‘The Irrational’: Maahra Hill Teases ‘Shocking’ Winter Premiere as Marisa’s Past Surfaces While Working With Rose (Exclusive)

NBC sophomore drama The Irrational returns tomorrow, Jan. 7, for its winter premiere and Maahra Hill spoke to PopCulture.com about the female power duo that will be at the forefront. In “Lost Souls,” an acclaimed tennis player goes missing in a remote forest so “Alec is called to help find her and bring to her to safety. However, a medical emergency threatens to sideline Alec, leaving Maris and Rose to race against time and rescue the woman.”

Hill, who plays FBI Special Agent Marisa Clark, shared with PopCulture just what the agent and Karen David’s Rose will be getting into. Plus, with Alec being their one common topic, things could be getting awkward between them, but Marisa’s past will be coming to light. It’s still going to be an exciting episode, and Hill had a lot to say. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity).

PopCulture: What can you preview for the midseason premiere of The Irrational?

Maahra Hill: It’s an exciting episode. The relationship between Marisa and Rose is strengthened. We find Alec in a situation where he’s not quite able to physically be present because of some of the things that he’s facing medically. He’s been sidelined. So, there’s some tension around his not being available, but Marisa and Rose take the case together, and they do a great job working together despite the fact that Marisa’s the ex. She’s been the girlfriend. They found a way to work together. And ultimately, some of the things that come out in that episode reveal a lot about Marisa’s past and what she’s been through, and the things that make her who she is today. They’re shocking for her at the time. I think they’re shocking for Rose to hear. I think it’ll be shocking for the audience as well. But it’s a much better look and a deeper glimpse into the character of Marisa.

PC: How was it teaming up with Karen and seeing that relationship between Marisa and Rose?

Hill: It’s great. I mean, Karen, just as a person, is amazing. She’s just so fun and delightful to work with. I like the fact that Rose and Marisa, just as these strong, capable women who are a force in their own right, in their own respective fields, were able to tackle a case together. They figured it out, and they, of course, tackled quite a bit along the way some things that were pretty dangerous, and they were faced with an unknown threat in this situation that they were able to work together to resolve. I think women working together and the way that they do is with flying colors, if you ask me. They did a great job.

PC: Would you want to see them working together a lot more in the future?

Hill: Absolutely. I mean, the thing about Marisa is that it’s law enforcement, so it’s a lot more black and white, and it’s strict, and it has to follow a certain protocol. In my scenes with Karen, it’s just a lot more intriguing. It’s not necessarily the law, but there are some times when it might be involved. I think just the places where maybe some lawlessness meets the law between the two people that are fighting on the same side for the best outcome as women would be great. And they’re both strong powerful women, and I just love the idea that they would be able to join forces and work together. It’s fun working here.

PC: Obviously, with the two of them working together, I can only imagine the stuff that comes up between them since Marisa and Alec are obviously broken up and are still friends and working together. But how does she feel about him being with Rose?

Hill: I think that the writers and the showrunner, Arika Mittman, in particular, do a really good job of ensuring that this new dynamic is handled in the most mature way possible. But there’s also clearly gonna be some things around seeing your ex-husband with another woman for the first time. I think she just rises above it. It was her choice to get the divorce, and so I don’t think she’s in a position to, nor do I think she wants to, fight against his happiness. I think she wants that for him, and Rose clearly makes him happy. So I think it’s difficult.

It’s layered in ways where, certainly, she’s got a strong relationship with Alec. They have a great working relationship, and they have a great friendship that’s continuing to grow. But the idea that you could move on in a way that says that I can actually also work well together with your new girlfriend definitely, seriously, I do feel like that’s a measure of growth for her, and I think that the writers and the showrunner do a wonderful job of making sure that they all have a really mature approach to the situation. But I think, certainly, beneath the surface, it’s emotional in ways for sure.

PC: You were saying before that the episode will be bringing up some stuff about Marisa’s past. What was it like digging into that and exploring more about her?

Hill: Fun. It was an actor’s dream. I was so grateful to be able to have such good material and to find out that she’s flawed in so many complex ways. It just brought up new complexities and ways to understand more about the character. The scenes were intense. The things that she she’s that are unearthed in this next episode for her are rather shocking. And they bring her to a moment of reckoning. She’s got to face something that comes up from her past that, for her, even I think, has been hidden in ways. So, it was intense, but it was fun. It was beautiful to play.

The Irrational returns tomorrow, Jan. 7, at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.