The Irrational Season 2 Episode 10 Did A Deep Dive Into The Nature Of Trauma, And I’m Here For It

Critic’s Rating: 4.85 / 5.0

4.85

The Irrational Season 2 Episode 10 had everything that made me fall hard for this show.

A creepy case involving a crew that disappeared turned into a disturbing one about mistreating recent immigrants to the United States — could it be any more timely?

Even more importantly, Alec’s dysfunctional relationship with his dad demonstrated the effects trauma can have on a family years after the fact.

Alec Wasn’t Immune To Irrationality Just Because He Studies The Brain

The Irrational was subtle about the irony of Alec being a brain expert whose brain was acting up.

Alec’s dismissal of Kylie and Marisa’s concerns made the point without belaboring it. The scene was perfect, and it also did something else important.

Alec overestimated his ability to deal with his conflict with his father, assuming that he could do so easily because of his advanced knowledge of how the human brain worked.

Trying to manage the relationship rationally was never going to work. Human relationships aren’t like putting data into an AI model — emotions, miscommunications, and poor decisions can all tank them.

Marisa: You okay going to see your dad?

Alec: Why wouldn’t I be?

Kylie: Cause you get into it with him over everything. Sports. Politics. Potato chips.

Alec: It was never about potato chips.

Alec’s overconfidence likely came from the depth of his knowledge.

Intellectually, he understands exactly how the brain works and how his dad is likely to trigger him, so it seems like refusing to be triggered should be a simple matter.

But it doesn’t work that way. You can’t un-trigger your brain simply by engaging in intellectual exercise; on some level, Alec must have known that.

I love this conflict because it demonstrates that trauma responses are simply neuroscience at work. There is no “knowing better” when trauma hijacks your neural network.

Hopefully, realizing that even an expert like Alec can get triggered will help viewers who are dealing with trauma to forgive themselves for not being able to control their responses even when they know they’re being irrational.

Alec’s Relationship With His Father Added Another Dimension To His Character

If Alec’s ever mentioned his father before, it’s slipped my mind.

It doesn’t matter if we knew his dad was still alive and the relationship was strained, though, because The Irrational Season 2 Episode 10 did one of the best jobs of smoothly integrating a new character and conflict in all the years I’ve been covering TV shows.

Alec’s dad and their conflict over his father’s alcoholism were both introduced perfectly.

I usually hate it when characters are first mentioned in conversation because it is usually an information dump that gives me a headache. This time, though, it worked.

I loved the scene where Alec’s father was so thrilled to see him. It demonstrated that no matter the pain between them, Alec’s dad loved him and was excited he was in his life.

That was reinforced by his eventual confession about why he didn’t see Alec in the hospital after the bombing.

I figured that Alec’s dad was drunk at the time. I hadn’t expected him to have relapsed, but his alcoholism was the most likely reason he hadn’t shown up.

Still, the introduction of the idea that Alec and his father had both struggled with alcohol after the bombing added dimensions to both of their characters.

Alec always projects strength. Besides his scars, the only sign that he’s a survivor is that he tends to take unnecessary risks.

Learning that he overcame alcoholism is surprising, even though trauma makes it more likely that people will turn to substances for relief.

There’s also a genetic component to it, of course. As much as he hates to admit it, he inherited something from his father.

The Case On The Irrational Season 2 Episode 10 Was Topical Without Beating Anyone Over The Head

Very few shows manage to tell a story about a current issue without trying to push the writer’s viewpoint on the audience.

The only other show that has ever done topical stories well is Blue Bloods.

The Irrational was a little less evenhanded, which is understandable.

Andrews was a villain who abused the Vietnamese immigrants he had hired to work for him. These things happen, and they shouldn’t — and there’s no real other side to the issue.

People can disagree about immigration policies, but no matter your stance on that issue, immigrants are still human beings who shouldn’t be trafficked, sexually or otherwise.

However, although this story was about human rights violations, it didn’t veer into a sermon about the writers’ views on immigration.

That’s the difference between The Irrational and many other procedurals. Too often, episodes are used as a vehicle for the writers’ political beliefs.

It feels unnatural and pulls me out of the story every time that happens, so I’m glad The Irrational didn’t go there.

The case was really secondary on “Ghost Ship” anyway. It was fun to try to solve it, but the point was for Alec to rely on his dad’s help so that they could resolve their relationship conflict.

Random Thoughts About “Ghost Ship”

It was great that The Irrational subverted the tired TV trope of having Alec discover the beer in the fridge. Alec’s dad really did have it on hand for guests!
I always get a kick out of seeing Jason Gray-Stanford. He’ll always be Monk‘s Randy Disher to me.
NBC is kicking ass with educating people about selective mutism between “Ghost Ship” and Found‘s Bella story.