Whenever the Americans and the Russians have to agree to something, things go wrong. That’s certainly the case in The Irrational season 2 finale.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for The Irrational season 2, episode 18.
It would be so easy for a show to rely on the real tensions between Russia and most of the rest of the world to create a storyline. However, The Irrational writers find a way to do things differently, and that was certainly the case in this latest episode. The case ended up far more personal.
As you’ll know from our sneak peek of the episode, there was a prisoner exchanger negotiation. The original negotiation was for two Russian prisoners and two American prisoners, but things changed, and the U.S. wanted a third prisoner. We had to watch the episode to find out why this third prisoner was so important.
Just an ordinary guy in The Irrational season 2 finale
It turned out that the third U.S. prisoner in Russia was just an ordinary guy. He was the teacher on a trip with a bunch of teenagers, and when they unexpectedly had to land in Russia, Derek took the fall for one of his students having ADHD medication — medication that is legal in the U.S. but not in Russia. Since Derek wasn’t that important to the Americans, nobody would fight for him.
It’s often having the right friends in the right places. Derek’s wife was friends with Alec, and when Alec learned about the entire situation, he did what he could to get the man back. There were some touch and go moments, such as Derek being beaten in a cell, but Alec wasn’t going to give up.
The biggest problem was finding out why Borris, the Russian man that the Russians wanted back, had killed a guard. Well, things are never that simple.
Alec gets to the bottom of the Borris situation in The Irrational
It doesn’t take long for Alec to realize that Borris didn’t kill the guard. While the man clearly has the ability to kill, he does it humanely. It takes just a discussion about fly fishing to see to that. If someone is going to kill an animal humanely, they will do the same for a human. That means he was set up.
So, Alec calls Marisa in to help, and she and Kylie certainly help to get to the bottom of the situation. Sure enough, someone framed Borris, and once everyone was able to prove that Borris didn’t kill anyone, he was allowed to be part of the prisoner exchange. That led to the Russians deciding they didn’t want Derek after all, but Alec was able to call in a favor from the Russian prisoner. That prisoner was able to figure out the best person to talk to for an innocent man’s release.
Sure enough, the deal was back on the table. It was fortunate that this happened, because it turned out that the Russian agent was the one who had set up and framed everything. She was going to blow up the plane, and she would have gotten away with it had Alec not managed to get everyone to wait until Derek turned up — all thanks to Borris again.
Having this entire episode turn out to be linked to something personal is a great twist. The Russian-American tensions can be overplayed in TV. Sure, they are very real, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have something new. The Irrational offered that by bringing Julia into the story and having her almost get away with it. By the time Derek was saved, I’d forgotten about this plot, and I think it was great to add the phone call in at the last minute.
Kylie figures out what she wants to do next
Throughout the episode, Kylie got an offer from Raina. After seeing how impressive Kylie is, Raina wants her to go to Quantico rather than just be a consultant for the FBI. Well, Kylie decides that she’ll think about it.
Well, it doesn’t look like The Irrational season 3 will see Kylie training to be an agent. She decides she doesn’t want that, but she also doesn’t want the promotion that her boss has offered. She needs to figure out what’s next, and that’s okay!
I love when shows actually bring us characters that don’t really know where they want to go in life. They’ve coasted almost to this point, and they’re happy doing that. At the same time, they get the urge to actually go in a particular direction and they want to figure that out. Too many shows offer a look at adulthood where they all have it fully together, but that’s not the case, and those of us who didn’t immediately find our calling are left thinking that we’re odd.
Marisa figures out what’s next as well
Kylie isn’t the only one who needs to figure things out. When Cam visits her home and drinks from a particular cup, Marisa gets a flashback of that haunting moment in the first season. She’s grieved the initial loss, but she is still grieving, and Cam suggests that she sells the home.
At the time, she couldn’t do it. With the death and the divorce from Alec, she couldn’t deal with more change. However, now she may be ready for that. As much as Marisa points out that there are good memories as well as bad, Alec reminds her that we are all likely to focus on the bad rather than the good. So, it’s not surprising to see at the end of The Irrational season 2 finale that Marisa has decided to sell her home.
Alec and Rose make their own decisions about their futures
If that wasn’t enough, there’s change for Rose as well. She will be a more permanent fixture in The Irrational if it’s renewed. She opens Rose Dinshaw and Associates, as a way to help people who need it — and they will pay what they can. She misses the spy life, but she doesn’t want it either. She wants the fun of the life, and she wants to be her own boss.
Alec also has made a big decision. He isn’t going through with the surgery after all. Marisa’s reminder that good things happen allowed Alec to look at his scars in a different way. While they come from something bad, that explosion at the church reminds him that he has got a second chance at life, and now he gets to use that for good.
Well, Rose has her first case at the very end of the episode. Someone sends Alec photos of himself. He has a stalker, and he has no idea who.
The ending was great, except I am worried that the series is going to be canceled. It could have ended in a way that works for a series finale if needed, but those final 30 seconds change everything. Now I need to know who is stalking Alec and why. I need a third season, though. The Irrational is one of those necessary shows right now, as it helps to break down why people do the things they do. I don’t need to see Rose’s husband again, though — Logan was a little too much of a stereotypical MI6 agent.
The Irrational is available to stream on Peacock.
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