Prodigal Son Episode 15: Death’s Door
Is Martin Whitly dead? Has Jessica Whitly taken the blame? Will Malcolm finally go off the deep end? I have so many questions as this episode begins, and oh man, is our case a creepy one. It’s sure to wake the dead. And that very well may be a pun intended. 😉
The Case
While Martin Whitly sits in a coma, Malcolm and the team meet Edrisa at what might be the most pristine crime scene ever to exist. Even more perfect is our murder victim, Mr. Kevin Bagly. Set upon his couch, posed, and with perfect makeup to cover his injuries, the case gives a bizarre vibe from the moment it starts. Or, if you’re like Edrisa, you’re totally fangirling. Granted, she is a medical examiner, and considering the victim died three days previously, and the house smells well, y’know, not like a rotting corpse, maybe this is a bit out of the norm.
Malcolm’s preliminary profile is clear: we’re dealing with a necrophilic. According to him, and not so gleefully taken by his colleagues, there are ten types. He believes this person might have a fear of rejection. Wonderful.
Edrisa soon confirms our killer is a professional, having used a real embalming machine to preserve our victim.
The Suspects
Our suspect is someone who works within the funeral business and would have access. Gil initially thinks this means finding our killer should be easy, but nothing is ever of the sorts on this show. Of course, there is a funeral director’s convention this week in NYC! Over 3000 people there in total. I did not think this was even a thing, and now I’m even more weirded out.
All signs point to Mr. Bagly’s business partners as our primary suspects. Following a fire that ruined their partnership, it is perfect timing for Tilda and Dev to be at the convention, too! Tilda is an obvious suspect from the moment she appears, asking, “thinking about death”? However, Dev doesn’t seem too innocent either. He is nervous and less chatty than Tilda, at least in terms of the case. Tilda is cold as ice, as she describes by her schooling as necessity. Dev soon clears himself as a suspect, as he almost ends up dead, too. Let’s talk about that, by the way.
Edrisa to the Rescue!
Dev’s found at his house near death, his pulse growing weaker by the second. Edrisa calls for help, and the others probe her on what to do. She believes it may be antifreeze poisoning, and there is an antidote. However, live bodies are not really her thing, and she’s really nervous. Malcolm talks her through it in his own way, and she can provide Dev the life-saving treatment he needed to make it to the hospital. And who says a shot of liquor can’t save your life?
It leaves her shaken, though, and Malcolm knows this.
Gil and Malcolm question Tilda, Gil sure that she must be our killer. Malcolm knows better, and she admits a piece of the puzzle they were missing. There was a fourth partner in their business! Leanne Truit, someone who failed to get her mortician license as she was unable to pass the psych eval. Tilda hired her because she is so great at her job. Anyone that good who doesn’t pass a psych eval usually means trouble… it was her fault the fire happened, and she was unable to let it go. Annnnnd, we have our motive. Leanne lives in the past and… what do you know? Fears rejection.
Edrisa Saves the Day, AGAIN!
Malcolm calls Edrisa to apologize, but she quickly gets off the phone. Surprised, Dani and Malcolm believe she is still mad at him for how he spoke to her at Dev’s house. Malcolm wants to see her in person so that he can apologize again, and when he gets there, he realizes Edrisa is being held at gunpoint by Leanne! He calls Dani to tell her and, of course, throws all caution to the wind to come to her rescue! Leanne wants to be reunited with Kevin, but Edrisa won’t have it.
We learn her sad backstory as a child, who slept with her mother’s lifeless body for over 12 hours while no one noticed. It fueled her love of dead bodies, and she wants Kevin. Malcolm tells her that he understands that real relationships are hard and that sometimes you have to take chances. Somehow, Edrisa thinks this means grabbing a steel tray and whacking Leanne across her head. It works, even if Malcolm didn’t expect it. Edrisa is officially a badass and the most relatable character on this show. (Who hasn’t “fangirled” a time or two in their lives? Come on.)
Meanwhile,
As this episode unravels case wise, Martin is in his own personal hell or nightmare while in a coma. He sees the Girl in the Box, and we learn, at least fragments, of how Martin took her. He believes he’s in control for most of the flashback until she begins to taunt him and tell him she’s going to come after his family. It’s honestly a bizarre nightmare, and I’m not sure what parts of it were true, and what parts were not. Why exactly does he wake up from this to realize?
Also, while it’s at the forefront of my memory… that red sweater that Martin wears in most of the flashbacks? Creepy. Mr. Rogers wants his sweater back, Martin.
At the same time, Jessica is trying to take the fall for stabbing Martin, too. She needs to hire a lawyer, in case her ex-husband dies, and “The Devil” aka Sterling, aka Martin’s lawyer offers to seal the deal. She refuses, knowing he’s a slimy, dirty attorney who got Martin off from having the death penalty. Who does that leave? Eve, of course. Wonderful, I thought we were rid of her!
But WAIT! What if Eve is somehow connected to The Girl in the Box? We haven’t seen much of her motives for being around, at least not any that make sense. What if that is why she came back? Is there something more going on?
Other Things We Must Talk About
Malcolm and Dani are friends! Honestly, it was nice to see some team building in this episode that doesn’t necessarily revolve around Malcolm jumping into danger. Dani is concerned about his wellbeing and wants to make sure he knows she has been there. She reveals to him that she lost her father at sixteen and to have friends, you have to be a friend. And we see it in the episode! Malcolm makes several attempts at being a good friend. And honestly, how often has he had the experience to learn friendship? He was probably hated growing up because his father was a murderer. In the FBI, he had a target on his back for the same reason. No one has given Malcolm a reason to become friends, and I’m glad he’s settled down enough to trust and learn from the team. I hope this continues.
Edrisa!
What a badass. I loved that she was awesome but on her own terms. Edrisa is a lot like Penelope Garcia in the early seasons of Criminal Minds. She is not a trained officer, or often put into situations like this night’s. However, she shows she is capable and does so in her own way! I’m glad that the show did not break her character to give her more showtime.
Overall,
A solid episode. There wasn’t too much that seemed over the top here, and while there’s a part of me that hoped Martin Whitly would die, I’m curious to see where it goes now that he has not. Is the Girl in the Box really dead? What will happen now that Martin has cheated death?
The show returns on March 16, so there is plenty of time to chew on fan theories. What are yours? Let’s talk about them below!
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