Prodigal Son Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Pied-A-Terre
Jasmine Blu
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Let's talk about sex, baby.
It was an incredibly sexy hour of Prodigal Son, but the series did an exceptional job of infusing Prodigal Son Season 1 Episode 9 with as many horror elements as sex.
It was a bottle hour that did little to push forward the mystery, but it was a lovely character study for Malcolm of parts of himself alluded to before but not explored.
Who wasn't hoping to see Malcolm in action when he giggled his way through a conversation with Dani about his sex life?
It seemed like a part of himself he pushed aside while he focused on other things.
The series showcasing something as seemingly banal as a character going on a date or even slightly spicier as said character having a one-night stand is still significant. There are a few reasons for it, too.
It was funny; dark humor has become a staple of the series. The hour had plenty of it as usual, but it also tossed in some naughty jokes.
One of the best things about Prodigal Son is taht it doesn't shy away from humor nor does it take itself too seriously. It's not above penis jokes or leaning into certain tropes. It didn't apologize for catering to the near junior-high humor about sex.
Malcolm: Talk to me about Caleb's gonads.
Edrisa: Oh, with pleasure. Upon further examination, we found sperm in Caleb's urethra, which indicates --
JT: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why'd you point over there?
Edrisa: That's where Caleb's penis is.
JT: I'm out.
It made it more entertaining than ever. Edrisa had sex jokes in a bag. She would be the sort who went to a cuddle party, wouldn't she?
Her explosion comment was hilarious, and Keiko Agena continues to be a delight and a gem as Edrisa, a wonderful ball of brilliant, dorky, awkwardness, who steals every scene she's in.
However, Malcolm's battles don't make him less of a sexual being.
It's something that has resonated with many fans, particularly those who battle mental illness or forms of complex PTSD like Malcolm.
I went to a cuddle party once. It was OK. We can talk about it later.
Edrisa
Yes, there's merit to the arguments against him having a romance now, but it's only due to the crap ton of things he has going on.
We're meeting Malcolm in a sweet spot of trying to center himself after the tailspin from communicating with Martin after a decade. It's different than the years he spent battling his PTSD every day while also maybe carrying on with other relationships.
Gabrielle's interpretation of Malcolm's dream was Freudian and far from esoteric. Of course, someone penetrated him with a phallic sword, so it must be a sex thing, right?
Gabrielle: I can't disagree with your feelings, Malcolm, they're yours. But there is another way of interpreting that nightmare. Were you aroused by that dream? Malcolm: Sexually? I was skewered.
Gabrielle: Penetrated. By a sword.
Malcolm: Fine. There were some erotic elements.
Gabrielle: Malcolm, what if this dream is a different part of your subconscious demanding to be heard? The part that needs sleep, food, sex.
Malcolm: It's a little Freudian, but I'll go for it.
However, Gabrielle, his therapist, suggesting he deprived his needs and should feed his sexual desires was essential in dismantling a stigma.
From that point forward, we were treated to a Malcolm who looked like he was on the prowl for a good time. Gabrielle gave him a solution, and he wanted to apply it. His walk down the street while sucking a lollipop and the apropos music playing behind him was adorable.
Also, the discussion about penetration and his shameless bedroom eyes directed at anyone he walked past did nothing to dispel my headcanon that he's bisexual.
Eve: I've been meaning to ask about your mother. How is she?
Malcolm: No longer armed, but still a little dangerous.
Eve: Good. All women should be a little dangerous.
It started things well considering the nature of the hour, but it was fortuitous how he bumped into Eve. She happens to live near his therapist, and she was the perfect person with which to apply his new solution.
Malcolm isn't unaware of the effect he has on others, so he knew Eve expressed some attraction toward him. He was thrilled she took him up on his offer of a date, though.
He has a way of being both brilliant and aloof at the same time. It makes sense for him to avoid profiling those he cares about and interacts with regularly when he can avoid it.
Malcolm: I'm never going to be normal. I've tried, but I'm probably insane for thinking any woman would want to be in my life let alone you.
Eve: You scare me, Malcolm Bright.
Malcolm: You scare me too.
Maybe that's why Eve is in a blindspot when most of us know there's something more to her.
Fortunately, the series dove right into what lies behind Eve on their first date.
Bless Malcolm's heart, he was so busy combatting night terrors and hallucinations about who we're assuming is the girl in the box, that he didn't plan a proper date.
Jessica was ecstatic to hear about his date with Eve, and she did what she does best: inserted herself into that prep process and tried to take over.
Her ideas, while romantic, were too grand for a first date that only served as a prelude for sex.
Malcolm: Tonight's going to be normal.
Jessica: Darling, we're rich. We don't do normal.
The moment JT mentioned the pool spot he and his wife attend on their date nights, it was evident what would happen. You have to love an unexpected double date.
JT's wife is beautiful and easygoing. It makes you wonder how she ended up with someone who often comes across as a curmudgeon.
Eve was natural in the environment despite being overdressed. It made her more likable, but it also raised flags.
Jessica: I thought you were the best. At least that's what I tell people when I'm forced to divulge your actual career.
Malcolm: When it comes to me and the FBI, whatever the opposite of nepotism is, that's what I got. But I've been speaking to Gabrielle, I had breakfast, which is a meal that's still new to me, but I'm intrigued by, oh and I even ran into Eve, and we're going...
There was no other direction for their date to go but downhill when Malcolm profiled Eve. It was a classic case of "be careful what you wish for" since he got wrapped up in the profile and didn't realize he stripped her bare (proverbially, that time).
A personal theory, and a popular one, too, is that Eve is a relative of one of Martin's victims.
Malcolm figured out that she's passionate about human trafficking due to something personal she experienced. The way he profiled Eve's faded heart tattoo is where your ears perked up, though.
It's one half of a whole heart. It is something you expect from two women who are close to one another, and he guessed the tattoo was around 15 years old.
The timeline is unclear, but it's hard to shake the belief that Eve is connected to Martin somehow, or maybe it's Paul Lazar she's connected to via a relative. She's drawn to the Whitlys, but she's especially intrigued by Malcolm.
Take the crazy out of sex, and what do you have? Boring sex.
Simone
It was surprising when he made the first move toward physical intimacy, but she sure as heck didn't object.Fans are probably mixed on Eve, but you have to admit their hookup was hot, and so was Malcolm in his boxer briefs.
Wielding a knife, however, was not hot. Maybe he should have considered restraining himself post-coitus to avoid nearly slicing Eve to death.
Malcolm is reeling from everything he learned from Paul, and he no longer has access to Martin. His terrors/hallucinations are haunting him day and night.
Malcolm: What did you want?
Ghost: Find me.
Malcolm: I'm trying.
Ghost: How can you? You don't even remember who I am.
He feels guilty that he didn't save the girl in the box. Her final words were that he can't save her or avenge her if he doesn't know who she is.
It was something about the way she delivered the line that made it seem like he knew whomever it is coming to him.
At least, he was supposed to know who she is. Malcolm wouldn't share the truth about the girl with Jessica, but she knew something else was troubling him. Everything is coming at her fast, and she can't escape Martin his effects anymore.
They didn't indicate if Ainsley gave Martin the hero's edit in her interview, but it's blasted all over the news and more. It has placed Jessica into the spotlight again.
Jessica: Why didn't he tell me?
Gil: He didn't want you to feel this.
Jessica: We denied his pain for years and insisted that the girl he found was the stuff of dreams.
Gil: Martin manipulated him and you
Jessica: It gets worse all the time. I keep thinking that we will get through it, get through him, but it gets worse. Martin destroyed the lives of my children, myself, and all of his victims. Maybe it's time I return the favor.
Gil telling her about the girl in the box was a breaking point for her. Jessica has been at the top of many of our lists for not being exactly trustworthy, but the more time we spend with her, the more believable she is.
She was distraught when she learned the truth. She spent years telling Malcolm that the girl was a figment of his imagination.
A woman who sent him to a therapist and still tries to micromanage him and his condition would feel guilty about the years she spent dismissing his trauma.
She was heartbroken when Gil told her the news. I know you don't see the romantic chemistry, Roni O, but didn't the face grab get you a little bit? Come to the dark side with us!
Speaking of dark, Jessica has sworn vengeance against Martin. How she'll do it? Who knows?
But she looked determined, and she was convincing.
The case was a fever dream of kink and sexy times. Malcolm going undercover as a client in pursuit of Jasper's services was a thrill. Simone wanted to take him out for a spin, and Dani was as amused by this as the rest of us, surely.
The former Dom from Prodigal Season 1 Episode 1, was a nice callback.
He made the most of his settlement money after Malcolm chopped off his hand. We caught a glimpse of the unhinged and scary Malcolm, too.
He doesn't come out often, but he was there with Nico, and it does make you wonder what triggers him to express himself that way when he isn't like that the majority of the time. He got a kick out of intimidating Nico, and there was no real reason for it this time around.
The case took us on a few twists and turns, so even though the killer was predictable, the method of getting there wasn't linear nor boring.
I practiced law for years. If you were arresting me, I'd be in handcuffs, and not the fun kind.
Simone
The husband seemed like a reasonable suspect if he assumed the naked man in his home was sleeping with his wife, but when we discovered he was a voyeur who got off on watching his wife have sex with other men, he was less guilty.
Of course, Beth violated the first rule of the exclusive club and fell in love with David.
Simone thought her screening process was flawless, but you can never factor in human emotion with 100% accuracy. Simone was whip-smart, and of all the people caught up in the case, she was the most intriguing.
Simone: Drinks are paid for. Let's go.
Malcolm: Uh, where?
Simone: Your place. You need to sample the product. We're going to have sex. Are you up for that?
Malcolm: I could give it a shot.
She's also someone you can imagine returning to the series in some capacity, like Nico.
The sex club was created just for her. Her late husband was sick with ALS, and he created the club and game so she could get her sexual needs met.
The hour was about being liberated and giving into desires. Everyone was trying to meet their needs.
Gabrielle meant well, but the only thing Malcolm desires is the truth about what happened to the girl in the box, to catch Paul Lazar, and to be healthy and happy.
We only have one rule in our community. No relationships. Lust is easy. Love is dangerous.
Simone
He doesn't think he can achieve the latter until he resolves the former.
Over to you, Prodigal Fanatics.
What are your thoughts on this hour? Do you trust Eve? Do you like her?
What does Jessica have planned for Martin? Hit the comments below.
You can watch Prodigal Son online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
