We're heading into what is now the series finale of the series, assuming some entity with sense doesn't pick up the series.
Suffice to say, the Prodigal Son cancelation is devastating, and we at TV Fanatic are utterly heartbroken by this news.
After the events of Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 12, it's abundantly clear that this series has so much left to give.
Discussing this hour is bittersweet in the wake of the news, but we shall talk about it regardless.
There's nothing like the love between father and son.
Despite Malcolm's feelings about Martin, he loves his father. It was on full display during the penultimate finale. And now, both Martin and Malcolm are in the wind, and Vivian Capshaw is playing the victim.
Capshaw is certifiable, and it turns out she didn't so much help Martin escape as she did go Fatal Attraction on him.
Capshaw believed she and Martin were somehow the same, and she expected his love and devotion. The woman deluded herself into believing that Martin was capable of loving her and they could become some power killer couple.
Malcolm's profile of Capshaw seemed to fade to the background and get lost with some of the others things happening.
It sounded as if she had some form of hero thing and didn't mind jeopardizing the safety of others to save the day.
It cultivated some allegiance and loyalty in the one patient Malcolm and Dani went to speak to, and it's what made her a renegade disowned by most of the medical world.
It explained why she got banished to Claremont in the first place. It speaks to how people regard the safety and health of the imprisoned that they would allow Capshaw to work there.
As Martin realized, Capshaw knew about the issue with the patient that she and Martin saved together.
Capshaw saw a kinship with Martin, and she became obsessed with him. But is anyone else trying to figure out how she escaped the infirmary in time to drug Martin and get him in her trunk?
The woman must have the strength of a super soldier to lug drugged Whitlys around.
Capshaw's ability to slip under the radar is fascinating. It was such a close call when the cop stopped her, but he ended up hitting on her during their whole exchange instead.
She's deceptive and seems to fly under the radar with people presuming she's some sweet and innocent woman, but we've seen the edge she has, and something wicked always lurked beneath the surface.
She accomplished a hell of a lot by managing to throw off Malcolm, Jessica, and others. Her drug game was bizarre, and it seemed she was channeling Martin.
Inquiring minds would love to know what her endgame was here. Did she want to embark on a killing spree with Martin? Did she think she could reform him in some way?
How did she think she'd keep him hidden from the authorities when there was an entire manhunt for him?
You would think it wouldn't take that much convincing to consider that the woman whose key card was stolen from her and promptly got fired and disappeared was someone that could've been in on things with Martin.
However, Malcolm had his work cut out for him, first trying to convince everyone that Capshaw was potentially Martin's victim, then later as his captor.
Malcolm: I can't live like this, knowing he's out there somewhere. He could come for me anytime.
Dani: That's not what scares you. What scares you is living the rest of your life without your father.
Ruiz was not trying to listen to anything Malcolm had to say after the cabin incident, but her anger, while warranted to some degree, was bizarre when she implied that Malcolm sent them on a wild goose chase.
Technically, Malcolm is the reason they found Hector. It wasn't solely one escapee they were looking for, but three, and Malcolm led them to two of them.
But Ruiz wasn't willing to listen to Malcolm, and she wanted him off the case. Gil and the others essentially agreed, but mostly out of genuine concern for Malcolm, who was on a razor's edge, hand tremor and all.
One of the upsides to Martin getting sidelined from the team was how he enlisted the help of his mother and sister. Is there anything better than Malcolm and Jessica teaming up to get to the bottom of things with Capshaw?
The two of them working together made for pure entertainment, and in the perfect world, Prodigal Son could've found new and inventive ways to get Jessica involved in the investigatory part of things.
The way she bum-rushed the head of the medical board, embarrassing him by associating with him in public and reminding him that he was the one who introduced her to Martin, was hilarious. Jessica is such an underrated character, and it's remarkable how much she's brought to the series in unexpected ways.
She and Malcolm played off of each other well and were the preferable duo to Malcolm and Ainsley. However, the Whilty siblings entertain in their special way too.
Malcolm, his mother, and his sister all had something to gain or maybe lose with Martin on the lam, and it brought up the type of interesting conflict unique to Prodigal Son.
On the one hand, so many others insisted that if Martin died, then all of their lives would be better. For outsiders, it seemed like a no-brainer -- a deceased Martin would set them free.
But it doesn't take into account that there is Martin Whitly and The Surgeon. The rest of the world knows The Surgeon for his murderers and misdeeds.
The Whitlys know Martin. They loved the man before they realized what he was, but that sentiment doesn't vanish with the knowledge of what he's done.
Jessica, out of all, is the one person who would seem as if she'd want the man dead. She said as much. But when Martin called her, and Vivian took over the phone, she was horrified at the idea that Capshaw would cause Martin harm.
She didn't know how she should feel or whether or not she should overlook everything or send for help.
She spent much of the hour conflicted, and she never told Gil about Capshaw. She didn't want Vivian to kill Martin, but then a part of her did, and upon Gil's comments about how it was OK to think about it, she chose to keep her mouth shut on the subject matter.
Meanwhile, Malcolm couldn't hide his concern for his father; it was undeniable.
The oner person on the team who was willing to indulge him, as per usual, was Dani. She previously had to deal with Malcolm in various states at his most reckless, too. When she expressed that she was afraid, it felt different.
Capshaw: Don't you share the popular opinion about Martin Whity?
Malcolm: Of course I do. He's a psychopath. An unrepentant murderer.
Capshaw: Then why are you here?
Malcolm: Because he also happens to be my father.
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She knew that Malcolm was more distressed than she ever saw him before, and there was no way of reining him in this time. She saw Malcolm's obsession with Martin for what it was: genuine fear over losing his father.
She sympathized with him to a degree, too, but she, much like Gil was with Jessica, also saw Martin's potential demise as a blessing in disguise. She felt it was a troubled Malcolm's shot at freedom.
I can't imagine what it's like to hear people you care about speaking that way about your family. Sure, Martin is a psychopathic serial killer and all, but he's still someone Malcolm cares about, and that's not something to downplay.
He's also a living, breathing person. It became odd that everyone willing to consider that Martin's life was in danger waved it off as some greater good.
If Vivian Capshaw is a murderer, too, then she needed to be stopped as well. The lack of morality and ethics displayed by all was a bit jarring in that sense.
It had Malcolm feeling as if he was on an island by himself to a degree.
And yet, Malcolm and Dani's feelings for one another boiled over in that storage facility at the height of Malcolm's frantic state.
Malcolm was torn up and obsessively worried about Martin, and Dani was concerned about him.
It led to a rash makeout session, fueled by jumbled-up feelings and adrenaline, and it was long overdue.
As far as Brightwell's first official kiss in reality and not a dreamscape, it didn't happen as you'd expect. It was rushed, abrupt, and the timing couldn't have been worse, but I suppose part of that was the point. At least we got this moment.
Malcolm knows his feelings, and he's been trying to keep Dani at arm's length romantically for her protection. Dani has always been a bit harder to read, only because we don't have the same insight into her mind and thought process.
Everything we surmise from Dani about her feeling for Malcolm is based on near-constant concern and checking in on him. They were interrupted by a phone call, and you could tell that Dani wanted to talk about what happened sometime in the future.
She couldn't have anticipated that Capshaw would take Malcolm. It was equally as odd that Dani went back to the precinct, and I guess, assumed that Malcolm was avoiding her after the kiss.
Typically, Dani pushes Malcolm to open up to her, and I didn't buy that she wouldn't pursue him or challenge him on running away if that's what she thought he did.
Instead, Malcolm confronted Capshaw in the parking garage and took one of his biggest risks to date.
Malcolm going after Capshaw and later taking meds that rendered him unconscious were his stupidest moves yet. He should've found a way to give Dani a head's up to what he was doing.
Following Capshaw got him in the same predicament as his father. Malcolm was right about everything, but at what cost?
Under pain and duress, Malcolm was able to admit to himself and Martin that he loves his father and didn't want any harm done to him.
It was captivating to see Malcolm come to grips with a sense of acceptance of his father. He doesn't hate him, and it took something of this caliber for Malcolm to accept that truth about himself.
Malcolm withstood Capshaw's torture and that disturbing extraction. Yet, he looked at his father and told him to run.
At the beginning of the series, Malcolm never would've believed he was capable of aiding his father or encouraging something like that.
Now, he has stopped fighting it. He's no longer desperately trying to hate his father. It's such a significant change and moment of truth for him as a character.
And Martin does love his son. He could've and should've left Malcolm on the table when Dani and Ainsley were arriving, but instead, he chose to bring Malcolm with him.
Martin can't let Malcolm go either.
I don't think Martin was prepared for Malcolm revealing how much he loves him. It's everything he could've wanted but nothing he ever expected to get.
The relationship between Martin and Malcolm is forever the best and most intriguing aspect of this entire series, and this situation gets to dig deep into that dynamic and play with it.
Ainsley caught some of Malcolm's conversation with Capshaw before she abducted him.
I would think it would count for something, and the others wouldn't assume Martin attacked Capshaw and is evading authorities to start another killing spree.
Finally, we can be together. Welcome home.
Capshaw
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Now, they'll probably think that Malcolm helped Martin escape, or they'll think that Martin did all of this and kidnapped Malcolm, too. Something tells me the truth of the matter won't be immediately assumed or accepted.
Now the team has to find Martin and Malcolm.
Over to you, Prodigal Son Fanatics. There's so much to discuss. We may as well get into all of it, from the cancellation to the cliffhanger.
Hit the blue Show Comments button below, and let's get into it all.
If you haven't been keeping up with Prodigal Son for whatever reason, or you'd love to relive all the things that made this series great, feel free to watch Prodigal Son online here via TV Fanatic.
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