Ouroboros
Episode 8 of Prodigal Son Season 2 picks up right where we left off before the midseason break. Simon has uncovered Endicott’s body and he’s en-route to New York. Once there, he begins piecing together the Whitly family tree. There’s no time to dwell on that though, we’ve got another case to solve! We begin on a boat by the dock, as a woman named Holy is strung up at the front of the vessel. The hanging is accidental though, she was actually shot. Malcolm suspects it may have occurred after a phone call, especially given she’s wearing make-up ready for a night out. Simon Hoxley suddenly shows up though with a different explanation. He suspects it’s a professional hit and that it could be linked to Endicott. This obviously causes a lot of issues for Ainsley and Malcolm, who discuss the Mind Sleuth’s arrival and what it means for them later on in the day. Apparently Malcolm used the same network of couriers Endicott did to dump his body on the other side of the world. It’s a clever plan, but for the trail of dead bodies leading back to New York. Someone is killing all the couriers involved – which is what’s led Hoxley over to New York. Well, our brilliant sleuth immediately goes straight to Gil, asking about his whereabouts that night. Given he was bleeding out at the time, Gil has a solid alibi. Hoxley does manage to do enough to gain his help and team up together to apprehend the real killer. Malcolm begins to feel the heat, ringing Martin who does nothing to quell his anxiety. After all, Hoxley has a 100% conviction rate. Another dead body – and a hurried cutting of the thumb to hack into the victim’s phone – only raises the tension further. Hoxley next visits Jessica at home, questioning her outright whether she killed Endicott. A little quip about killing the man in her apartment is enough for Simon to immediately begin suspecting her. This brings the family over for an emergency meeting. While they go over what to do next, Simon visits Martin. The two verbally spar, with Hoxley outright challenging him by claiming the Whitly family have killed Endicott. He deduces they wouldn’t have the means to do this alone – accusing Martin of being involved. Brandishing a pair of scissors, Dr Capshaw’s interjection is enough to break things up before it turns nasty. Hoxley continues to do the rounds, heading over to see Bright at his apartment. The two trade blows, with both profiling each other. Eventually this ends with Hoxley deciding to search Jessica’s apartment again. A big spanner is thrown in the works in the form of Natalie, the one person still alive from the courier murders. It turns out she’s actually the ringleader in all this, single-handedly getting rid of evidence and leaving a breadcrumb trail straight to the docks. Malcolm realizes Hoxley is next, saving the sleuth from a murderous Nat, who shows up all guns blazing. Malcolm gives chase, eventually leading to Nat falling off the top of the boat and impaling herself down below. This sets up pretty conveniently for Malcolm and the others, with it looking like Nat was the real killer. Hoxley believes he’s solved the case, while Gil debriefs Bright with the same conclusion. As the episode closes out, we cut back to Martin as Dr. Capshaw demands he hand over the scissors he took. She doesn’t want to put Martin in isolation, if she can help it, eventually leading to The Surgeon succumbing to her wishes. When he does, she leans in and kisses him. Well, that was unexpected!
The Episode Review
Prodigal Son returns after its midseason break with a glorious episode of cat and mouse. The whole incident with Nat and the killings take a backseat here, with the show instead doubling down on the brilliance of both Bright and Hoxley. The pair work really well together too and hopefully this isn’t the last we see of Hoxley. Alan Cumming is absolutely glorious here, with a suitably campy and theatrical performance working well to really solidify him as a force to be reckoned with. The Mind Sleuth managed to “solve” the case in the end, but as we know that’s not the true version of events. It seems Malcolm has had a lucky break there but at the same time, it could raise questions about the manner in which Nat died. Could Hoxley pose the question over whether Malcolm actually pushed her off the boat? We shall have to wait and see. For now though, Prodigal Son continues to deliver the goods, and this is definitely one of season 2’s stronger episodes.
