Reviewer Rating: 4.8/5.0
4.8
Alec is right: learning can be fun, especially when it’s part of a light-hearted mystery story.
The second episode of Irrational Season 2 features one of the series’ most serious cases: a serial killer who inexplicably pursues a high-profile victim.
Yet somehow the stakes don’t feel as high as with a more rigorous police procedure – and that’s a good thing.
Irrational Season 2 Episode 2 Offers a Serious But Complex Case
Serial killers have become a tired TV trope.
They raise the stakes to unprecedented levels, and detectives must race to find the killer before the latest victim dies.
However, most of the time they are not exciting because there are too many of them. We’re used to this story and know that the heroes don’t die; the question is how they find the killer.
It’s risky for “Irrational” to present a case like this after the intense kidnapping plot that unfolded at the beginning of the season.
The show is more of a light-hearted suspense drama than a serious crime drama, so it might turn viewers off if things get too serious.
Alec’s knowledge of neuropsychology keeps the story fresh.
The idea of a serial killer targeting high-profile people is compelling and unusual.
I’d never really thought much about how serial killers target their victims. As a mystery writer, I appreciate Alec’s insight that most serial killers target people who no one will miss so they won’t get caught.
I’m not sure how accurate this is since the TV is full of panicked loved ones unable to get through to the serial killer’s latest victim, but there’s a certain logic to it.
As Alec points out, serial killers can’t continue killing once they’re caught. So it makes sense to stay under the radar as long as possible.
Marissa: You still don’t believe this is a serial murderer?
Alec: Not the traditional kind. He chooses his victims for a reason. We just need to figure out what it is.
However, there is something strange about the connection between the victims.
I know it would be a better story if a group of sperm donor babies included a killer who wanted to eliminate the rest to increase his inheritance, but I think there’s a more obvious connection.
If the victims were all linked by bad teeth, wouldn’t a dentist or dental hygienist use their access to dental records to cause trouble?
Regardless, the idea that the victims are linked to a genetic defect that causes bad teeth is interesting. I’ve never heard this before!
Alec’s Teaching Career Enhances Irrational Season 2 Episode 2
Did anyone else cooperate when Alec showed how wrong the eyewitness accounts were?
I grabbed the red spade and got two of the three eyewitness questions correct. I miss the color of Simon’s shirt, probably because I remember the yellow of his jacket.
This demonstration piqued my curiosity to know if there are differences between neurodivergent and neurotypical brains in terms of eyewitness testimony, or if I might be able to capture the unusual red spades because I’m taking a neuroscience class A similar experiment was done.
Regardless, this demonstration is one of the most effective examples of why eyewitness testimony is unreliable (get it, Days of Our Lives!)
As soon as Rizwan and Simon started “fighting,” I knew what they were doing, but the students didn’t, and they got a hard lesson in the limitations of eyewitness testimony.
However, I also learned something else. I particularly like Alec’s emphasis on “negativity bias.”
I work in mental health, so I know that PTSD and other trauma-related disorders can cause people to react to the present as if it were the past, but I’ve never heard such clarity about this present. explanation.
Detective Brown: If it walked like a duck…
Alec: It doesn’t have to be a duck. This may be negativity bias, which causes people to judge their current situation based on past negative experiences.
Brown: You said I’m not good at my job?
Alec’s assistants provide comic relief on Irrational Season 2 Episode 2
My favorite moment in Irrational Season 2 Episode 2 is when Rizwan tries to convince Alec that he’s confident in the choice of the new RA, only for Alec to point out that he’s doing “intense pacing stuff.”
However, I also enjoyed Phoebe’s storyline. I’m disappointed she hasn’t given up on Rachel Myers yet, even though I’m sure she will.
Ava is cute and bubbly, so Phoebe and I were heartbroken when she learned that Ava was primarily a ghostwriter for Rachel in the beginning.
There’s nothing wrong with this arrangement as long as it’s consensual, but no one comes out to Phoebe about it, which isn’t cool.
Still, Ava seems like a fun person to hang out with, so I hope we get to learn more about her—even if Phoebe does have to deal with things she lied to about her.
I also liked Simon and Alec’s encouragement to him at the end of the game.
Who’s surprised about the FBI’s new boss? (not me)
While I didn’t expect Marissa to become the new director of the FBI, it wasn’t a shocking plot twist.
She was more than qualified, and looking back now, she believed it would be a stuffy, boring guy in a suit, which all but guaranteed her choice.
Now that she knows she’s being considered for the job, it’ll be fun for her to deal with imposter syndrome. I hope Kelly can help encourage her.
I also like that instead of pushing her into a silly love triangle with Alec and Rose, the writers have enough respect for Marissa as a woman to let her develop her own opinions on whether or not she feels she’s qualified for her new job Conflict, not some superficial story about competition for Alec.
What about you, irrational fanatic?
What did you think of this episode? Vote in our poll and hit the comments to elaborate.
Irrational Airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC and Wednesdays on Peacock.
Watch “Irrational” online
