Spoilers ahead for Episode 4 of The Irrational, called "Zero Sum."
The Irrational continued its first season in the 2023 TV schedule with a case that put Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin) on a pro bono kidnapping case. While he was able to bring Marisa (Maahra Hill) and the FBI into the fold, the mystery was complicated by everything from affairs to finances to one young man who just wanted his dad to love him. By the end, the case was closed, and Marisa made a big breakthrough in the case of the church explosion that left Alec scarred. And while that should be the biggest takeaway from "Zero Sum," I'm left really hoping that we see a Law & Order: Organized Crime alum back soon.
The New Clue In The Church Bombing
Alec and Marisa had already made some important breakthroughs in the case of the church bombing that brought them together and left him burned. After they saw Wes Banning – who was convicted for the crime – get spooked and ruin his own chances at parole during his hearing, Alec finally remembered a key clue about the van on that fateful day. In "Zero Sum," Marisa interviewed Banning and tricked him into giving away that he didn't work alone for the bombing.
While she didn't exactly get a confession, she certainly has enough to continue digging into everything that doesn't add up about the deadly explosion and Banning's story. Not much is known about his partner, although it's clear that the bomb maker is afraid of the other person.
Will she now need to find a way to jog Alec's memory again, or is there another way to start finding new evidence despite the passage of time? Could they figure out the motive, and let that lead them to the person responsible? Or have I watched too many crime dramas over the years that are biasing me about how the investigation should proceed?
Honestly, I can't rule that last one out, especially after seeing Alec handle his life-or-death situation and getting the "rock star" treatment. Plus, "Zero Sum" featured a familiar face from the most recent season of Law & Order: Organized Crime, so my mind was in crime drama mode... and I would love to see Karen David back again.
Why I Want To See More Of Karen David On The Irrational
The "Zero Sum" episode marked Karen David's return to NBC after appearing in Law & Order: Organized Crime's third season back in the spring. Not only did her arrival on The Irrational team her up with another Law & Order franchise legend after working with Christopher Meloni, but I'd enjoyed her episode of OC so much that I was a little bummed that her character probably wouldn't be able to return. So, her debut on The Irrational as a fixer by the name of Rose Dinshaw was pretty exciting, and she had a fun chemistry with Jesse L. Martin's Alec.
Rose was also pretty forward with Alec, and he didn't discourage her, even if those of us who watched the first three episodes know that he's still pretty well hung up on Marisa. I don't see a way that The Irrational could really include Rose in her role as a fixer on even a recurring basis, but forming some kind of relationship between her and Alec could keep her in the mix. Plus, Marisa is moving on; why shouldn't Alec at least try? And why couldn't it be in a way to keep Karen David in the show?
Of course, the actress has had a key role on AMC's Fear the Walking Dead going back to Season 5 in 2019 to keep her busy, but that zombie apocalypse show is set to air its final episodes starting with the Season 8B premiere on Sunday, October 22. While there's absolutely no guarantee that Karen David's Rose will be anything more than a one-off character for the case of the week, I'm going to cross my fingers that we see more of her.
For now, you can find new episodes of The Irrational on NBC on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET, and find the full series so far streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription. Director John Terlesky, who also helmed the 200th episode of The Blacklist, described Jesse L. Martin as "nothing even remotely" like other TV leads, and we can only hope that the show continues to set itself apart in primetime this fall.
