[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of The Irrational.]

Summary

In Season 2 of the NBC series ‘The Irrational,’ behavioral science professor Alec Mercer uses his expertise to provide insight for law enforcement and others.

In the “Suddenly Alec” episode, Alec (Jesse L. Martin) and his girlfriend Rose (Karen David) go undercover at a community theater to solve a murder, leading to unexpected dangers.

Martin and David discuss their love for Little Shop of Horrors, singing in the show, and the impact of a shocking reveal.

In Season 2 of the NBC series The Irrational follows behavioral science professor Alec Mercer (Jesse L Martin) as he uses his expertise to provide insight for law enforcement and others in his life that are looking for answers. His human behavior-based approach comes in handy with the FBI, but also for everyday people in situations that might not otherwise be so easy to explain. With episode 217, entitled “Suddenly Alec,” Alec and his girlfriend Rose (Karen David) went undercover at a community theater to solve an actor’s murder. However, deciding to get their answers by actually becoming part of their production of Little Shop of Horrors proved to be more dangerous than either of them ever expected.
During this interview with Collider, co-stars Martin and David talked about their love of Little Shop of Horrors and how they’d always wanted to be part of that show, why Martin was so hesitant about singing at all in the series, ensuring that if they were going to get musical it would be connected to a case, how they’d wished they could have just done the performance for a real live audience, getting to sing together, the fun David had in her full Audrey costume, what they most enjoy about the Alec and Rose relationship, and how the shocking husband reveal will affect things in the upcoming season finale.

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Collider: Had either of you done Little Shop of Horrors before, at any point, in any production?
JESSE L. MARTIN: No, never. I’ve always been a big fan of it. I got to see the original production, way back in the day, when I first came to New York City. It was at the Orpheum, and I thought it was the most amazing thing, ever. I also thought it was amazing that this great voice that was playing the plant, we never saw during the show. It’s only right at the end when he comes out and bows. I was like, “What a cool part to play. Then, I became a really big fan of the movie, the musical version that took place in the ‘80s. I was like, “I certainly would love to play the part, and this may be the only chance I’ve got.” So, I went for it.
KAREN DAVID: Same here. I’ve always been a huge lover and fan of all things Little Shop of Horrors, but I’ve never been in the musical, so this was such a treat. And obviously, to be singing alongside Jesse was such a treat. Everyone has been wanting this for a very long time. We were just so thrilled that it was possible we could do this.
Jesse L. Martin and Karen David Loved How Organically ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Fit Into ‘The Irrational’

“I was a little bit against it for a really long time.”

I was definitely excited to find out that this show would be the excuse for you to finally sing on the show. Was it always Little Shop of Horrors, or did you have a list to choose from?
MARTIN: There was a list, but the bigger conversation was whether I would sing at all. I literally said, at the beginning of working on this project, that I don’t want to be the behavior psychologist/professor/ex-husband/boyfriend/brother who suddenly, out of nowhere, is singing. So, I was a little bit against it for a really long time. And then, our showrunner/creator/head writer Arika Mittman came by one day and said, “How do you really feel about singing?” I said, “Look, you know how I feel about it, but there is a world where it could happen, if it felt like it happened by mistake, where I wasn’t meant to be doing that but suddenly there I was. And she took that to heart and wrote a great story where, on a work day with Rose, played by the lovely Karen, we end up going undercover in a local theater production of Little Shop of Horrors. And then, because of the way the mystery unfolds, I end up having to actually do the show, and so does Rose.
DAVID: I just love how organically this all came to be. It really was these conversations of, “What can we do to get Jesse to agree to sing?” I selfishly, along with everyone, wanted this so much. But I totally understand where Jesse’s coming from because I sing, and I tend to sing a lot for different shows. I love it, but if it makes sense and it’s integral to the character and to the storyline, of course. So, we were just shooting ideas around and we let our childlike imaginations run with it, and Arika, our showrunner, is just so awesome, in the sense she’s very open-minded.
MARTIN: She’s a theater baby too.
DAVID: Jesse added the spin with the community theater.
MARTIN: That came out of a conversation that we had, off to the side, long before. We were like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if suddenly we ended up in a situation where we had to go undercover in a theater company?” Now, we didn’t think it was going to be a musical. We were talking about Shakespeare and things we could get the rights to do. That evolved into a musical.
DAVID: We manifested this.

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And it’s full-on production. Everybody else in it is really good and really talented too.
MARTIN: That was the coolest part about it. While we were doing it, we had the stage and we were in a local theater in Vancouver that probably needed that boost. And then, we had these incredible puppets that I think we rented from a house in Los Angeles. These puppets were treated very, very carefully, like they were babies. When it all came together, a big part of me fantasized about just continuing to do the show at this little theater in Vancouver. Of course, we couldn’t do that because I have a whole job, but we were set up to do the whole play. And the guest stars that we had, like Curt [Mega], who played Seymour, I don’t think he’s ever played Seymour before, but he probably should. He was fantastic. The cool thing is, if you’re in New York right now, that show is playing Off-Broadway and has been playing for a while now, so people can go see it. If I could do something like that on stage, I don’t rush towards musicals anymore because they’re very hard, but I’d certainly rush towards that because it’s a great part to sing.
DAVID: It’s joyous. As much as you loved watching it, we had so much fun performing it. At one point, Jesse and I looked at each other and we said, “My gosh, we’re doing this.” It was so thrilling. I can’t wait for everyone to see it because we did have the time of our lives.
‘The Irrational’s Jesse L. Martin and Karen David Tried To Sing Live As Much as Possible for Their ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Performance

“I was in heaven.”

Image via NBC

Was it always a given that you guys would find a way to sing together on stage?
MARTIN: No, it was never a given. It was never, ever, ever supposed to happen, so the fact that it did, and it did so quite organically, got everybody to go for it. Little did we know it was going to end up being this kooky little show, Little Shop of Horrors, which I certainly had an affinity for, but never imagined that I was going to get to play the part. I don’t know if Karen had any affinity for playing Audrey.
DAVID: I was in heaven.
MARTIN: She killed it. I couldn’t believe it. We obviously recorded some things beforehand, but we tried to do it live as much as we possibly could. I’m used to Karen speaking the way Karen speaks, with a lovely English accent. And then, out of nowhere, this Brooklyn thing came out singing and I was like, “Oh, she’s the real deal.”
DAVID: I love you. I was petrified inside with Jesse having spent a huge chapter of his life in New York, and Arika being from New York too. I was like, “Oh, my God, I’m surrounded by professional New Yorkers.” So, getting the accent and all of that right, I was quaking.
Karen, how much fun was it to put on the wig and the costume and get out there?
DAVID: What I loved was that Rose just took everything a little bit too seriously. She was fully committed. I just love that we see this side of her. One of my favorite scenes was with Jesse, when Rose and Alec are having this pow-wow session. We couldn’t stop laughing throughout that whole scene. I was channeling all the exercises that we would do in drama college warming up and really getting into it, and Jesse was such a good sport that just went along with it. He was so funny that it was really hard for me to keep a straight face.
MARTIN: When she was trying to train me to get excited about doing it, she literally channeled old-school national theater. I was like, “Oh, wow, she’s real serious about this.” That was coming from an angle that I do not know at all.” It was awesome.
DAVID: It was so much fun. I can’t stop smiling, just thinking about all of it. Rose taking it way too seriously was so much fun for me to play. As soon as you step into that outfit and that wig, that’s it, Audrey comes out. In between takes, when Jessie was singing in the booth, I would forget that the cameras were rolling because I was so lucky to have front row seats.
MARTIN: I’m usually very aware that the cameras are rolling, but while we were doing the play, it really became about just doing the play. I forgot where the cameras were. There were times when they were on me in the booth that I didn’t know at all, so I was just playing the plant.

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One of the things the episode really made me stop and think about was where the relationship for these two started and how we never could have imagined they would get to this point. What do you guys most enjoy about where Alec and Rose are at in their relationship now?
MARTIN: It’s amazing that we started our relationship as a work/dating relationship. It’s quite obvious that I’m very busy doing what I do, being a professor and also helping solve these mysteries and crimes, and she’s a corporate fixer who also helps, in so many ways, other people. We’re constantly working, so we had to figure out times when we could actually have a date and develop this relationship between us. The idea of going on a work date is no big deal to us, which is how we end up in this play in the first place. She’s just trying to do her job and I’m just trying to help her, and then, lo and behold, we’re on stage.
DAVID: Just watching the journey of these two characters has been utter joy. I could not have asked for a more wonderful work husband in Jesse. He’s the best scene partner, and so kind and so giving. One thing I love about the show so much is that, yes, these two individuals, their identity is very much locked into what they do, but it’s so nice to see two characters that give so much of themselves to others, to be in service of others. They’ve found each other and they’re navigating through the challenges of having two very unusual 9-to-5 jobs, so to speak.
MARTIN: Which aren’t even 9-to-5.
DAVID: I know, it’s 24 hours a day. And you see these wonderful scenes that are dotted in and out, throughout solving a case together. You see the humanity and the normality of two people navigating through a new relationship. Where does that take them? When I read the end of this episode, I said, “Oh, my God, everyone’s going to hate me. Of course, they’re going to hate Rose. They’re going to kill Rose because Alec is such a beloved character by many.” Rose continually keeps me on my toes and surprises me constantly. I’m like, “What else don’t I know about Rose?” Alec must really, really love her.
MARTIN: It’s not just the essence of drama. She gives me something to get hyped about every single time, whether I like it or not.
This episode is left on this big reveal that Rose has a husband that Alec wasn’t aware of.
DAVID: Minor detail.
How Will That Shocking Reveal Change Things for Alec and Rose in ‘The Irrational’ Finale?

“Who does that?”

Image via NBC

I’ve seen the next episode, but for the fans who haven’t seen it yet, what would you say to tease how that will work for them? What effect will that have on them?
MARTIN: Obviously, Alec is not thrilled to find out that she has a husband. In true fashion of how we work, we end up having to work with her husband. Who wants to do that? It’s a testament to how much he actually does love this woman that somehow he finds a way to not only take in the fact that she has a husband, but he ends up working with her and the guy. Who does that?
DAVID: Alec does that. Rose is reminded of how blessed she is to have such a patient, understanding partner in Alec because nothing about her job is normal. She’s said to Alec in past episodes, “There are going to be things that I know I’m going to have to do that you’re not going to like, and perhaps won’t even agree with,” and yet he’s still there. We’ve seen in these past two seasons that Alec is the one person that truly sees Rose for who she is and celebrates that, even when Rose can’t do that for herself. She knows that she can’t get away with murder, pardon the pun, with Alec. He keeps her on her toes in so many wonderful and delightful ways, and annoyingly delightful ways too. That’s why she makes this big step towards her future with Alec and her career. Meeting someone like Alec has made her realize what she’s been missing in life, and it’s about having a sense of family, a sense of community, and a sense of belonging. That’s something Rose has never had, and she’s found that with someone like Alec and his community. I love that these last two episodes pulled Alec more into Rose’s world, so we get to see, good and bad, those challenges. That makes for more interesting future storylines, to see how these two continue to navigate through this new chapter where she decides to be more present for her relationship with Alec.

The Irrational

Release Date

September 25, 2023

Network

NBC

Showrunner

Arika Mittman

Writers

Arika Mittman

The Irrational airs on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock. Check out this behind-the-scenes look: