'Prodigal Son' Episode 4 'Designer Complicity': Ainsley's eagerness to meet The Surgeon might just hint at a dangerous future for her
Spoilers ahead for episode 4 'Designer Complicity' of 'Prodigal Son'
While everyone was busy looking at Bellamy Young's Jessica Whitly to do something closely associated with her serial killing husband The Surgeon (Michael Sheen), it was actually Ainsley (Halston Sage) who brought in the surprise (regardless of the predictions).
The fourth episode finally revealed just how much Jessica knew about Dr Martin's killing spree, which is nothing. After Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne) obtains the evidence tapes from the night of his father's arrest from Gil (Lou Diamond Phillips), he goes through them to validate his mother's claims. What he finds there surprises him - Jessica had always been under the impression that his father was having an affair owing to the cheap perfume on him and his late nights. On the night of the arrest, she admits to Gil that she should have known and that by not knowing about this, she "enabled" him to kill more people.
But while we now know the truth about Jessica's past, it is time to generate some concern about Ainsley's future.
At the end of 'Designer Complicity', Ainsley goes to meet her father in his cell. This was after her mother tells her that Martin thinks of his daughter as an ace reporter and that he is her "biggest fan". She is tempted to do an exclusive interview with him, "Don't you know what a Martin Whitly exclusive could do for my career?" she asks her mother. Jessica warns her against meeting Dr Whitly. Her brother also warns her from going forward with the meeting.
Ainsley believes that because she hardly knew her father, she has no baggage unlike Jessica and Malcolm, which makes her meetings with him potentially less dangerous. 'Designer Complicity' is also the first time that we see more of Ainsley. Previously, all we could deduce was that there was something off about her. Her character has shown ambition and has taken to flattery - specifically when Malcolm tells her that her father wouldn't watch all her reports if she hadn't been the best in the first place. Which goes to show that she technically possesses the characteristics that hold the potential to take any shape going forward.
Dr Martin had heavily relied on the impression that Malcolm Bright was his "prodigal son", that they are not all that different. But what if the "prodigal son" that Dr Martin thinks is Malcolm is actually his younger daughter Ainsley?
'Prodigal Son' airs on Mondays at 9 PM ET/PT.