Profiling Prodigal: Our Theories for What Comes Next When ‘Prodigal Son’ Season 2 Returns

Kailey
12 Min Read
Phil Caruso/FOX

Authors: Kenedi, Brianna, Kailey

Prodigal Son has come to be known for its crazy characters and even crazier plot twists. With the shock that was delivered in the season 1 finale (seriously, no one saw it coming) and the continuous delivery of exciting storylines, we are … scared to see what happens in the second half of season 2, especially with the events that have been transpiring within the Whitly family in the first seven episodes. In this article, we’re laying out our theories of the possible shocking events that could transpire in season 2B of Prodigal Son.

Prison Break

Phil Caruso/FOX

It’s a very curious development that Martin’s prison break plan was so very prominent in the first several episodes but then oddly disappears from the discourse. We’re not fooled. Thus far, Prodigal Son has yet to let a single plot hole or storyline end without explanation, and we think Martin’s escape plan will definitely return in the second half of season two. In fact, we suspect Martin may already have the all-important gold card and is just biding his time. There are three main possibilities in our eyes for Martin’s means of escape.

  1. In episode 4 (“Take Your Father to Work Day”), Martin swipes a dropped card, which Malcolm later confiscates. BUT, Martin also makes a show of picking up a very shaky Malcolm from the ground, perhaps picking his pocket to take the gold card Malcolm had in the process.
  2. If you recall, Rhonda (poor Jer-Bear’s lover/murderer) had a key on her, allowing her to lure Martin and Malcolm into the basement to try and kill them. Rhonda’s gold card was never seen being revoked. Is it possible that Martin gave up the one he had to Malcolm so easily because he stole the other one from Rhonda when no one was looking? We wouldn’t put anything past Dr. Whitly.
  3. Additionally, there is also the real possibility that Dr. Capshaw has been introduced as a possible second opportunity at an escape. Vivian and Martin have some … weird energy going on between them — but more on that later. If their relationship continues to develop, it’s totally possible that she might try and help him conduct a jailbreak. Anyone who loves true crimes knows of cases where prison nurses aided the escape of inmates. Perhaps we’ll see a similar story here.

Will Our Hearts Go On?

FOX

A few ships have cropped up already on Prodigal Son, but there are two main ones that just can’t seem to catch a break or properly verbalize their emotions leaving us to wonder if they will ever truly sail. First are Gil and Jessica, dubbed Gilica by fans. Season 1 gave us the famous Gilica kiss that had us believing that these two were finally willing to give a real relationship a shot, and that hope was strengthened when Jessica was right there to nurse Gil back to health. But our hopes were dashed when Jessica overheard Dani; it drove a wedge, and the waters have since been icy between the two. We did get a lovely moment of Gil softening when he learns that Jessica has gone to Martin, of all people, for help, so perhaps they will find each other again in the last half of the season.

Ship number two is the popular Brightwell, Malcolm and Dani. There have been hints of something more between the two, and their chemistry on-screen is undeniable. Fans were given a little taste of Brightwell in season 2, episode 6, “Head Case,” when Malcolm is unconscious and dreams up a romantic relationship between them. Even after he wakes, we see a flash of their kiss as he’s looking at the real Dani, but he doesn’t tell her. Perhaps this dream planted the idea of more than platonic feelings, at least on Malcolm’s side. We might not see a lot of progress in the romance department, what with Malcolm busy trying to throw Hoxley off his trail, but we can definitely expect his and Dani’s friendship to continue developing. Even with Malcolm being “more Bright-ish” in season 2, Dani’s right there, ready to help.

Gil or Dani Find Out the Truth. Or Both?

FOX

We have a bad feeling about this. The Whitly family has a habit of keeping secrets, but we’re worried this certain secret won’t stay hidden for much longer. As we know so far, only the Whitly’s immediate family (Jessica, Malcolm, Martin, and of course Ainsley) know of *one* of the infamous Whitly slayings by none other than Ainsley herself. We have a theory that Jessica or Malcolm will confide in someone outside of the family. Dani and Gil are great detectives, and the whole Whitly family is acting weirder than usual. Dani was unsure of Malcolm’s behavior in episode 7, and she kept a close eye on him all episode, but can we blame her? We just have a sneaky suspicion that she may put the pieces faster than the Whitly’s can get rid of them. What about Gil? He can usually tell if something is up with Malcolm, but what if Jessica spills first? Too many unknowns, and with Simon Hoxley joining the equation, we have a feeling the Whitly family may be in deep trouble.

The Love That Will Definitely Make Us Throw Up in Our Mouths

Phil Caruso/FOX

Though they’ve only reveled in each others’ presence for a brief amount of time, the … tension (yeah, let’s go with that) between Dr. Vivian Capshaw and Dr. Whitly (along with what looks like a kiss scene in this clip) is heavily hinting that a prison romance is on the horizon. Capshaw already seems to have thawed from the icy demeanor that she initially held towards Martin after he helped saved the patient by guiding her through a craniotomy. The lingering press of the butterscotch candy, Capshaw’s soft tone as she bid him goodnight, and Martin’s resulting smile only bode bad things for the future. While this will definitely be something interesting to watch play out, we will definitely be having queasy stomachs while simultaneously not being able to tear our eyes away.

Jessica’s Book Deal: Good or Bad?

Phil Caruso/FOX

If you can’t trust family, then who can you trust? Also revealed in episode 7 is that Jessica’s sister, Birdie, was trying to make money off of a book deal about Jessica and the rest of the Whitly family. Seemingly with no other options, Jessica decides she is going to take the publishing company up on their offer. Jessica has been approached for years for this opportunity and has never agreed to it until now. We suspect that she holds a mountain of guilt over Martin’s actions, but what changed her mind? (Besides her sister’s betrayal?) What will she mention? Will she now be “Jessica Whitly: New York Times Bestseller” or “Jessica Whitly: Public Enemy #1?” Personally, we don’t think it’s a good idea for her to divulge into the Whitly family history, but at the same time, maybe it’s time for her to tell her side of the story. Will Malcolm be next? Oh lord, we hope not. There wouldn’t be enough books in the world to wrap that story up nicely. So many questions and not enough answers, but we hope we get some clarity in the second half of season 2.

Ainsley Strikes Again — And By Strikes, We Mean Kills

Phil Caruso/FOX

After the end of episode 7, I think it’s safe to say that Ainsley is sliding down a dark path. Her seemingly nonchalant attitude in the face of the realization that she murdered someone is definitely raising some red flags — not to mention that horrid prank she pulled on Malcolm. Whether or not the younger Whitly’s dissociative amnesia is still occurring is up in the air, but one thing that we’re predicting is that she’s going to go off the deep end sooner or later. Whether it’s a random news anchor or Simon Hoxley, we believe that Ainsley’s body count is going to grow by the time the end credits for season 2 roll around.

The Logistics of Estonia

FOX

With the arrival of Europol agent Simon Hoxley, there will hopefully come more answers about just how Malcolm got that body to Estonia. We know that even Martin doesn’t have those answers, and the true-crime fan in us is dying for those details. For one idea, that secret basement comes to mind for moving the body from the house. Then, did he send the body via ship? That takes roughly 30 days depending on container size, weight, shipping company, etc. Then there’s the question of who transported the body from the ship to the lake in Estonia and disposed of it. We could speculate all day about how he did it, but we’re sure it’s going to be foolproof with Malcolm’s genius mind at work.

While we can theorize till the cows come home, we’re sure that the Prodigal Son writers will still manage to surprise us again in the season finale. Whether or not our predictions will come to pass is still up in the air, but until we find out what’s going down, we’ll continue to try and piece the clues together like any good profiler or detective would.

Prodigal Son returns on Tuesday, April 13 at 9/8 p.m. CT on FOX. In the meantime, make sure to check out our podcast as well as all of our other Prodigal Son content to fill the void that is the hiatus.

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By Kailey
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Kailey has been a writer for Nerds and Beyond since 2018. She received her bachelors degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders in May of 2020. Some of her favorite TV shows are The Blacklist, Supernatural, and Prodigal Son, to name a few. She also loves all things Disney! You can check her out on social media @kaileygross.
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