'Prodigal Son' season 1 episode 1 review: The father-son story gets off to a slow but interesting start
Fox's latest crime thriller begins with a flashback - In the '90s Dr Martin Whitly has just been arrested by the police. Known as The Surgeon, Michael Sheen's Dr Martin has murdered 23 people all while playing the perfect loving, doting father at home. Just before he is taken out the door and through the doors of a mental facility, Dr Martin tells his son, "We're the same." And for a moment you will find his smile inviting, warm and pacifying but that is only until you notice the sinister intention behind it.
Then in 2019 you have Tom Payne's Malcolm Bright, a special agent with the FBI, who has been fired for exhibiting "psychotic inclinations" like that of his father. He then joins the NYPD under Lou Diamond Phillips' Gil Arroyo to help nab serial killers and murderers. At the NYPD, Bright also works with Franks Harts' Detective JT and Aurora Perrineau's Detective Dani Powell.
In the pilot episode, Malcolm is hunting for a serial killer whose methods are eerily similar to that of his father. With three murders so far, the team is anticipating a fourth to complete the quartet - a series of murders The Surgeon committed in the 90s.
But Malcolm is risking it big time solving these murders - his mental health is deteriorating and working around something so closely associated with his father is only making it worse. He suffers through PTSD, night terrors, nightmares and tremors. There is one nightmare in particular that causes more anguish than others - one that shows a young Malcolm making a discovery that haunts him well into adulthood.
Those psychotic inclinations on the grounds of which the FBI fired Malcolm are present alright. But in no way is Malcolm Bright like his father Dr Martin Whitly. For one, it is Bright who had called the cops on his father those many years ago.
The first time we see Michael Sheen in his embodiment of the sinister The Surgeon is a dark revelation. Malcolm pays him a visit seeking some answers regarding the case. But Dr Martin feels like he needs to dodge in order to keep Malcolm from leaving forever. Despite his past, Dr Martin is desperate to repair his relationship with his son. He reiterates time and again how they are both similar because both of them find the criminal psyche interesting. Even at his sinister best, Sheen carries the series' comedic timing on his shoulders - barring a rare scene with Harts.
Lee Toland Krieger's direction is intriguing, capturing and busy. The series might be fast-paced but it takes its time in finding its footing with ease. That coupled with a suspenseful, noir soundtrack locks your attention - you can't look away from the screen.
On 'Prodigal Son', there is no good or evil. Only those who give into their psychotic tendencies and those who don't.
'Prodigal Son' will air on Mondays at 9 PM ET/PT on Fox.