‘Prodigal Son’ Season 1, Episode 16 ‘The Job’ Review: Eve’s Secret

Once again, things are getting more and more interesting in Prodigal Son. In this week’s comeback titled “The Job,” we’re finally making some major headways with the girl in the box. And it’s all related to little miss Eve Blanchard (Molly Griggs). From the first time I saw her, I immediately knew something was fishy. No one persistently gets close to the Whitly’s like that without hidden purpose. “The Job” doesn’t reveal how she’s related to the girl in the box. But, it’s enough to kick things up a notch especially that everyone in the Whitly household seems taken with her. With that, here’s what went down in this week’s episode of Prodigal Son.

Blackmail Deals

Dr. Whitly (Michael Sheen) is not one to pass up a good blackmail deal. So, soon after his operation, he strikes up a bargain with his ex-wife and son. In exchange for more Malcolm visits, he will give a statement to the police in Jessica’s defense. Sadly, neither Jessica (Bellamy Young) nor Malcolm (Tom Payne) had any say in the matter. So, it’s a deal. As twisted as it is, it’s hard to deny that after all these episodes, it’s still hard to turn away from these little meetings. The Whitlys have such a toxic, strange, and twisted family relationship. But, their scenes together are something you really look forward to.

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Anyhow, soon after that, Malcolm picks up a new case. It’s high-end thievery of $20 million worth of watches. Boring at first. But can you really expect murder to be missing from Prodigal Son? No. Aside from the fact that the thieves used motorcycles to barge into the auction, they also left behind a dead woman shot point-blank on the forehead. Connecting all the pieces of the crime scene, Malcolm deduces they have a thriller killer on their hands.

As it turns out, Malcolm’s old pal Vijay (Dhruv Uday Singh) is also there too to work the case from an insurance point of view. Seeing Malcolm, Vijay immediately jumps at the chance to work together leaving Malcolm no choice. Soon enough though, Vijay’s proving himself very useful. He manages to narrow down thugs to motorcycle groups. But, before they could even start searching, another robbery pops up with the same casualty, a woman with curly hair. The only difference is this time, the victim survives.

Trust Issues

Later in the operating room, the doctors operate on the victim while she’s awake. Malcolm and Vijay agree that this is the perfect time to ask her about her assailant. Sadly, Gil (Lou Diamond Phillips) wouldn’t allow it. Fortunately, there is one person who can get them into the operating room: Martin. Calling up his father, Malcolm digs up dirt on the lead surgeon. And just as he hangs up, Martin beams with pride at his son’s blackmail tactics. Strangely enough, Martin’s been beaming a lot in the Prodigal Son. We’ve been hearing too many proud “my boys” lately. And that terrifies and entertains me at the same time.

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After talking to the victim, Malcolm and Vijay link the attacks to a Chinese street gang and their leader Cooper (Lanny Joon). The things is Gil thinks Vijay is making a side deal with Cooper over the watches. And Malcolm agrees. See, he has trust issues with the guy. They were best pals in boarding school. They were the corner boys who always sat at the corner table nobody would sit at. That’s because both their fathers were in jail. When Vijay’s father was released though, Vijay started making other friends and Malcolm felt betrayed.

When Malcolm confronts Vijay, he denies making a deal with Cooper. He also denies betraying Malcolm. And he explains that he tried to introduce Malcolm to other kids and such, but Malcolm was too intense. Given his history, I’d say the prodigal son had an excuse to be intense. It didn’t do him any favors though. Still suspicious, Malcolm puts a tail on Vijay.

Caught Red Handed

True enough, Vijay was making a deal with Cooper. Malcolm catches him in time and inserts himself in the deal to get into Cooper’s base. There, he tries to figure out who’s the killer while pretending to be a watch expert. Soon enough, he’s busted by one of Cooper’s men. Lucky for him, Cooper is also looking for the killer in his crew. So, after letting Vijay go since he was trading money for the watches and all, Cooper sits down with Malcolm.

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At that point, there were only three other people from Cooper’s crew in the room: Sheila, Grant, and Pete. As Malcolm continues to talk to them, he finally figures it all out. At one point, he asks Sheila if she has curly hair. And when she answers by taking off her hat, he notices Pete’s longing glance towards her. That’s when he knew Pete was the killer.

The revelation has tensions reaching fever pitch within the gang though. And it leads to a standoff between the four. Suddenly, Sheila shoots then the others follow. Malcolm is knocked over in the tussle. And when he wakes up, he finds Sheila and Pete still alive. He immediately tries to talk down Pete but to no avail. Suddenly, a car comes running in and runs over Pete just when they needed it to. At the driver’s seat is no one but Vijay. As it turns out, he came back for Malcolm this time.

Eve

Elsewhere on the Prodigal Son, Malcolm is trying to patch up his relationship with Eve. With his mother’s help, he managed to invite her over for dinner. And after apologizing, he finally explains the truth about his dreams about the girl in the box. Strangely enough, Eve seems so invested in his story, too invested actually.

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As it turns out, it’s because she knows one side of it. Later on, Eve visits Jessica in her home. And while Jessica goes off to place the flowers Eve brought in a jar, Eve creeps down to the basement. There, she finds the chest Malcolm saw the girl in. She pulls it out, opens the lid, then she starts sobbing. After a few moments, she pulls herself together. Then, as if in a trance, she takes off her shoes and steps into the box. The creepiest part? She closes the lid on herself.

Eve can’t be the girl in the box because Malcolm would’ve recognized her, right? But, even if she was related to the girl, why in the world would she get in there and close it on herself? That’s another kind of messed up right there. But, at least, some questions have been answered about Eve Blanchard. Now, it might just be a race who finds the girl first.

Prodigal Son continues Monday, March 23rd, with “Stranger Beside You” at 9/8c on Fox.