Reviewer Rating: 4.8/5.0
4.8
Everything about Irrational Season 2 Episode 6 made me love this show.
College politics can be terrible, especially when a student’s death inconveniences the school’s reputation, but Alec and Simon’s mother handle the situation perfectly.
I also appreciated its sensitive treatment of the topic of suicide, which always runs the risk of over-sensationalizing and spreading misinformation. [Note: This article will talk extensively about that subject, so if that is a trigger for you, proceed with caution.]
The sixth episode of Season 2 of “Irrational” sensitively explores the concept of “suicide contagion.”
Amelia Wylton was most concerned about the school’s image, but she was most worried that students would follow Kenzie’s alleged suicide by jumping from the bell tower.
Irrational Season 2 Episode 6 handles this delicate topic well.
While it emphasizes that most of the time suicidal thoughts are not contagious, it also notes that certain aspects of dealing with suicide can encourage others to do the same.
This is something that is rarely talked about because people don’t want to spread misinformation.
Most people who take their own lives are in pain. They don’t do it because they think it’s cool or because others do it.
However, it never occurred to me that candlelight vigils and other public commemorations might romanticize suicide or make someone crave this kind of attention after death.
It’s important to strike a balance. The other students need to mourn Kenzie, but self-destructive behavior is not encouraged in school, nor in real life.
Irrational people should use Amelia more often
I like the idea of a school administrator who isn’t a bad person but cares too much about optics.
This is a realistic antagonist, not a villain, but one that still gets in the way of Alec’s investigation.
Strangely, Amelia has no real reaction to Alec allowing Simon to join the case against her will.
I’m not sure if she knew about it, but I’m guessing she didn’t because Alec ignored her explicit wishes for a son and nothing dramatic happened.
SIMON: Did my mother order you to bench me?
Alec: She asked for it.
SIMON: Well, I’d like to make the opposite claim.
It’s not surprising that Simon’s brother died by suicide rather than an accident, and it’s even more surprising that Amelia ignored Simon’s investigation when she didn’t want him to.
Simon is not good at bluffing or hiding the truth. His monologue about suicide not being contagious reveals that his loved one has taken their own life.
Although this is a trigger for him, Simon is determined to help solve the case, and he can’t be convinced.
Luckily, this didn’t cause him mental health issues, although I’m sure Alec was monitoring him more carefully than he seemed.
Irrational Season 2 Episode 6 Delves into the Dark Side of Sorority Life
I was never exposed to Greek life when I was in college, so I don’t know how accurate this is, but a sorority for mean girls with good grades seems reasonable.
Kenzie died because an alum wanted to silence her before she exposed the people who paid to be on the transplant list, but not surprisingly the girls became suspects.
They are doing themselves no favors by trying to hide what happened to Kenzie.
Summer had enough legal knowledge to ask for a search warrant before Marissa looked into Kenzie’s room, but she didn’t know how to not look guilty.
The sorority should lose its charter for providing drugs to members and for bullying that may have occurred behind closed doors.
Kenzie’s situation is tragic for many reasons, but one of them is that there are apparently no Good Samaritan laws where they live (assuming Summer learned about such laws in pre-law classes).
In New York, we currently have a law that says a person who reports an overdose cannot be charged with drug possession or similar crimes.
The idea is to encourage people to call 911 in such situations so overdose victims don’t die needlessly.
Such a law would have solved half of the girls’ problems by allowing them to seek help when they found Kenzie dead.
Phoebe is finally back where she belongs
The best part of “Irrational” season 2, episode 6 is when Phoebe finally returns to Alec’s department.
Also, she now has a last name. This is Duncan.
Phoebe’s story and Kenzie’s story are interesting.
Like Kenzie, she wanted to do the right thing, and in her case, she lived long enough to expose Professor Miles as a liar.
Phoebe was never in danger of being murdered, but Miles thought she would kill Phoebe’s academic career.
Miles: I decided to resign to avoid further embarrassment to the school.
Phoebe: I’m sorry to hear that.
Miles: Thank you. Unfortunately, this means that this grant will no longer exist. So that means you have to look for your… How many research positions is this?
Phoebe: Third. This will be my third time.
Myers: The reorganization of the department is very serious. People do value loyalty to their team. But I’m sure you’ll find someone to sign your PhD. After all, your morals are so impeccable.
Once Miles makes the threat, Phoebe’s most logical thing to do is to ask Alec to get her old job back. He would not blacklist her for telling the truth about her immoral behavior.
With Kelly’s help, Phoebe finally realizes that no job can stop her anxiety attacks.
Hopefully she’ll be able to address the root cause once she gets back to Alec.
But at the same time, the idea that you can’t solve anxiety by running away is a strong message that will likely resonate deeply with viewers. I know it works for me.
Over to you, irrational fanatic.
What did you think of Irrational Season 2 Episode 6?
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Irrational airs Tuesdays on NBC at 10/9c and Wednesdays on Peacock.
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