Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9 Review: The Killabustas

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It was an angsty, sexy, and exciting hour.

But Edrisa fans can rejoice that Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9 gave us some content we craved, as she got involved with a case, pulled a Bright, bonded with Malcolm, and more.

And there's no such thing as too much of Edrisa.

Bondage and Kink  - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

The case was another fun one; well, if you consider dismembered body parts strewn throughout a meat locker "fun." It did introduce us to the Killabustas and stirred up some angsty introspection and hallucinations for Malcolm.

Never before could one envision Edrisa, who is nothing short of excitable at every crime scene, screaming out loud while facing a cadaver.

But it was a sign that whoever killed the victim, who she later found out was one of her vigilante crime solver friends, knew about their actions and nicknames.

There are hundreds of us around the world. We all have aliases. I got by Kama Sutures. It's a double entendre because I'm always sewing up bodies and I like sex.

Edrisa

It was a clever way of getting Edrisa more involved with the case beyond funny quips in the M.E's office. It's also open-ended, as, at any point in time, the series can fall back on this whenever they want Eddrisa to branch out a bit within her professional setting.

Malcolm, especially, gave them space to work, and the vigilante group as a unit was effective, even though Ashton was the killer and redirecting things.

Malcolm in the Freezer  - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Edrisa was on fire. Her crime board was impressive; she gathered great intel and had good instincts. One of her best moments was the vulnerable conversation she had with Malcolm.

The Maldrisa content was heavenly, and it highlighted how similar they are in feeling like outcasts. Edrisa is quirky, with unusual hobbies and dark interests, and it's something that most kids and teens wouldn't respond to while growing up.

The Killabustas gave Edrisa a feeling of community and family with those who loved and accepted her particular brand of kooky because of their similar experiences.

Malcolm didn't explicitly say it, but you could sense he related to Edrisa's feeling of loneliness and what's it like when no one can place you into a designated box -- when they don't understand you.

Hanging Arm in a Freezer  - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Their kinship is an improvement from the one-note and too often one-sided obsessive crush that Edrisa has on Malcolm.

Malcolm and Edrisa worked well together, too. He gave her more leeway as another person who isn't a detective on the team but shares similar gumption and impulsivity when a case affects them.

Edrisa: Hey! OK, I pulled a Bright. But I couldn't just, you know, sit back and do nothing. The son of a bitch killed my friend.
Dani: It's fine, just don't make pulling a Bright a habit.

As we spent more time with Edrisa and saw her among peers, like Blaze, it rounded her better.

It also showed us that she's naturally a bubbly, flirty person with an appreciation for sex, and it removed some of the troubling undertones of Edrisa seemingly making a fool of herself in front of an indulgent Malcolm regularly.

Let's give it up for Edrisa's unabashed embodiment of the female gaze. She and Blaze were fire, and she had no qualms about flirting religiously with him every chance she got.

Bondage and Kink  - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

He made for a great red herring when Malcolm concluded one of the Killabustas was the actual killer. He had scoped out Alex's house and went running away from them when they showed up at the scene.

Clearly, the killer wanted to incorporate himself into the investigation and string the rest of the group along. He also was the one who brought their attention to the hidden messages sent in the Audubon society junk mail.

Who would even bother checking that out to notice a note in the first place? Blaze was the most developed out of the Killabustas since the other two didn't get as much focus.

Ashton's tipping point was the truck driver revelation. With all the connections to where the killer purchased the birds and all, it began to fall into place.

The Killabustas - tall - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

It got hairy for a bit when he shot Blaze. It would've been a travesty if Edrisa's new boy toy, who loves bondage and all of her other kinks and quirks, died.

Edrisa and Malcolm joining forces as the two team members who don't carry a weapon to take down an armed Ashton was entertaining stuff, and Edrisa's badass moment is one for the books.

Gil wanted Malcolm to sit out the case, and there's reason enough for him to do so. It's customary to take some time after losing someone in the field, but Nat's death came with so many complications.

He had to solve a case that included a dismembered body by a loner killer who didn't want to lose the family he cultivated if they learned the truth about him and his actions. And he was still grappling with how Nat's death was a lucky break for him and the family.

Butchering Bodies  - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Gil steered Dani in Malcolm's direction, and I wonder if she's gotten a raise for being the Bright Whisperer?

For all the lovely Maldrisa content, we got some great Brightwell moments, too.

Dani is naturally a guarded person, but with Malcolm, she's been putting herself out there more and more, often to invite him to do the same.

I don't want your sympathy, Bright. I want you to listen to me. Trauma doesn't just disappear because you want it to, you have to face it, but you don't have to face it alone.

Dani

She cares about him and their friendship, and she pushes for reciprocity. She didn't have to talk about her experience losing someone to an overdose nor expound on her past drug abuse, but she did.

Dani trusts Malcolm with her past and her feelings. She hopes that in extending that, he can do the same with her. To some degree, Malcolm does, but this situation is different.

Dani- The Bright Whisperer  - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

She knows that Malcolm isn't fine, and he hasn't been for some time, less than usual, but opening up about Nat's death felt like an opening.

And a part of Malcolm wants to tell her. It's been apparent that if he would ever confess what he did, it would be to Dani, or she'd be the one to find out.

He was right on the cusp of doing it while speaking about and relating to Ashton. It came out when he tried to talk Ashton down and voiced his fear of losing the family he created with Gil, JT, Edrisa, and Dani.

It was there again when he mused that we don't know people well and that maybe he let Natalie die on purpose. Dani's reassurance only made him feel worse.

Brightwell Comfort - Tall - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

But he opened up a bit, using Natalie as a catalyst to talk about what's bothering him the most, Nicholas.

But then, he slipped with the name, and the Martin Hallucination spooked him into recognizing how intimate he and Dani were in that moment, and he shut her out again, literally.

Malcolm: What if I didn't do enough to save Nat. What if I'm not really who you think I am.
Dani: Bright, you did everything that you did to save her. You can't really be doubting that.
Malcolm: Sorry, it's just ever since Nicholas died.
Dani: Nicholas?
Malcolm: I mean, Nat. It's been a long week. I'm just tired.
Dani: I know. It's OK. I'm here.
Dream Martin: Ohhhh, here comes the kiss!

It's hilarious that whether it's real Martin, dreamscape Martin, or a Hallucination/Subconscious Martin, Martin is a diehard Brightwell 'shipper.

Malcolm can't hold in whatever happened for much longer. He's on the verge of crumbling under the weight, and losing himself in cases isn't doing the trick.

Claremont Visitation - Tall - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Maybe Simon wasn't the one we had to worry about after all.

The threat of exposure is still there. The guilt comes from getting away with Nicholas' murder and hiding it from the people he cares about -- the threat of losing those people if they knew the truth -- that's eating away at Malcolm.

And he cares about Dani, but he also knows deep down that he can't get close to her without revealing the truth, and he doesn't want to share and risk losing her, so it's quite the conundrum.

It means their relationship is stagnant, and a relationship can't stay that way for long without falling apart anyway.

Grey and Distinguished - tall - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

At least Gil and Jessica are flourishing. They moved past distancing.

Jessica's attempts to write her memoir have been unsuccessful. Jessica repressed so much of herself after Martin's arrest that she doesn't know where to begin.

Jessica: I worked so hard to forget my past that I hardly remember the woman from back then, from the files.
Gil: Oh I remember her, how fiercely she protected her kids, how she didn't let those old school detectives walk over her. Every time she walked into a room, time slowed down. It still does.

She has this chance to tell the world who she is instead of letting them write her story for her, but she is terrified. Enter Gil, who is the Jessica Whisperer.

Malcolm set them up brilliantly. Jessica needed those words of encouragement and a reminder of who she is outside of Martin.

Gil is always the guy who sees and reminds her of it.

Gil Worries About Malcolm  - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Their final scene together felt like something ripped out of an '80s RomCom.

Gil working on a car in some garage, heaven's knows where, drinking a beer, and Jessica stopping in to see him, flirting, sharing a beverage, and dancing set such a specific tone.

The hour toyed with so many relationships, giving each of them "moments," and Gil and Jessica's was divine. Hopefully, this means they're moving forward with their courtship, or, at the very least, Jessica isn't pulling away from Gil to protect him.

She hurt him more than saved him any troubles by doing it. He's a big boy; Dani's concern was understandable (and hypocritical given things with Malcolm), but Gil can handle himself, and he's happy.

Gilica Make Amends - tall - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Of course, Martin and Capshaw have also escalated their relationship, and now, we have an idea of why the witty, cardigan-wearing serial killer is appealing to Capshaw.

Capshaw is in awe of the Surgeon, not for his murder tendencies, per se, but because she idolized him as a cardiothoracic surgeon.

He's one of the greats, and she wanted to be an exceptional doctor, too.

Keeping up with a theme of alienation and outcasts in the same vein as Edrisa, the Vulture, Malcolm, and more, Capshaw felt outcasted by her peers.

Dr. Capshaw in the Infirmary  - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Capshaw faced criticism for being too reckless, and it wasn't that she wasn't good at what she does, but Vivian doesn't do things in a way deemed acceptable, and that's how she ended up at Claremont.

The moment of vulnerability came when she had to assert her dominance and control again and made him vulnerable.

Martin: This electricity we have. It's what all great love affairs are made of.
Capshaw: No, it's what true crime podcasts are made of. I'm not risking my life, or my job, or my --
Martin: Heart?
Capshaw: I was going to say dignity.
Martin: Oh, the things I can do to your dignity.
Capshaw: Martin Whitly, it's over.
Martin: We'll see about that.

Martin did the absolute most when he challenged her authority in front of the guards and a patient. It was a blow to his ego when she said their kiss was a mistake, and she didn't want to cross boundaries again.

Now that we know a bit about her, she has a lot to lose here, and her options aren't the best.

It's always a power trip going on with the two of them, so it wasn't surprising when she exercised hers by having Martin tied up.

Vivan and The Surgeon  - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Oddly, Martin seemed to express some genuine care for Capshaw. His fantasies during Malcolm's visit were one thing -- he seemed to view her as someone potentially twisted enough and appreciative of his darkness.

But when she sat down and told him about how she met him before and how isolated she feels from her peers, he seemed willing to stop their relationship from going further.

He didn't respect her wishes before, and he took it as some type of game, but after her confession, he agreed that they should stop.

Martin: I'm sorry about undermining your authority, Dr. Capshaw. You should always feel in control.
Capshaw: Sometimes it's nice to lose control.
Martin: No, no, you've gotta forget about me, Viv.
Capshaw: What do you mean?
Martin: You deserve someone who can make your dreams come true. I'm only good at nightmares.
Capshaw: You have no idea what I dream about.

Maybe part of it was that she fed into his narcissism, not as a serial killer but his trade.

She knows his darkness, and there is an allure there, too. The moment he relinquished control to her again, she was ready to mount him.

Impressing Teacher - Tall - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Their powerplay is fascinating, and having sex in the infirmary has only made things more complicated.

Now Friar Peter is taunting her; he knows that she slept with Martin. He all but told her he could smell the sex on her, and his observation in the elevator rattled Capshaw.

She may not have wanted to be part of some true-crime podcast story, but it's feeling like it.

Now, how will she play a role in Martin escaping Claremont?

Understanding Capshaw - tall - Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9

Over to you, Prodigal Son Fanatics. Did you love an Edrisa-heavy hour? What do you make of Capshaw and Martin's dalliance?

Is Malcolm on the verge of cracking? How long can he push Dani away?

Hit the comments below!

You can watch Prodigal Son online here via TV Fanatic.

The Killabustas Review

Editor Rating: 4.8 / 5.0
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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.

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Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 9 Quotes

Martin: Vivian, please. Sorry, I cannot stop thinking about the other night.
Capshaw: Neither can I. It was a mistake. It was a colossal lack in judgment.
Martin: Most good things are.
Capshaw: Look, I've made bad decisions in my life. Kissed the wrong men, trusted the wrong friends, but all of that is nothing compared to what I did with you.

Jessica: I used to write all of the time. I kept diaries, but after your father's arrest, I stopped writing started repressing.
Malcolm: Mm. Runs in the family.