'Prodigal Son' Season 2: Show returns after mediocre Season 1, it's time to let Michael Sheen shine
The last time we saw Dr Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen) on 'Prodigal Son', it was in the Season 1 finale when he exclaimed "My girl" after finding out that his daughter Ainsley Whitly (Halston Sage) had killed someone. The notorious serial killer he plays on Fox's hit crime drama 'Prodigal Son' is filled with glee after discovering that at least one of his children display the same killing instinct as himself. When you watch Sheen essay the role of this mad murderer, you are filled with terror like never before. Sheen fuses his killer instinct with a sharp wit and humor that makes him pretty much the highlight of the show. Dr Martin Whitly is easily one of our favorite antagonists. And that is exactly why we think it is now time for Sheen to shine as Dr Martin Whitly when 'Prodigal Son', which had actually sidelined its most brilliant character in Season 1, returns soon. When the show comes back to Fox for Season 2 on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, it must aim to dig deeper into the serial-killing-maniac-cum-father-figure.
'Prodigal Son' follows Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne), a very intelligent psychologist who has a gift for understanding how serial killers think. He might seem like any other criminal profiler, but there is something special about Bright. His father is the notorious serial killer Dr. Martin Whitly (Sheen), who had gripped his townspeople and authorities in horror under the facade of being a celebrated surgeon. As a serial killer, he called himself 'The Surgeon'. Being the best criminal psychologist in NY and also the son of a serial killer, Bright constantly walks the thin line of giving into his dormant killer instincts. He believes that his father might have passed some of his evil to Bright – and Martin keeps referring to him as his 'prodigal son' anyway.
Throughout the first season, Bright and Martin were at constant loggerheads as the incarcerated serial killer kept trying to bring his son to the other side. In the season finale, it is not entirely wrong to say that he was disappointed to find out that Bright is not a killer, it is his daughter.
Dr Martin Whitly is a very interesting character as far as crime dramas surrounding serial killers go. Dr Martin Whitly worked all his life as a powerful pillar of society as a celebrated surgeon. He saved countless lives but also took many as The Surgeon. Going by the looks of it, there is no doubt that the backstory of this particular character is even darker than first impressions.
Imagine being a serial killer who is physiologically driven to commit crimes and kill people and living a whole family life with his wife, daughter and youngest son. That is a bizarre, terrifying tale from the very get-go. How can one even possibly manage to pull that off?
Undoubtedly, someone like Dr Martin Whitly. And if there is someone who can successfully play that on screen, it is Michael Sheen. Therefore it is time that the Fox show put the focus on the serial killer and delve deeper into his backstory going forwards in Season 2. 'Prodigal Son' Season 2 returns to Fox on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, at 9:01-10:00 PM ET/ PT on FOX.