S01.E09: Pied-A-Terre

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

When Martin is locked away in solitary confinement and the FBI takes over the Junkyard Killer case, Malcolm uses his spare time as an excuse to try out a “normal” lifestyle. Things go well, until he accepts a challenge to “profile” his date. Meanwhile, the NYPD tracks a new homicide that’s linked to an elite underground sex club.

Airing Monday, November 25, 2019.

 

[Cowgirl]

Oh my gosh!  Has everyone abandoned this show?  I just love it!

[Chaos Theory]

This show continues to be so much fun.   I really liked that Malcolm actually thought it was weird to try to be normal but  made a real effort at it.  Of course Jessica went overboard trying to help.  I also really liked her reaction to finding out the girl in the box was real.  

[Samwise979]

Anyone else think Eve is related to the girl in the box? From previous episode threads I get the feeling most viewers think there's an alternative motive to her befriending Jessica and getting close to Malcolm. And now with Malcolm's profiling of her we know she lost someone close to her in a violent way....

To answer @Cowgirl, I am still watching and still loving it but I don't always comment, I've always been more of a listener.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Samwise979

[Trini]

I know Malcolm is haunted by his past, but does it have to be literal? I just want him to be happy - or at least less traumatized!

I don't care enough to re-watch, but did the husband know about the wife murdering the guy from the start? Was he there the night of the murder? I didn't catch all the exposition at the end there.

We got to see JT (and his wife!) outside of work; cool.

1 hour ago, Samwise979 said:

Anyone else think Eve is related to the girl in the box? From previous episode threads I get the feeling most viewers think there's an alternative motive to her befriending Jessica and getting close to Malcolm. And now with Malcolm's profiling of her we know she lost someone close to her in a violent way....

Interesting theory! But it seems Eve knows what happened to the person she lost, and I don't know if anyone besides the killers knows about Girl in the Box.

[UnknownK]

That murder happened when Malcolm was a kid, so Eve must be about the same age or younger then Malcolm so too young to get a half heart tattoo then unless the adult woman in the box was her mother.

[mertensia]

20 minutes ago, UnknownK said:

That murder happened when Malcolm was a kid, so Eve must be about the same age or younger then Malcolm so too young to get a half heart tattoo then unless the adult woman in the box was her mother.

Or a much older sister or half-sister. I wondered if they are related, too.

Malcolm, you are just not meant to try normality. That's okay though.

[Kelda Feegle]

Jessica is annoying me to the point where I am close to no longer watching. I can't stand how interfering, nosy, and helicopterish she is. Her one redeeming moment was her reaction to finding out that the girl in the box was real but she still had to go behind her son's back to find that out.

[Chaos Theory]

Did the bird watch Malcolm have sex?

i still don’t really care about the police stuff and the FBI has pretty much disappeared so unless they do something to turn the show upside down like release Martin into their custody then having them take the case served no purpose.

i continue to adore the relationship between Malcolm and Jessica.  It is the highlight of the show for me.  Of course she would be excited that Malcolm would do something as normal as go on a date but she isn’t exactly normal either so she goes overboard.

[Trini]

3 hours ago, Kelda Feegle said:

Jessica is annoying me to the point where I am close to no longer watching. I can't stand how interfering, nosy, and helicopterish she is. Her one redeeming moment was her reaction to finding out that the girl in the box was real but she still had to go behind her son's back to find that out.

She's not bad enough for me to quit, but I do think Malcolm and the show would be better off with less of the parents.

[Lady Calypso]

I'm ok with Jessica, personally. I think her relationship with Malcolm can be a hit or miss, but she interests me a lot. This entire show is based off of a family that has its serious issues. None of the Whitleys are very sane.

This show is definitely growing on me a bit, but it's becoming more noticeable where its strengths are and where its weaknesses are. The cases are a weak point in the show. I get why they're important, but it's clear that the show has interests in other aspects, such as the character relationships and the issues within Malcolm and his family.

I didn't miss Martin in this episode at all, nor did I miss Ainsley. I found that seeing Malcolm try to go on a normal date with Eve was somewhat endearing. 

Medical examiner Tanaka is a one note character. I need to see her do something other than blubbering in front of Malcolm.

I still believe that Eve is some kind of spy and not entirely trustworthy when it comes to Jessica and Malcolm. It still feels like she's using both in some way, and I can't decide whether it's for Martin's benefit, or someone else's. 

Seeing more of JT was great.

Also, I definitely caught this moment when it happened, but they're setting something up with Jessica and Gil, aren't they? 

[AnimeMania]

3 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Did the bird watch Malcolm have sex?

I hadn't noticed little parakeet before, I wonder if he learned some new words that night.

15 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Also, I definitely caught this moment when it happened, but they're setting something up with Jessica and Gil, aren't they? 

I kind of thought that before, but I am sure Gil is married, so I don't think it happened or will happen.

[jelaine]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

2 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Also, I definitely caught this moment when it happened, but they're setting something up with Jessica and Gil, aren't they? 

I kind of thought that before, but I am sure Gil is married, so I don't think it happened or will happen.

I  haven't checked, but I'm pretty sure one of the earlier episodes mentioned that Gil's wife had died.

Debateable whether putting them together would be a good idea, but I do like that it's the older generation getting the "will they, won't they" - which is gross all on its on - treatment instead of Malcolm and Dani. Or at least Malcolm/Dani hasn't been obvious to me.

[sempervivum]

Huh. So are we going to get nekkid Malcolm every week now?

[saber5055]

This was a pretty good episode except for the crime of the week, which I had absolutely no interest in, didn't care why it happened, didn't care it was solved or the how or why. Plus it reminded me so much of a similar group that was the subject of a recent Blacklist. Made me wonder if the shows are sharing writers. Or have spies in the writers' room.

I once was taken on a date to play pool, and I hated every minute of it. The most horrible date EVER. So bad, I can't even remember the dude's name who thought it was such a super idea. No way was that a great first date IMO.

Now Malcolm can read people as well as or better than Sherlock Holmes. I was waiting for him to tell Eve she's left handed, likes to write with a blue Sharpie and owns a Persian cat that eats Meow Mix.

At the murder scene, did I see correctly that the cop picked up the pill bottle with his right hand using a glove, then touched the pill bottle with his bare left hand? Alrighty then.

The woman was walking down the street talking on the phone to Malcolm when she gets knocked down/knocked out. That's the end of the phone call. Yet Malcolm knows she's "been taken." WTH. Now he is omnipotent and can see into the future?

Malcolm and Eve have sex on the floor, then fall asleep there. No pillows? One or both of them will have bruises where there shouldn't be bruises. Eve's head is on Malcolm's chest, yet she doesn't wake up when he puts her head on the pillow-less wooden floor? That must have been some outstandingly amazing sex.

How does Malcolm put his restraints on and off if they don't let his hands/arms come together? Inquiring minds want to know.

And where did that 'keet come from? Did we miss a scene where Paul gifted him with a bird? And LOL about the new words Petey the Keety learned last night.

In other news, why is Malcolm's last name Bright?

Edited November 26, 2019 by saber5055

[Chaos Theory]

Gil and Jessica are kinda like Malcolm and ANY relationship

Sounds like fun but not really a good idea.   Maybe if the show lasts a few seasons we can give it a try.   
 

We’ll work out the semantics later.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[Risky Librarian]

You know...as annoying as I find Jessica as a parent, I at least get her. Her concern and constant hovering really is more about the health of her son than the way that it looks on the outside, and I do give her points for that. But boy oh boy, do I not like his sister, and I gotta say, I'm actually kinda glad they skipped her this week. I pretty much want to pinch her every time she shows up.

5 hours ago, sempervivum said:

Huh. So are we going to get nekkid Malcolm every week now?

I don't think I'd be wholly mad at that. "Turns out that guy's got aaaabs, and we should probably have them make more appearances."  - some producer, probably.

3 hours ago, saber5055 said:

In other news, why is Malcolm's last name Bright?

He changed his name around the time he headed to college, so that he wouldn't be immediately associated with his father, the serial killer, presumably so that he could be spared a least a few weeks of not being looked at with pity or like he was a ticking time bomb that could go off at any time. If you mean why he specifically chose that particular last name, I don't think they've discussed that yet. If I had to hazard a guess, because it's...well, it's the obvious opposite of one of the darkest things you can think of, aka a tea-drinking, life-saving, serial killer parent who occasionally chloroformed his son to prevent him from remembering what he saw.

[Justme2]

I just gotta say: GIVE MALCOM’S PARAKEET MORE ROOM! Poor little bird...Malcom has this ginormous apartment and the parakeet is in a tiny cage. Give the bird a cage along one whole wall or something, for crying out loud!

12 hours ago, Trini said:

She's not bad enough for me to quit, but I do think Malcolm and the show would be better off with less of the parents.

[tennisgurl]

Now I wonder is Eve has something to do with the woman in the box, like that was an older sister/cousin/aunt, and she is investigating Malcolm and his family to see what they know. Of course this is television, so maybe they just needed to give her a tragic backstory for why she fights human trafficking, so who knows?

The case of the week was alright, and it is kind of weirdly romantic that this rich dying guy made an entire wild Eyes Wide Shut grown up sex club just so that his wife could still get laid even when he cant sleep with her anymore. 

Seeing more of TJ off hours was awesome, and it was nice seeing him and Malcolm hanging out after work, even if it ended up ending pretty badly. I mean, if your on a date with a super genius profile guy, maybe dont ask him to read you if you have a tragic secret/past you dont want to talk about?

Poor Malcolm, its not bad enough that he is haunted by his past, now he is literally haunted! I guess it was a dream, but it was pretty damn vivid!

Jessica is a real helicopter parent, which is even worse when her kid is an adult, but the whole family is a mess, so I find her to be an interesting character. I really liked when she realized that she had spent Malcolm's whole life telling him he imagined the woman in the box, only to find out it was real, and how much that probably helped to mess him up.

Edited November 27, 2019 by tennisgurl

[Mari]

19 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I hadn't noticed little parakeet before, I wonder if he learned some new words that night.

I kind of thought that before, but I am sure Gil is married, so I don't think it happened or will happen.

Gil's a most likely widower--when Jessica went to see him a couple of episodes ago, she told him she was sorry to hear about his wife, and he made a comment about the wife (Karen?) dying three years ago.

I don't think anything happened in the past, but there does seem to be some possibility, however remote, they could have something in the future.

[Trini]

Oh, and at some point can Malcolm start seeing a competent therapist that will actually help him? I know he'll never be "normal", but can his doctors be at least?

[Simba122504]

On 11/26/2019 at 10:00 AM, Trini said:

She's not bad enough for me to quit, but I do think Malcolm and the show would be better off with less of the parents.

The premise is pretty much built on Martin and Malcolm hence the title. But I think Michael’s contract probably has a clause that says he’ll only appear in a limited amount of episodes. That’s just a guess. I have zero proof. Even though the past episodes have been better than the first episodes, I still think it would have been better on HBO. It still has that network television cookie cutter problem. 

“Of course after sex, Malcom sees a ghost and pulls out a knife. They introduced the FBI then paused it in this episode. Of course it will come up again but this causes viewers to think TPTB forgot about that subplot. Did Malcolm show any angry about the FBI taking over the case in this episode? I don’t remember. When did the murder take place in the case of week? I don’t understand what timeline. The husband seen the lover having sex with another woman and watched. After the sex the woman leaves and the wife kills the lover. So the husband witnessed the whole thing? Yes, Malcolm, you definitely don’t need any kids ever. 

[Tachi Rocinante]

JT's wife is a meddling dolt, and Jessica is so blissfully self-unaware it's pathetic.

[treasaigh]

On 11/26/2019 at 6:59 AM, icemiser69 said:

Tanaka needs to act her age.  Everything about her just screams, quirky, kinky, horny, inappropriate, medical examiner.  She is just trying too hard.  She obviously has the hots for Malcolm. 

Most shows seem to have a similar stereotypical character, whether it be a person working in a lab, a computer person,  or  a medical examiner.  I just get tired of it.  I don't know how old Tanaka is supposed to be.  Tanaka definitely is acting inappropriately and ought to be called out for it.

On paper she shares a lot of characteristics of another Greg Berlanti character, Felicity from Arrow.  From the moment she showed up I've assumed it wasn't a coincidence.  It also made me wonder if the writers/producers think there might be a future for Malcom and Edrisa.  So far I'm not interested in any of the possible romantic options Edrisa, Dani, or Eve.

[foxfreakinmulder]

On ‎11‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 8:21 PM, Samwise979 said:

Anyone else think Eve is related to the girl in the box? From previous episode threads I get the feeling most viewers think there's an alternative motive to her befriending Jessica and getting close to Malcolm. And now with Malcolm's profiling of her we know she lost someone close to her in a violent way....

I don't think she's the girl in the box, she's too young. But I think she knows who the girl in the box was and that's her motive for getting close to Jessica and Malcolm, maybe she's seeking revenge.

[nodorothyparker]

I guess having sex on the floor is one way to get around dealing with awkward questions like why exactly do you have restraints attached to your bed.

I get Jessica, even if it doesn't make her any less annoying at times.  She's a socialite who seems to be very light on the social part of it because she's Mrs. Serial Killer.  She has her own issues from that and her son is very very emotionally and mentally fragile as a result of Dear Old Dad's fuckery.  He spends all his time mucking around in other murder scenes.  And now she's just found out that she's spent the last 20 years telling him he didn't see what they now know was real.  So she's hovery as hell and anxious for him to have any quasi normal experience.  All I can think is that something has to be seriously off with Eve too that she's ingratiated herself as quickly as she has with this family and isn't going thanks, but no.  I get that the family is still rich and influential but then maybe don't get your back up if you know what the guy does for a living and he actually shows you when you ask.  It feels like it would almost be too much for her to be related to the girl in the box, but I did love TJ and his wife gamely trying to play along only to realize oh wow, he really is this weird and no it isn't a parlor trick.

Don't really have much feeling about the Crime of the Week beyond it's a show that on the surface is about odd killings.  Sex club is an almost obligatory box to check off.