Jesse L. Martin plays Alec Mercer in the new NBC drama The Irrational. Alec is a professor of behavioral science known for unraveling complex mysteries of human behavior. He has visible scars and memory issues, which create a puzzle around his character. It is revealed that Alec was burned in a drag racing accident, but he is evasive and hides the truth. The scars are actually from a church bombing that happened almost 20 years ago, where Alec survived but 13 people died. He feels responsible for not being able to identify the bomber.