‘Prodigal Son’ Season 1, Episode 8 ‘Family Friend’ Review: The Chase Begins

With the new serial killer on the block, the usual game of cat and mouse commences on Prodigal Son. What makes it all the more intriguing is that the junkyard serial killer Paul Lazar (Michael Raymond-James) knows a lot more about Malcolm (Tom Payne) than Malcolm does about him. In addition to that, Paul has left Malcolm tripping over his own feet several times. It’s like he’s proving he’s really Whitly’s protege.

This week on Prodigal Son, Malcolm speeds up on his pursuit of the junkyard serial killer. However, with each call from Paul, Malcolm realizes that Paul holds the key to all those missing memories including the girl in the box. And even though Dr. Whitly’s (Michael Sheen) not present to do his usual mind tricks, the psychological torment is still apparent. As Malcolm continues the pursuit, he’s torn between catching Paul and finding the truth about his past.

A Killer’s Mission

After Paul’s call to the Whitly’s, Jessica (Bellamy Young) watches the police search her home once again. JT asks her why she kept paying the phone bills. But, Jessica excuses it for her business managers. Understandably, this plus the new knowledge that there’s a new serial killer on the loose rattles the surgeon’s ex-wife. But, she tries her best to appear calm and able to handle herself. Unfortunately, Paul’s case has gone far beyond the Whitly’s walls. It has reached the ears of the FBI and there’s chatter that the NYPD is in the brink of bringing them in. And though Gil (Lou Diamond Phillips) doesn’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing for Malcolm’s sake, Malcolm makes a point that it’s exactly his relation to the case that’s going to help them catch Paul.

Peter Kraemer/FOX

Based on their conversation, Malcolm profiles Paul as a mission-oriented killer with near-religious connotations to his killings. So far, with a body count now up to 16, all of Paul’s victims were addicts, homeless, and sex workers. It’s like he believes he’s purging the Bronx to make it better. He reminds me of Prodigal Son’s episode three schizophrenic LSD killer.

Soon, more evidence from the autopsies reveals that Paul’s been keeping his victims hostage for a few days before killing them. This urges the team to go back to the junkyard to look for where Paul kept his victims. And in one area where they found no bodies, Malcolm finds a buried Winnebago. Inside, he finds another victim, Ryan Davis, who is luckily still alive. After cross-examining his file with the other victims, Malcolm finds that he stayed in the same homeless shelter of the St. Mateo church as two other victims.

Waving Guns Around in Times of Distress

At the hospital, Ainsley’s juggling the task of editing her interview with Dr. Whitly while taking care of her boyfriend Jin (Raymond Lee). When she comes across the two police officers posted outside Davis’ room, she immediately smells a story. And it seems that she’s hit another story gold as she immediately figures out that it’s related to the new serial killer on the block. She tries to get information from them but, when they refuse, Ainsley turns to bug her brother for a quote. On the other hand, Jin has been noticing Ainsley’s desperation and obsession with her work more and more. And it has continued to bother him ever since he awoke.

Meanwhile, Jessica locks herself up at home with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a gun on the other. Suddenly, Eve Blanchard (Molly Griggs), the lawyer she’s working with for charity, shows up unannounced. Up until this moment, I’m confused about what her role is in all of this in Prodigal Son. She just seems like one of the least characters I’d trust. Hence, under the pretense (I say this because I smell something fishy with her) of being concerned about Jessica, Eve checks up on the Whitly matriarch. But, as usual, Jessica plays it all off and diverts the conversation elsewhere.

The Hand of God Comes in a Box

Malcolm and Dani head to St. Mateo and talk to Father Leo. But, as it is, he isn’t as welcoming to them as they’d expected. Dani holds him suspicious in terms of antagonistic and hostile behavior. However, Malcolm contradicts saying that the man was only questioning his faith. As JT (Frank Harts) comes up with the list of Dr. Whitly’s colleagues at St. Edwards, he brings along a package for Malcolm. A few seconds after he set it down, it starts bleeding.

Peter Kraemer/FOX

After opening it, Dr. Edrisa pulls a hand out. Malcolm immediately recognizes it as Father Leo’s. Soon after, the phone line that the NYPD hooked up to the Whitly’s starts ringing. As the team tries to track the caller down, Malcolm answers Paul’s call. As it turns out, Paul cut off Father Leo’s hand in return for Malcolm’s snooping. He is interested, however, to how Malcolm found his hiding spot. When Malcolm lies, Paul loses his cool. After calming down, Paul reveals he knows about the girl in the box. He was even the one who dumped her. Soon after, he drops the call and Malcolm rushes for air outside.

The Prodigal Son’s Calling

Gil follows Malcolm and admits that maybe it’s time he considers he was wrong. And being the fatherly figure he is, Gil reminds Malcolm that he doesn’t have to face it alone. As Gil heads back inside, Malcolm notices a suspicious hooded figure watching him from across the street. Without calling backup, he follows and ends up in the tunnels. Just as he thought he lost the man, Paul rushes out from Malcolm’s side and traps him in between the tunnel’s steel revolving gate and a side panel threatening to crush him to death.

David Giesbrecht/FOX

As Paul continues to press harder on the steel bars, he asks Malcolm the same question he asked in his call. Malcolm tries to slip through by answering that he’s a profiler but, apparently, that’s not the answer Paul is looking for. Paul continues to push down harder until Malcolm eventually screams “Because we’re the same!” referring to his dad. After all, Dr. Whitly did teach him everything he knew about killing that’s why he knows how killers think so well. Finally appeased, Paul loosens his grip and tucks a phone in Malcolm’s pocket so he could contact him again.

After getting his injuries treated, Gil berates Malcolm. But, as Malcolm explains, it was all a ploy to get Paul to believe that his hunger for the truth is greater than his need to catch him. Even as Gil doubts that this doesn’t lie too far from the truth, he allows Malcolm to meet Paul again but, this time, with backup and after getting a few hours rest at home.

Completing the Mission

After receiving the meetup details from Paul, Eve suddenly pays Malcolm a visit. And again, she expresses her concern for Jessica. She even tattles about Jessica’s gun. Unfortunately, for all her care, Malcolm is rushing out the door.

Outside the meetup point, the NYPD waits while Malcolm heads in alone. As Paul guides him through the phone, Malcolm spots Paul’s silhouette in front of him. But, Paul doesn’t allow him to get close. Instead, he talks to Malcolm about the girl in the box. As it turns out, Dr. Whitly called Paul after the night Malcolm discovered the girl. But, as Paul claims, he’s more than just Whitly’s disposal man. And he kept a souvenir from her. In a paper bag by the side, Malcolm discovers the girl’s bracelet.

David Giesbrecht/FOX

As Paul continues to rattle on, Malcolm eyes the silhouette. Picking up a rock, he throws it at the figure. But, after getting no reaction, Malcolm comes closer and discovers that its Father Leo tied and taped up to look like Paul. Malcolm silences his end of the call and calls up Gil to alert them he found Leo. As soon as he picks back up with Paul, the man starts rattling on about finding his true calling and mission. At that moment, Malcolm realizes that Paul isn’t even there. He’s off to finish his work with Ryan Davis.

Malcolm immediately calls up Ainsley. At the same moment, she spots that the guards outside Davis’ room are missing. She opens the door to find Davis already dead. Suddenly, she gets a glimpse of Paul in the bathroom. Terrified, she bolts out the door and locks herself up in the staff’s lounge area. Paul tries to get in. But, soon enough, the police arrive and Paul disappears.

The FBI Steps In

After the attack, Ainsley goes back to Jin. But, Jin has seen her work and he has already discovered that she filmed his operation. Ainsley tries to reason out that she was doing her job. However, the blow has been delivered. Disgusted, Jin tells her he understands but, that’s not the kind of person he wants to spend his life with. Outside, Ainsley sinks her claws into the story and broadcasts to the world that a new serial killer is on the loose.

Meanwhile, at the precinct, Malcolm ponders over his failure. But, Gil assures him that they will catch Paul and prove his self-given destiny wrong. Gil also tells Malcolm that he’ll have cadaver dogs searching the ports to find where Paul buried the girl.

At home, Malcolm confronts his mother about her gun. He urges her to stay somewhere safe until its all over but, Jessica refuses to leave her home. As she says, her family has lived there all her life. It’s her home. “I didn’t let Martin tarnish this house despite what he was,” she says firmly. “And I will not be driven out now.”

Suddenly, Malcolm receives a call from Gil. As it turns out, the FBI has now taken over Paul Lazar’s case. They’ve taken Gil and the others off of it. And they most definitely want Malcolm as far away from it as possible. As the call ends, Malcolm tells his mother that she might want to keep her gun.

Prodigal Son continues Monday, November 25th, with “Pied-A-Terre” at 9/8c on Fox.