mercer's ex-wife, FBI agent Marisa Clark (Maahra Hill), according to Mittman.
“We really like that relationship,” Mittman said, further describing some changes for Kylie moving forward. “It’s definitely different for her being on the inside of law enforcement.”
Season 1, Episode 6 "Point and Shoot" focused on police killing Kylie’s friend, with Alec stepping up to be an expert witness in the civil trial. The writing team will not shy away from Kylie’s “tumultuous relationship” with law enforcement in Season 2, but instead explore it with her new role.
“We'll be going forward down the road of how she feels being on the side of law enforcement and what sort of conflicts that brings for her,” Mittman explained.
Another character set to return despite a change in her career is one of Alec’s research assistants, Phoebe. Toward the end of season 1, Phoebe accepted a new apprenticeship under Professor Rachel Myers, but Mittman says the character will be in next season.
“Molly’s absolutely returning for Season 2 and will be just as involved in the stories as before,” Mittman said. “We will have some new stories for her as a result of this move and we’re breaking all of those in real time so I can’t tell you too much about it, but Molly is coming back and will continue to be an integral part of the story.”
For viewers who are tuning in to learn more about human behavior or dive into Alec’s ability to dissect cases, Mittman assures the stories next season will continue on in that vein.
“I would say that there’s a lot of aspects of human behavior that we have not covered yet just in 11 episodes of Season 1,” Mittman said, although Mittman's not revealing more specifics just yet. “We have only just scratched the surface of what we can do with this cast and with these characters and I think there’s a lot more to come next season.”
Will Marisa and Alec Mercer get back together on The Irrational Season 2?
Marisa is still reeling from the shocking murder of her boyfriend, Jace (Brian King) whereas Alec’s girlfriend, Rose Dinshaw (Karen David), was kidnapped in the finale episode. For Mittman, there’s a reason the divorced couple is not together … at least for now.
“They’re on the heels of the divorce,” Mittman said. “Divorce was not a decision that came lightly.”
Mittman and her writing team want to “honor” what the former couple have gone through and not “throw them back together too quickly.”
Still, she acknowledges there’s a possibility of a romantic reconciling one day.
“I definitely like to keep that door wide open, but we also wanna give these characters the opportunity to explore who they are — not in that relationship — and who they are with other people,” Mittman said.
With all these possibilities on the horizon, Season 2 can’t come soon enough. Catch up on Season 1 on Peacock now.
