9 Unresolved Matters After the Delightfully Twisted ‘Prodigal Son’ Season 1 Finale
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Prodigal Son, “Like Father…”]
It would just be cruel to not get a second season after that Prodigal Son season finale. Not only was there a deliciously gruesome — and psychologically thrilling — cliffhanger, but even the storylines that were resolved left us with plenty to think about.
Fortunately, the showrunners are “cautiously optimistic” about renewal, Chris Fedak told TV Insider. “The studio and network, Fox and Warner Bros., have been very supportive of the show.”
That means that we’ll hopefully get to see what comes next. From Ainsley (Halston Sage) following in their father Martin’s (Michael Sheen) footsteps instead of Malcolm (Tom Payne) to Gil (Lou Diamond Phillips) and Jessica (Bellamy Young) saving each other — not to mention the upcoming investigations of Major Crimes — there is plenty to explore. Scroll down to see what we need to see in a potential second season.
The effect of killing Nicholas on Ainsley
There wasn’t really time for anyone to react with anything but shock after Ainsley not only slit Nicholas’ throat but stabbed him repeatedly. Once that wears off — and once she actually has time to process what she did — how will she react? Does she have to worry about any legal ramifications? How might this affect her relationships with her family members? This has really set up the series to explore quite a bit with her character.
The effect of Ainsley killing Nicholas on the rest of the Whitlys
The entire season has been asking the question of whether Malcolm is like his father; even Malcolm has wondered that. But instead, it was Ainsley who did what Martin said needed to be done when it came to Nicholas (Dermot Mulroney).
Obviously, Martin was proud. (You had to love his “my girl.”) Malcolm was in shock. Jessica has yet to find out. How will Ainsley’s brother and mother deal with what she did, especially since Malcolm was right there to see it? (We already saw Jessica cover for Malcolm when he stabbed Martin; there’s little doubt she’ll do the same in some capacity if she has to.) Could this change Ainsley and Martin’s relationship?
The fallout of Ainsley killing Nicholas
First of all, there’s the matter of the bloody scene that is the Whitlys’ living room at the moment. Will they clean it up? Might Martin and Malcolm’s expertise come in handy? Can they call anyone else to help in that regard?
What will they do with Nicholas’ body? There’s the fact that he is a well-known, powerful, and influential man in the city. They can’t just get rid of his body and hope for the best. People will be looking for him. Because he’s involved in so many things, who knows what the fallout could be of his death (or at the very least, absence).
And of course there are the possible legal ramifications for Ainsley, if anyone finds out what she did. Could they claim self-defense? Is Nicholas too powerful a man for that? Could Malcolm’s nightmare of him and his father in matching orange jumpsuits have been foreshadowing another Whitly mirroring the Surgeon?
Martin's location behind bars
Nicholas broke their deal early on in the finale, resulting in Martin being moved to gen pop at Rikers. There was a bounty out on his head, but he managed to secure his continued survival with his medical expertise. As the finale ended, he was calmly standing in the middle of a riot. Will Martin ever see the comforts of his Claremont cell again? Should he get comfortable at Rikers, whether he remains in gen pop or not?
Malcolm's status with the NYPD
Nicholas framed Malcolm for Eddie’s murder, and after Malcolm discovered it was Eve’s sister who was responsible, he let her go. The NYPD was carrying out warrants for Nicholas’ home and offices at the end of the finale, but the man was so certain they wouldn’t find anything. It’s safe to assume that Malcolm will be solving cases with the team again if there’s a second season, but what might be the path to getting there?
Malcolm's mental state after meeting the girl in the box
Malcolm had been carrying around quite a bit of guilt over not being able to save the girl in the box even though he’d only been a child at the time. But after the boy in the basement came face-to-face with Sophie, she offered him absolution and he saw that she’d been able to make a life for herself. She’d lived. It was a nice bit of closure, and it’s possible that this could change him at least a bit moving forward, at least until the next Whitly skeleton is discovered.
The effects of almost getting killed on Gil
Yes, Gil was stabbed in the stomach and lost quite a bit of blood. But he survived surgery and looked to be on the road to recovery when we last saw him in the finale. Still, nearly dying is bound to affect him going forward.
The NYPD team after nearly losing Gil
Gil is close with pretty much every other character; Malcolm, Dani (Aurora Perrineau), and JT (Frank Harts) were all at the hospital, worried about his fate. Will this have any lingering effects on any of them?
Jessica and Gil's relationship
The final episodes of the season offered quite a bit of insight into their past — and possibly future — relationship, and she was at his hospital bedside after his surgery. Jessica may not have had the best choice in men in the past — case in point, Martin and Nicholas — but exploring what they could have could be good for both of them. Plus, wouldn’t it be fun to see Malcolm’s reaction?
