The newest episode of The Irrational saw Alec get a case from his dad. Here’s a look at the events from The Irrational season 2, episode 11.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from The Irrational season 2, episode 11.
When Alec gets a call from his dad, it’s clear that there is much more to this family relationship than meets the eye. However, Alec chooses to hear his dad out, and he’s certainly intrigued by the case. His dad has a situation that involves a ghost ship. Captain Andrews was found injured and close to death, but there was nobody else on board.
What happened to the crew? Well, this case ended up much bigger than it initially seemed, and Marisa was certainly needed.
Finding a sole potential attacker on board in The Irrational season 2, episode 11
I enjoyed the red herrings throughout this episode. It took us on a wild ride, starting with a ghost ship and ending with a discussion about illegal immigration, forced labor, and the opportunities that life gives us.
The episode starts with Alec and Marisa checking out the ship that has come in without any crew on board. However, the captain has clearly been attacked. Marisa and Alec eventually find a sole person on the ship, who is Vietnamese but doesn’t seem to speak any English. Alec can tell that this man understands English enough to understand the questions Marisa is asking him, but he won’t speak.
While Marisa thinks that he is the attacker, Alec thinks that he’s a victim. Things take a turn when Captain Andrews wakes up from his coma and shares that the man everyone has found was his attacker. He shares that another ship came up to them and forced their way on board. The crew took off in the lifeboats.
The fact that there was all the cargo on the ship means that the pirate story doesn’t add up. So, what happened?
It’s Alec’s dad who is able to help make Kwon, the man found on the ship, comfortable enough to get him to speak. It turns out that Captain Andrews isn’t the good captain he seems to be.
A case of forced labor and weapons trafficking
Kwon explains that Andrews offered Kwon and his brothers work and a good life. That didn’t play out. Andrews lied and ended up forcing Kwon and the others to work. When they headed out in a direction that wasn’t usual, they decided it was time for a mutiny.
Yes, Kwon did end up attacking Andrews, but it was in self-defense and allowed his brothers a chance to escape. The problem is they would be running out of water, and they needed to be found. This wasn’t to deport them, but to save them.
When the ship owner explained that she had spent money in upgrades on the living quarters and the lifeboats, it was clear that the lifeboats were now faster. They would be in a different area than the coastguard was looking. It was great news with all this information together. Why didn’t she say this sooner rather than as she became a suspect in the entire situation? That didn’t make sense, to be honest. She knew the crew had escaped on the lifeboats, so she should have said something about them then.
Instead, it took the murder of Andrews and her being brought in for questioning. So, now the focus turned to who murdered Andrews. It couldn’t have been the crew and it wasn’t Kwon. Who was it?
The fact that Andrews was heading an usual route was important for this. He was trafficking weapons, and when Kwon was attacked as well, Alec and Marisa were able to get to the bottom of it. Kwon’s only word was Vietnamese for fish. Only, it wasn’t the fish that Captain Andrews had caught. There was a fish poster over a grate that had the weapons behind it.
Now Marisa and her FBI team had to wait for the people who had removed Kwon out of the equation—removing the security—to come back. This is where Alec got a shock, as it was an old friend who was behind it all.
A lesson in handling what life gives you in The Irrational
Sawyer surprised everyone when he turned out to be behind the weapons trafficking and the murder of Andrews. He blamed Alec—or at least, he was jealous of Alec.
Sawyer shared that Alec was able to get out of the town. His father gave him the love and support he needed to gain a good degree and a good job. Those left in the town were left with whatever they were offered, and work was drying up so he was losing money.
This wasn’t Alec’s fault, but he gets irrational behavior. People need someone or something else to blame, because more often than not, they can’t take accountability for their actions. They want to justify bad behavior.
What it did do was open Alec up into giving his father a little bit of grace. He needed to step back from the anger that he’s held onto for years.
There's a lesson in handling what life gives you in this storyline. Sawyer felt like he deserved more, but don't those who act to change their lives for the better deserve more? There isn't fairness in life, so you need to create your own success the legal way.
Why Alec’s dad wasn’t at the hospital revealed
Alec has always been caught up on the fact that his dad never came to the hospital when the attack happened all those years ago. He knows that it’s somewhat irrational, but it’s understandable. Alec needed a reason for his dad not to do this.
Throughout the episode, he was looking for signs that his dad had started drinking again. He was shocked and angry that his dad has switched to a vegan diet and learned Vietnamese. It was clear that his dad was willing to make change, so why wasn’t he at the hospital?
At the end of the episode, his dad told the truth. After five years of sobriety, he started drinking again. He was so scared about the attack on the church and what would happen to Alec, that he went to a bar. It took a major incident from drinking for him to realize he needed to get back on the wagon. Since then, he hasn’t touched a drink.
Alec was shocked to hear this. His dad had been so ashamed of himself that he hadn’t told anyone the truth. With this truth out, Alec is able to release some of the anger he feels. In fact, he even asks his dad what he thinks Alec should do about the scars. While he thought his dad would say to get rid of them, the man says—and I’m paraphrasing—the man with the most scars has the biggest heart. That’s certainly the case when it comes to Alec.
We have hope at the end that Alec and his dad can build bridges. There’s also hope for Kwon and his brothers, who won’t be deported or arrested for their actions against Captain Andrews. They’ll be helped to get residency.
The Irrational airs on Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
Stay up to date with the latest The Irrational news with Precinct TV.