The Last Weekend
Episode 13 of Prodigal Son Season 2 marks this finale with a tinge of disappointment. A lot of people talk about Netflix cancelling everything while Fox just seem to get rid of every new show that isn’t a cartoon. There’s been a plethora of different series that have hit the chopping block over the years and sadly this police procedural is another unfortunate casualty. Anyway, the episode begins with Malcolm awakening tied to a chair in a motel. This is Martin’s play, of course, saving his son’s life but taking him along for the ride. Martin has dyed his hair and taken on an identity as a mountain man. Malcolm refuses to work with his father, claiming he needs to bring the man back to Claremont. Martin cuts Malcolm’s binds and as they sit together, tries to convince his son he’s changed. Martin decides to try and redeem himself by finding a missing woman, Jeannie Larkin. In doing so, this could well clear Malcolm’s name too. Malcolm has worked the The Woodsman Case for years and believes the killer is “overdue” another victim. Anyway, a man approaches and calls Martin by the name of Claire, with Malcolm introduced as Cameron. He welcomes them both to Maple Mountain and hands over a fax. Malcolm continues to investigate the Woodsman Case, speaking to Fern and going over all the evidence. In fact, he immediately suspects something is up when he notices a scar on the back of an officer called Crutch’s hand. This seems to confirm Crutch is the killer. Ainsley shows up to see her Mother who’s anxious and worried. With Vivian questioned, her statement about Malcolm is completely falsified but unfortunately only our A-team know that to be true. Ruiz is not in the mood to listen to Gil and puts out a statement regarding Malcolm, claiming he’s working with Martin. Ainsley heads down to the basement at home and continues to experience visions, opening up the closet and finding a fax. “You gotta be kidding me,” She says incredulously. With a file for the Woodsman in hand, she heads up to see Dani and JT. Back in Maple Mountain, Malcolm receives a call from “Claire”. It’s not good news, the police have put out a manhunt and believe Malcolm is actually Martin’s accomplice. Well, they both make a big decision and decide to stick around and save this missing girl, even if it means being arrested and caught in the process. However, Crutch blindsides Malcolm after knocking out Martin late at night. He throws them both into a jail cell. While all this is going on, Vivian is free to go but she drugs Jessica’s drink. Jess stumbles around the room, smashing a glass on the floor and clutching her head. In doing so, it’s revealed that she’s actually recording their whole conversation, including a confession that she’s been instrumental in what’s happened. With Gil listening in, he prepares to head in and arrest Vivian. Before he does, Jessica and Vivian both go toe to toe. They fight it out, with both trading blows. Vivian is eventually thwarted as police flood in to arrest her. Back in Maple Mountain, both Malcolm and Martin find themselves held captive in the Woodsman’s workshop. Unfortunately they’re at the mercy of the killer, who shows up with a large cleaver and a gimp mask on. Meanwhile, Dani, JT and Ainsley all show up in Maple Mountain and find Fern there. She eventually holds a gun up until Dani overpowers her. It turns out the killer is actually Don, the food cart delivery man. He knows all about Martin and looks set to stab him. Malcolm and Martin both work together though and manage to thwart the threat, stopping the Woodsman and – more importantly – keeping him alive. Meanwhile, Dani speaks to Fern and manages to get through to her, using her own intuition and experience to talk her around to incriminate her husband. At the same time, Malcolm and Martin manage to find the missing girl out in the words. Martin calms Jeannie down while Malcolm phones the police. Malcolm hesitates before eventually revealing Martin’s location, prompting the Surgeon to hurry off into the wilderness. Back at the station, Edrisa speaks to Gil, revealing that she’s uncovered details from Capshaw’s past. Despite trying to scrub her records, they’ve found evidence of 11 deaths during her tenure at 8 different hospitals. With enough to put Capshaw away, we skip back to the forest as Martin and Malcolm wind up face to face. Eventually Malcolm stabs his Father with a knife after a scuffle ensues. As Martin bleeds out, he looks up at his son and tells him that he’s right, they are the same. With a knife in hand and blood covering the ground, Dani shows up, shocked. “What did you do?”
The Episode Review
Well, thanks Fox for that unresolved cliffhanger. Regardless though, Prodigal Son bows out with a high; a compelling final chapter that rounds out most of the character-driven plot points but does so at the expense of a baited third season that’ll likely never arrive. With no word on whether any other studio will pick up Prodigal Son for now, this crime series is cut short before its time. That’s a real shame too, although the show has been steadily dropping in viewers through most of the season. It’s been a pretty turbulent run this year to be fair, and compared to the first season this one has been a little inconsistent. However, there’s been a much more compelling character dynamic here, with different supporting characters stepping forward and entering the limelight. Despite that, the cliffhanger ending and other unresolved plot points put a damper on this bittersweet conclusion to one of Fox’s more promising series.
