#prodigalsonsource

HALSTON SAGE as AINSLEY WHITLY

What if Martin wanted Malcolm to stab him?

Consider:

Martin’s hand on Malcolm’s...it really looks like he’s pulling Malcolm’s hand forward, guiding the knife towards himself. At first I thought this was a quirk of the stunt coordination -- but what if it’s not?

The show has previously established that Martin has taught Malcolm exactly where to stab a person in order to avoid killing them outright...maybe that’s what Martin is going for here, again?

Martin tone when he says “There’s no other way” is overly casual, and I believe that’s a conscious acting choice on Michael Sheen’s part. This sounds like a man with a plan...

...and that plan will always involve Malcolm, his “prodigal son.” The show continuously sets Malcolm and Martin up as two sides of a coin. Malcolm defines himself by Martin, and in many ways, Martin defines himself by Malcolm as well. They think they need each other. This inextricable relationship is a big part of what makes the show so compelling, because it sets up the central tension for our hero: Malcolm thinks he can only define himself in contrast to (or in comparison to, as Martin keeps trying to convince him) his father. But Dani, and others, and we as viewers all know that in the end, for him to truly live a meaningful and fulfilling life, he has to separate himself from his father.

Martin sees and understands that this time, Malcolm is finally, truly pulling himself away from Martin’s orbit. That Malcolm realizes he can have a life outside of his father. So Martin moves in to convince him of Malcolm’s biggest fear -- that he can’t be his own man, he is nothing without his father, and that they are the same.