As I get further and further into Prodigal Son, I can’t find myself really getting into it too much. The most distracting quality of the show is the weekly procedural case. They are just too quick. I would have really liked to have seen them expand on the copycat killer from the first episode, but based on the preview for next week it looks like they are going to address a different copycat…odd.
On the opposite end of the brief weekly procedurals, the more compelling story lies within the slow burn of figuring out Malcolm and his messed up family. Malcolm himself clearly has a slew of problems, most notably PTSD from his encounters with his serial killer father as a child, but we also see that he may be on the brink of a psychotic break. And digging into his past because of maybe repressed memories resurfacing isn’t helping at all.
Malcolm’s mother Jessica, while a polished and slightly agitating debutante on the surface, seems like she’s trying to keep secrets buried in order to protect herself, or her kids, as she claims. You can’t help but think she knows more than she’s letting on and is just really good at fooling people. Meanwhile, Ainsley is in denial. She’s thinks she’s been shorted in life because she never got to know her father. What is there to know?! He murdered a crap ton of people! Sure, he may have never wanted to murder his family, but that’s not really a trait one can overlook, although maybe you can if you’re a soulless news reporter looking to break big.
I have read plenty of theories claiming that while Malcolm is the obvious worry in becoming his father, it is Ainsley that may be the one. She is younger, which is in the tale of the prodigal son, and she is looking to connect with someone she never got the chance to know before. I think that would be an excellent twist! And I would love to see how that would play out.
Right now, for me, everything is still too surface level for a show that could be taken much more seriously and dangerously. I hope they find a better groove soon and stick with it! I want to stay a fan, but there’s too many other good shows out there to maybe waste more than a season of my time on this one (regardless of how good looking Tom Payne is).