‘The Irrational’: Professor Alec Mercer Steps out of His ‘Typical Wheelhouse’ to Help a Former Student [Exclusive Clip]
He usually uses his insight to solve crimes, but Professor Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin) is now being challenged to dig deep into a Vegas cheating scheme on an upcoming episode of NBC‘s The Irrational.
The Irrational follows Alec Mercer, who taps into his behavioral psychology insight to help law enforcement tackle high-stakes crimes. His insight and unconventional approach to understanding human behavior lead him and the team on a series of intense, unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries. The show is based on best-selling author Dan Ariely’s book, Predictably Irrational.
In the episode titled “Lucky Charms,” Alec moves into new territory. He receives a phone call from Camille, one of his former students who is now an expert poker player. She shares her suspicions that one of the players has been cheating ahead of a high-risk tournament – and she needs Alec to help her with more than her game.
A favorite student resurfaces in Alec’s life
In an exclusive clip shared with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Alec is pleasantly surprised to hear from Camille when she calls. She jokes that not only is she surprised he answered the phone, but would “probably be in your burn book by now.”
He tells her he “always has time for my favorite student.” Alec wonders if Camille is still playing poker, which helps her get right to the point. “I’m playing in this huge tournament and I think one of the players is cheating,” she tells him.
‘The Irrational’ goes to Vegas
Camille then shares why she thinks the player is cheating based on the player’s behavior. She added, “I could really use your help to figure this out. How does a trip to Vegas sound?”
“Intriguing,” Alec says. “But aren’t there whole security squads there devoted to this type of thing?” Camille wants Alec on the case because the “security squads” can’t “see what you see” she tells him.
“Gambling fraud isn’t in my typical wheelhouse,” he replies. But when Camille tells him out “high stakes” this is, Alec realizes she doesn’t need his help to win at poker. And her life could depend on his help.
Don’t miss tonight’s episode of The Irrational, which airs at 10 p.m. ET. Episodes air on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC and stream next day on Peacock.
