Prodigal Son: 10 Things That Don’t Make Sense About The Show

Anyone tuning in to a series like Prodigal Son has to go in with certain expectations. Among these is that a show about a serial killer and his son who is a skilled profiler would feature exaggerated storylines. But Prodigal Son sometimes takes things to non-sensical levels, with storylines and events that are truly unbelievable. There are other things about the show that don’t make sense beyond that, dealing with characters and storylines.

This doesn’t take away from the fact that the show is thoroughly entertaining and keeps viewers at the edges of their seats every week. It is escapist fiction, after all.

10 Ainsley Rapid Transformation

The big twist at the end of the first season was that, while Malcolm worried so much that he might have serial killer tendencies like his father, it turns out his sister Ainsley might have been the one to follow more in her father’s footsteps.

It adds up in some ways, as Ainsley has sometimes seemed cold and is solely focused on her career, even at the expense of others. But once the realization came to light for others, Ainsley seemed to be acting much more coldly, which seems all too convenient.

9 Ainsley Flashbacks

One of the biggest inconsistencies that doesn’t make sense is in Ainsley’s age. Malcolm, the older brother, was a young boy of about 12 when he discovered the truth about his father. In the flashback images from season one when Gil arrived to take Martin away, Ainsley was seen as a baby, held in her mother’s arms.

But in a flashback in season two, Ainsley is a young girl hiding in a grandfather clock while playing a game with Malcolm. Martin runs to her when they find her, which means this event occurred before he was sent away. How is this possible?

8 Martin Being Able To Have Private Visitors

Martin is technically not in a jail, so, it’s entirely possible that the rules would be a little different there and he would be able to have private visitors. But for an admitted killer, it seems unlikely that people would be allowed to visit him and be left in the room alone together, a guard positioned outside.

Even though he is chained to the wall with a clear red line on the floor indicating how far these visitors can go, it seems more made-for-TV than real life. Especially when considering that Malcolm even ended up stabbing and almost killing his father in the cell.

7 Martin’s Love For His Children

Martin is a killer and seems to lack a lot of empathy. Yet, again and again, Martin shows that he truly loves and cares for not only his son Malcolm but also his daughter Ainsley and even his ex-wife.

It’s possible it’s all a ruse and a fake affection he projects in order to make himself look good. That said, he had a chance to escape or save Malcolm’s life and he chose his son. It seems at odd to fans with what the rest of what they know about him.

6 Malcolm Getting Such Intimate Access To Cases

Malcolm is a profiler who consults for the police, yet he seems to get unprecedented access to cases. In reality, there would probably be a lot more red tape to cut through to have someone who isn’t technically a cop there at a crime scene.

He isn’t trained, thus putting his life at risk at every turn, at the expense of the police department and its reputation. It could be a lawsuit waiting to happen were he to ever get hurt or worse, killed. It doesn’t make sense that Malcolm would be able to work so closely on cases without being an official member of the team.

5 Dr. Edrisa’s Crime Scene Habits

Dr. Edrisa – played by Keiko Agena, who is probably best known for playing Rory’s best friend Lane on Gilmore Girls – provides a much-needed light-hearted tone to the show, and her scenes are often among the most hilarious. But her behavior sometimes reaches nonsensical levels.

It’s obvious she has a crush on Malcolm, which is fine. But she often goes off on tangents about unrelated topics, frustrating the police who are doing serious work, as is she. Her behavior sometimes reaches unprofessional levels, like when she was downing coffees with energy drinks to stay awake. How can she be trusted to do her job properly when joking around so much about brutal murders and crime scenes?

4 Malcolm’s Near-Perfect Profiling

Malcolm studied serial killers and human behavior very closely and became a very skilled profiler. But with every single one of his assessments being correct, down to a tee, it doesn’t make sense that someone would be able to determine that much from just seeing a body.

He analyzes body language as suspects are questioned, looks at crime scenes, and considers every detail. If someone like him were to exist in real life, they would be heavily sought after around the world.

3 Malcolm’s Consistent Brushes With Death

It seems that Malcolm has a gun pointed at him, he’s kidnapped, or hanging over a ledge in every single episode. All of the insane things Malcolm has done make for entertaining television but it doesn’t make sense. After seeing how much danger he gets into every time because of his brazen and over-confident behavior, how is he still able to work cases?

If Gil cares so much for him, he would want to keep him out of harm’s way, Malcolm gets too close to death every single time.

2 The Girl In The Box Resolution

Understandably, this full story couldn’t be pursued as nicely as writers would have hoped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to several episodes being cut from the first season that left out pivotal information. But this means that the whole “girl in the box” story that was central to season one all but disappeared in season two.

Will it return and will viewers find out more about the woman, what she was doing for Nicholas Endicott, and what happened to her since Malcolm’s visit? Chances are yes. But as of the first half of season two, there has been no mention at all.

1 So Many Serial Killers

Every case Malcolm and the team investigates seems to lead to a serial killer. Is it really possible that so many serial killers are active at the same time, within the same district that the precinct serves? Murders, accidents, killings, sure. But bona fide serial killers? That doesn’t make sense.

Of course, this is necessary to justify the use of Malcolm and has amazing profiling skills. But it would make more sense if he moved around and worked with different police forces and jurisdictions as a sought-after talent.

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