This week’s episode, “The Job,” has a little bit of everything: humor, tense action sequences, and some big reveals. We even get a glimpse into Malcolm’s childhood as an old friend returns. Read on to see what we noticed while rewatching the episode!
Co-Parenting Whitlys
Co-parenting is never easy, especially when one of you happens to be a psychopathic serial killer locked up in a mental institution. However, when Martin calls Jessica at their old house number, which she kept after all these years, to express concern that he hadn’t heard from Malcolm, she also realizes that she hasn’t either. It’s normal for him not to answer calls, but not to return them within a timely manner … not so much. Jessica notes that psychopaths don’t have emotions, Martin counters stating they do; they can just turn them off. It’s true that Malcolm needs a good mother and father figure, stability, and then some, which prompts Jessica to tell Martin he’s right, goodbye, and she’s going to call Gil.
Malcolm and Eve’s Talk
Malcolm and Eve were once getting closer. However, after an incident happened that left Eve trying to talk to Malcolm and fearing for her life as he was having a nightmare and almost hurting her, it seemed like their relationship was done. The two finally get together again and talk over dinner, despite Malcolm being nervous. Eve was hoping they could talk about that night, she trusted him by coming over. Malcolm opens up to her, telling her about the nightmare he had about the girl in the box. The one his mother has been searching for. Malcolm tells her what happened, finding the girl in the trunk, and she comes to him in visions. He tried to save her, but he still feels responsible. And his nightmares like to remind him of that. Eve comforts him, telling him it’s not his fault. Malcolm admits that he feels terrible about what happened between them. Eve is one of the first people, outside his family and colleagues, that he’s confessed to about what happened and what he saw. He feels like he can trust her, almost like she’s his safety net.
Camera Work
It’s hard to talk about each episode and not mention the artistry of the camera work displayed by the Prodigal Son team. In this episode specifically, the scene that made our jaws drop was the arc shot of Malcolm appraising the jewelry while he talks to each of the team of thieves. As the camera circles, the team members change, keeping us intrigued. The camera shot reminded us of a clock, and each time it hits 12, a new team member talks to Malcolm. It can also show that time is passing while Malcolm is appraising. It was an interesting, genius choice that was made, and it completed the scene. We are always in awe of this show’s camera work, but we couldn’t move on without highlighting this scene. We are excited to see what camera shots await us in season 2!
Vijay
Vijay deserves pages upon pages dedicated to him, but alas, there is just this short paragraph. Vijay Chandasara stole the show in this episode with his excitable, goofy nature. As one half of “The Corner Table Boys” (can we please get a spin-off), Vijay was Malcolm’s best (i.e., only) friend back in the day — as Dani put it, he and Malcolm were part of the “bad dads club.” Vijay’s excitable nature and friendly desire to reconnect with Malcolm (golden retriever vibes, I tell you) lent the episode a laughable element despite the danger that the two former friends found themselves caught in. The man’s hilariously adorable/stupid penchant for speaking up at the wrong times almost got the pair killed (seriously, Vijay deserves his own danger count at this point), but the two men are able to rekindle their friendship and stop the baddies in one fell swoop. Will we be seeing more of Vijay in season 2? We sure hope so.
Malcolm’s Four-Way Profile
By now, we all know that Malcolm is a top-notch, expert criminal profiler who is also no stranger to working under pressure. We’ve watched him profile his own kidnapper, his almost-girlfriend (much to her displeasure), his mother, a killer while holding a live land mine … the list goes on. But this was the first time we’ve seen him profile not one but four people at once. He’s able to accurately suss out the thrill killer, his motive, and the internal relationships of the group while facing down the very real possibility of being murdered. It’s Malcolm’s ability to take us inside the minds of criminals each week that keeps us looking forward to each new murder. We feel certain that season 2 will only up the stakes for our favorite profiler!
Eve’s Backstory
In this episode, we get one of the creepiest and moving scenes of the show as we realize Eve has a connection to the Girl in the Box. After she finds out from Malcolm that Jessica has been searching for the girl’s identity, Eve offers to help Jessica. But when Jessica leaves her alone, Eve goes to the basement and crawls into the trunk the girl was trapped in, sobbing. Though we don’t know yet what her exact connection is, Eve clearly knows the girl, and this has a major effect on the story going forward.
Malcolm Danger Count: 3 (yes, profile all the potential murderers at once while provoking them into killing each other)
Prodigal Son season 1 is available now on Hulu and Fox Now, with season 2 premiering this January.
