Prodigal Son (2×01) It’s All in the Execution Review

After reviewing the pilot, I’m back for more Prodigal Son action.

Synopsis: Bright finds his personal life in disarray after his sister’s shocking actions; he must take care of her and protect his mother from a secret that could tear the family apart all over again; Malcolm must find a killer. (TV Guide)

When it comes to the Season 2 premiere of Prodigal Son, some things never change. The ending of Season 1 with Nicholas Endicott (Dermot Mulroney) meeting his demise at the hands of Ainsley Whitly (Halston Sage) and Malcolm still looms large as the latter must face the psychological repercussions of what happened while keeping this secret from the people he works with and the rest of his family, including his mother Jessica (Bellamy Young). The younger Whitly, one that has lived largely outside her family’s murderous tendencies, appears to be fine but suffice it to say that she is also dealing with the same kind of trauma. However it will manifest itself remains to be seen but it will surely happen.

Meanwhile, certain things did change as the characters dealt with the events of the premiere while the world as a whole has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movement. That transition was a little messy at best though let’s see where things go. In the end, what better to distract Malcolm than another case for him to strut his stuff and what a case it was. He was especially cheery this time around.

It’s All in the Execution started with Malcolm confronting a man on a ledge. His methods are definitely unusual but the other man was revealed to be a serial killer he tracked down and it was all Malcolm’s plan. It wasn’t seamless as he found himself at one point holding on to the killer after he stumbled off the ledge (and debated the pros and cons of letting him go) and getting a call from his dad of course. Martin was going back to his old home after helping the prison he was sent to with their COVID outbreak but Malcolm had more pressing issues to deal with.

The case involved a widow of a Texas oil tycoon (who was allegedly murdered by a caterer in his employ) who was decapitated with a guillotine by who appeared to be a justice-seeker. Collecting murder memorabilia himself, Malcolm was up to date with all the goings-on in the field, so he turned to his dad for help with finding the owner of a guillotine that was sold in New York City, Martin’s new old home was different this time around as he had to share it with a fellow inmate named Jerry (Michael Chernus) who was mentally disabled (Martin later tried to electrocute him which only cured his condition but it also got him out of the room). Meanwhile, with Gil recovering from his injuries at the hand of Endicott, JT (Frank Harts) was in charge of the unit (and he wasn’t exactly camera-friendly). Dani (Aurora Perrineau) still turned to him for guidance where Gil admitted that he let his feelings for Jessica cloud his judgement.

Once Malcolm and Dani found the guillotine, they found evidence of it being recently used though not by its owner. A sex dungeon downstairs had the widow’s boyfriend and presumed suspect Boyd (Robbie Tann), the victim of another medieval torture method, being trapped alive behind a wall of bricks. Malcolm rescued him and took advantage of his weakened mental state to coax a confession of having killed the tycoon and pinning it on the young caterer. Meanwhile, the widow’s lawyer, a woman named Natalie Barba (Jeanette Dilone) was actually the sister of the man who was wrongfully executed. This of course made her a suspect but it didn’t fit so the next possible option was the executioner in Texas who wanted to seek justice after executing an innocent man.

Malcolm had a plan to coax out the executioner that maybe went too well as Tom Henry Glanton (Michael Laurence) had been watching for a long time and picked up some murderous vibes from him while being fascinated by his murder weapon collection, A fight ensued between them where Glanton confessed to the decapitation and the torture (where Dani stopped Malcolm just in time). Meanwhile, JT was wrongfully apprehended by the police on the way to the scene but thankfully Gil had his back.

The episode also featured flashbacks to what happened after Endicott’s murder which essentially saw Malcolm cover it up with the help of Martin who maybe read too much in their partnership here. It ended with one last visit where Martin thanked Malcolm for saving Ainsley while confronting him about his feelings after getting away with murder.

The Malcolm and Martin connection took some time to get going in season 1 but this new wrinkle looks to add another dimension to their complicated relationship. The character drama and dark subject matter seem to gel so well. While there will always be the case of the week, it’s that character drama that still makes Prodigal Son worth tuning in for every week.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.