Maahra Hill as Marisa Sergei Bachlakov/NBC
NBC’s The Irrational is raising the stakes in season 2 — starting with Marisa’s unexpected upcoming journey.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Maahra Hill teased what viewers can expect from the second half of the season.
“It’s bigger, it’s better. It’s just a more exciting season overall. There’s more that’s happening and there’s more episodes in general to explore,” she told Us. “The characters still have these emotional arcs that happen — even though there’s not a case that goes through the entire season — there’s a love story that goes through the season. There are relationships that transform a bit through the season.”
Hill noted the freedom that came with an extended episode order, although Marisa won’t be able to avoid her feelings for too long.
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“But because the show is more focused on this case and this case and this case, it serves Marisa in that she’s very much focused on work and not so much focused on her grief,” she shared about the death of Marisa’s boyfriend, Jace (Brian King) . “She’s free from — if you want to call suppression freedom — because she’s not experiencing it. She’s free from thinking about what happened to her. Until another thing surfaces and happens to her that is quite surprising for her. And I think [it will be surprising for] the audience as well. So she’s free for the first half. There’s a certain freedom in the first half.”
Based on the 2008 non-fiction book Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, The Irrational takes inspiration from the life of Dan Ariely. The show follows world-renowned expert in behavioral science Alec (Jesse L. Martin), who lends his insight to the FBI to help solve high-stakes cases by better understanding the human behavior behind the crime.
Hill plays Marisa, who is an FBI agent and Alec’s ex-wife. The first season of the show had the pair investigating the traumatic bombing that led to Alec being left physically scarred years ago. While trying to find the culprit, Jace was killed because he got too close to the truth.
Marisa’s personal arc in season 2 has her choosing herself over finding someone new.
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“You don’t have to go from one relationship to the other. Spend some time processing because otherwise you’ll take stuff into the next situation with you,” Hill told Us about Marisa remaining single at the beginning of season 2. “She does her best to process the experiences. She went through a divorce, an incredible loss and then there’s another loss that comes up that surfaces in the middle of the season that we learn about as well.”
Hill praised the writers’ room for allowing Marisa the space to heal, adding, “The writers did a great job of encouraging her in that direction and letting her just take some time. I hope audiences consider that, too.”
Elsewhere in the season, Marisa was offered the opportunity to advance in her career at the FBI. She rejected the new job, but that doesn’t mean Marisa isn’t heading toward greatness.
“I could see her being a lobbyist. It could be a political track. I don’t think she ever wants to be behind the desk, so that is why she turned that [job] down,” Hill detailed. “”As far as a career trajectory, I would love to see her just branch out in ways — something that would stay true to her service to the community.”
Hill continued: “Personally, I just want to keep seeing her grow and learn more about herself. If someone else comes along in her life, then so be it. That’s great. But I love just the journey of becoming more and more of who she is and finding out her truest nature outside of a relationship. Then if that brings one in, that’s amazing.”
While reflecting on her time on The Irrational, Hill highlighted what sets the show apart.
“What I like most is the impact that it has on the audience. With any project that I do, I want to know that it is in service to the audience in some way that’s beneficial. I felt like that after reading the script. With this one, I was like, ‘Oh my God, it could change the world.’ I was overreaching, I’m sure. But at its best, it’ll have an impact on so many because you’ll just get curious,” she shared with Us. “Life takes curiosity away in weird ways. So The Irrational, it would make you more curious about yourself, others, your behavior and what motivates it. That’s what stuck out — just the potential impact that the show could have.”
The Irrational airs on NBC Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
