Before I get into what happened on Monday night’s winter premiere episode of Prodigal Son, let’s step briefly back in time and remember where we left off. First, the FBI is now involved in the Junkyard Killer case, Martin is in solitary confinement, Jessica is trying to find the victim related to the charm bracelet, and oh yeah, Malcolm gets kidnapped by the Junkyard Killer, aka John Watkins.
We open with Malcolm chained up in an empty room, but he’s still a profiler at heart so he’s trying to justify how John came to be a serial killer. The Junkyard Killer breaks it down simply for Malcolm, he’s always enjoyed it. Case closed. And I suppose Malcolm is fine with that for now, because he’s still concerned with the girl in the box and the camping trip he took with his dad and John. We get a glimpse of a scar on John’s side caused by none other than a young Malcolm, so he repays the favor, leaving Malcolm bleeding out on the floor.
Gil is desperate to find Malcolm, so much so that he even goes to visit Martin, hoping he’ll cough up some vital information. Once Martin learns that John has Malcolm, he proclaims that his son is already dead. As we flash back to that fateful camping trip, we learn that Martin brought his son along to kill him because he knows too much about the girl in the box. Once at the camp though, Martin loses his nerve and doesn’t kill his boy, but John had no problem trying to finish Malcolm off for him. Hence the self-defense stab wound.
Everyone, FBI included, seem to think that Malcolm has to be at the cabin, so John can clean up his unfinished business. Nope. Turns out he’s in Jessica’s basement! Ainsley shows up, and it ends up being a cat and mouse chase in the dark. Desperate to save his family, Malcolm hallucinates Martin helping him escape. Which ends up being some Saw-like sh**. He shatters his thumb with a hammer so he can slide his hand through the cuff. Nasty. But he ends up luring John into a trunk and locks him in there “for good.” I’ll believe it when I see it.
Again, I like that this story has spanned over several episodes, and I’m sure it will bleed into next week. Although I do suspect we’ll be back to the weekly procedural next week, too. Either way, this episode was a good way to come back off of an extended break. It had me at the edge of my seat with anticipation and anxiety! I hope this roll Prodigal Son is on continues throughout the remainder of its freshman season. Until next week!