Face Value
Episode 7 of Prodigal Son Season 2 begins in the past during a conference at Virginia with Malcolm. He discusses the startling stats surrounding murderers before mentioning the switch. This is the phenomena where a murderer can turn into a serial killer by increasing the number of murders they commit. Step forward Ainsley. Blood spattered and amnesia-stricken, Ainsley struggles to remember what happened that evening. Malcolm does his best to try and help, as Martin rings excitedly to let him know he’s got a job in the infirmary now. Malcolm is called to another crime scene with the team. The victim in question is Dr Nicole Zhang who was killed by an overdose of botox. With needles sticking out her face, it’s clear this wasn’t just murder – it also comes with a side order of torture too. According to those at St Andrews, Zhang was a saint but clearly someone didn’t think so. Could she be hiding a dark past? Well, Malcolm heads back to the office and begins thinking over motives and who could be responsible. However, he’s interrupted by Jessica ringing and letting him know that her big sister is back in town. Ainsley interjects the call though, acting erratically and deciding she needs to leave. This unfortunately causes problems for Malcolm as Dani arrives and tries to talk to him about the toxicology report. It turns out Zhang literally had a taste of her own medicine. This brings Malcolm and Dani to the plastic surgery office where they talk to several doctors, Dr. Fred Chabra and Dr. Flynt Donahue. According to them, no inventory has gone missing. Well, they decide to use Chabra, ruffling him up at the station with a menacing JT. It seems to work too, as Chabra mentions a patient called Francine Depaugh who became obsessed with surgeries. She has body dysmorphia and that evening, Malcolm and the others burst into her apartment. They ask her questions about the lawsuit she dropped against the plastic surgery firm. It turns out she came to an agreement with them, keeping her silence in exchange for free surgery. Her alibi checks out, bringing the attention back on the partners themselves. It turns out they have a dark past regarding a model student called Lana. She was left disfigured after an operation went wrong and no one seems to have heard from her since. For now, everything is interrupted by an impromptu family dinner. Things are incredibly tense, with Ainsley and Malcolm coming to blows in private. However, Malcolm is interrupted by an urgent call from Gil. Malcolm and Dani race back to the firm where they find Chabra collapsed on the floor with a needle stuck in his neck. Thanks to some quick thinking from Malcolm, he manages to save the partner from certain death. As the group go searching for Donahue, they actually find the real culprit. It’s Summer Hansen aka. Lana. This gives her a motive for killing, as she mentions how she has been in constant pain following the surgery she was given. Eventually the team manage to apprehend her and put the case to bed. Back home, Malcolm confronts Ainsley but she accuses him of gaslighting. Eventually the two discuss the murder, with Ainsley shooting a chilling smile as she mentions how their family are good at covering up murders. We then cut across to Lake Peipus in Estonia. A senior investigator called Simon Hoxley arrives on scene, with the washed up head of Nicholas Endicott. He realizes this links back to America and declares that he’s heading to New York City next.
The Episode Review
After a week break, Prodigal Son returns with a well-paced episode diving into the world of plastic surgery. For anyone who’s watched Nip/Tuck, this episode felt quite reminiscent of the second season (correct me if I’m wrong, it’s been a while since I’ve watched that show) with the serial killer surgeon lurking around. The reveal at the end of this one is a nice touch and the different suspects along the way keep you guessing right up to the climax. The section with Edrisa in the morgue was quite funny too and her comedic timing is pretty good in this show, helping to lighten what’s otherwise a pretty dark and bleak drama. The ending seems to hint that we’re going to be getting a cat and mouse showdown now between Hoxley and Malcolm, which should prove to be quite the intriguing showdown. So far so good though, Prodigal Son is just starting ease back into the consistent rhythm it set for itself late last season. Let’s hope that continues!
