#prodigalsonweek

Funny story. Technically, I’m a consultant. Well, at least until my boss fires me, which, at this point, seems inevitable.

Prodigal Son Appreciation Week 2021: Day Four - Favorite Relationship/Dynamic 

(source)

Oops...did I accidentally rewatch the entire episode while putting together this post? I did indeed. I guess that’s as good a sign as any that I feel confident in my choice for my favorite episode of Prodigal Son….*DRUMROLL*...episode 2x06, “Head Case”!

Well, duh, you may be thinking. DUH. Yes. I concur. Duh, indeed. But let’s talk about why, shall we? It’s not just the delicious Brightwell fluff, the uniquely Pson-blend of is this totally insane or legitimately hilarious? dark humor, and the case-of-the-week being particularly personal for Malcolm. Well, okay, it’s all of those things — but it’s all of those things ratcheted up to 11, wrapped up in the best writing of the series to date (all hail Wyatt Cain!). It’s everything we want as fans, and it’s everything an episode of television should be.

The opening scene is perfectly emblematic of what makes the show unique: We’re presented with a batshit insane situation (mom and serial killer dad staging an intervention with their Very Stressed Out Son to discuss telling his dear sister about the *~MuRdER~* she unknowingly committed??? sure) presented casually and unironically and somehow making us feel conflicting emotions of tension (poor Malcolm!) and humorous release (WHY IS MARTIN SO FUNNY) at the exact same time. Insanity. Genius. 

And what I love most about this episode is set up in this opening scene as well — the many layers of callbacks that give "Head Case” its brilliant, emotionally satisfying shape. It all begins with Malcolm’s throwaway barb to Martin: “I wish I didn’t know you were a killer.” What spills out from there is not the “It’s a Wonderful Life” AU in which Martin Whitly was not actually a serial killer (which many of us expected), but rather a probing look at what Malcolm’s life might have been like if Martin Whitly was never caught — and if Malcolm “didn’t know [he was] a killer.” The twist of Malcolm’s “head case” was laid out right there for us at the very beginning. That’s just good writing, my friends.

And speaking of good writing, oh boy, is there a lot of it in this episode. From purely a line-delivery perspective, I will never get over the repeated Duke Ellington gag, and everything that comes out of Michael Sheen’s mouth when he’s at the crime scene with Malcolm (“I don’t know if that will hold up in court, but I love it!”). From a plot perspective, the details of the case and the overall pacing of the episode are meticulously and seamlessly woven in...as are all of the details in Malcolm’s dream-world, from the subtle cues that Malcolm is not really awake — Dani’s hand on his at the hospital (the fact that he’s actually IN a hospital, smh), Dani calling him “Malcolm,” JT being extra jovial with him, Gil’s strange absence, Jessica drinking mocktails, no restraints on Malcolm’s bed — to the more obvious, but no less symbolically significant, elements of Malcolm’s dreamworld — the soft, caring, and honest romantic relationship with Dani, Malcolm as a detective and not just a consultant, Gil and Martin having swapped places, Ainsley following in her father’s footsteps as a doctor, not a murderer.

When Malcolm finally realizes this world he’s occupying isn’t real, the episode shifts into a deliciously self-aware deconstruction of its protagonist’s psyche, which has always been the most compelling element of the entire series for me. The details of his subconscious alternate reality project some of Malcolm’s deepest desires, even as he ignores or actively works against these desires in his real life — such as his desire for an intimate relationship with Dani, and his desire for a life not tied to his serial killer father (Jessica notes that her son is “making his own way in the world”). This subconscious reality represents a lot of Malcolm’s deep-seated fears as well: him being a detective reflects his fear that as a mere consultant, he’s not a true member of The Team; JT being so openly affectionate with him as a reflection of the rejection Malcolm feels whenever JT rebuffs him in real life; Ainsley being a doctor represents Malcolm’s fear that she is becoming more and more like her father in all the wrong ways.

The best episodes of Prodigal Son are the ones in which the case of the week is truly “personal” for Malcolm. And what could be more personal than a jaunt inside his own subconscious mind? (“Head Case,” indeed.) “If I solve the case, I’ll wake up” doesn’t just describe Malcolm’s stated goal in this episode — it describes his stated goal for the whole series. It’s his entire raison d’etre. And the most beautiful thing about it is that it’s wrong, as evidenced by the ending of Malcolm’s dreamworld. It’s never about solving the case, as much as Malcolm thinks it is, as much as Malcolm wishes it were. It’s about facing the painful truth of his reality...and moving forward with his life despite (or perhaps because of) it all.

That scene is such an important and exhilarating moment of character development for Malcolm, because he acknowledges his own failings (keeping secrets from people who care about him) while also recognizing that he is not at fault for his own trauma (“Remember you had a choice” / “No, I didn’t”). That’s growth, baby!!

Of course, that scene also gifts us with what is perhaps the most heartbreaking moment in the entire show thus far. Malcolm’s recognition of all of the above proves to be a pyrrhic victory for him, because for him to truly face reality, he believes he has to give up on his dream of a relationship with Dani. He has to make one last, gut-wrenching sacrifice.

“Son, stay. Stay for her.”

(source)

The camera choice to zoom in on Malcolm’s eyes, and then focus on only his expression while Martin makes his plea is necessary and brutal. The choice to utilize the Brightwell theme music during this scene speaks volumes, and infuses the moment with additional emotional intensity. And what can even be said about Tom Payne’s acting in this scene? Just look at him. LOOK AT HIM. 

After an entire episode fixating on the inner recesses of Malcolm’s brain, we can finally see straight into the depths of Malcolm’s heart.

Which, of course, brings us to Brightwell.

I mean, we got the kiss, the domestic Brightwell fluff, the finishing-each-other’s-sentences-during-an-interrogation, the gentle vulnerabilities….god!!!! My Brightwell shipper heart was fed. But it was the way that dream!Brightwell ended up interwoven with the real Brightwell that truly turned this episode into something special.

Much like the opening scene, where the sarcasm-laden Whitly family intervention ends up playing into the themes of the episode as a whole, the Malcolm-Dani elevator banter (“I think we need to work on your relatable metaphors” 😂) lays the groundwork for the episode’s final interaction between Malcolm and Dani. In the elevator scene, Dani asks what his family was arguing about, and Malcolm lightly deflects with “Family stuff. Wouldn’t want to bore you.” In his dream, Malcolm repeats this turn of phrase when dream!Dani asks what’s troubling him. Though they were interrupted in the elevator, in the safety of Malcolm’s subconscious — in his own home, in Dani’s arms — Dani says to him: “The one thing you never do is bore me.” It’s a stunningly sweet, emotionally honest expression of Dani’s love for him and trust in him, warts and all...and for Malcolm, it represents what he believes he can never have in real life with Dani.

But then...well, as they say, third time pays for all. After a brutal re-awakening into the real world, after effectively closing the door (while opening the trunk) on a life with Dani, Malcolm repeats the “Wouldn’t want to bore you” phrase one last time, and we can tell by his delivery that it’s really just a tired concession to the life of his dreams, the life he believes he will never be able to earn. And this time?

(source)

This scene wrecks me every time I watch it. The quick visual cut to the dream version of Dani, as the very real Dani Powell utters those very same words is utterly breathtaking. Malcolm doesn’t visibly react, but we know, by now, exactly what these words mean to him. And Malcolm finally begins to realize what we’ve known all along: that he is deserving of love, of life, of happiness. That there is hope.

“No one’s born broken. Someone breaks us.”

Dani surveyed her face in the mirror and took a deep breath. She didn’t have time to get nervous about how fancy Malcolm’s apartment was - she had work to do.

Prodigal Son Appreciation Week, Day One: Favorite Male Character

Hi! My favorite male character is Malcolm (though JT deserves an honorable mention), so I wrote kind of an odd little fic for him.

Official Summary: A guide, written by his closest friends and family, to taking care of Malcolm Bright. This document includes all of the important information anyone would need to know about how to keep him alive for any period longer than 10 minutes.