S01.E20: Like Father...

[Trini]

Malcolm continues to unravel as the mystery of the girl in the box comes to a head. As Nicholas Endicott's (guest star Dermot Mulroney) true colors continue to show, the Whitlys must decide to what lengths they are willing to go in order to take him down.

Airdate: April 27, 2020

 

[NeenerNeener]

Wow! Did not see that "Daddy's Little Girl" twist coming. Bravo, show!

[Lady Calypso]

...Like Daughter, I guess.

I think a whole bunch of us called this happening way back at the beginning of the series. I know I certainly knew that it would end with Ainsley likely killing someone as a twist instead of Malcolm, as we all expected Malcolm to turn out like Martin. But it didn't make the final scene any less exciting and somewhat shocking. 

This entire finale was actually kind of fun and exciting in general. It makes me so happy that they filmed out of order, or else we wouldn't have gotten this. 

Gil getting stabbed felt a bit random, but I guess it was to provoke the entire ending to happen. I was frustrated with Jessica not grabbing her purse and running after smashing the plate over Nicholas' head. 

Some very nice scenes all around. I'm surprised they shot the Malcolm/Sophie scene in the way that they did. But I definitely found myself a bit confused by it. Still, it was nice to see. 

Still, a great finale. I have to hope that the show comes back, and I think the show has a great shot at returning, if not JUST for this finale.

Edited April 28, 2020 by Lady Calypso

[redfish]

Now THAT'S a cliffhanger.

"You're grounded." "He's pouting in his room." Ha!

Gil? Nooooooooo. And Jess is truly badass. 

Wow a real heart twist. Malcolm found the killer but he can't turn Sophie in. He owes her too much. And she gave him the absolution to his guilt.

And leave it to Martin to find a way to survive in jail.

I guess Ainsley is the heir apparent. That was creepy how she killed Endicott. "My girl..." I think Malcolm would have become a killer but I assume his traumatic encounter with Sophie made sure any desire to murder was killed (no pun intended) out of him. God. Would second season end up with Martin trying to "mentor" Ainsley to encourage her to murder?

 

[Roxie]

I have no idea where Show will go from here, but I sure hope they get the chance!

[Chaos Theory]

Gil getting stabbed felt a bit random but it worked as a rallying cry for the team.

Really liked Malcolm finally getting to talk with Sophie and realizing it was her that killed the dude who killed Eve and letting her get away with it even though it left him on the hook for murder tracks for me.    He is after all his mother’s son.

And  Ainsley is her father’s daughter which the show has been building to since pretty much the pilot.   When she told Martin that he was the smartest person in the prison and to be the surgeon I was pretty sure at that moment she was going to be the one to kill Endicott.

Still it was thrilling to watch her do it.

 

This show better get a second season.

 

[redfish]

OMG I just realized even though Endicott is dead, Malcolm still has a pending murder charge and now Ainsley with her own murder case. There better be a season 2 because there are so many tangled threads.

Did Ainsley really zone out killing Endicott or was it an act? And considering who her father is I don't think the court is going to go easy on her. Please please please Malcolm. Don't do anything stupid like hide the body in the box or in the secret tunnel. It won't end well

Edited April 28, 2020 by redfish

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

I was frustrated with Jessica not grabbing her purse and running after smashing the plate over Nicholas' head. 

Well, she ran, but appeared to leave behind her purse with her phone, and I think she had been taping Nicholas on it, when he was boasting about how he controlled everything.

[Lady Calypso]

3 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Well, she ran, but appeared to leave behind her purse with her phone, and I think she had been taping Nicholas on it, when he was boasting about how he controlled everything.

Oh, she definitely was taping Nicholas, which is why I was frustrated when she ran off without it. Like, woman, you JUST taped part of his confession. Don't let your phone out of your sight!

[AnimeMania]

I would be fine with Ainsley being sent to an insane asylum next season, then she could go back to being on "The Orville". They can give all of Ainsley's screen time to Edrisa. Maybe Jessica was smart enough to send her recording straight to the cloud, just in case something happened to her. Too bad Jessica wasn't carrying her phone when she was eavesdropping downstairs where the real confession was occurring. I am not sure why the trunk would just magically pop open like that when Jessica crashed into the car.

[crowsworks]

1 hour ago, redfish said:

OMG I just realized even though Endicott is dead, Malcolm still has a pending murder charge and now Ainsley with her own murder case. There better be a season 2 because there are so many tangled threads.

Did Ainsley really zone out killing Endicott or was it an act? And considering who her father is I don't think the court is going to go easy on her. Please please please Malcolm. Don't do anything stupid like hide the body in the box or in the secret tunnel. It won't end well

I hope Malcolm is smart enough to wipe off the gun and put it into Endicott's hand...and get sissy to the shrink

I did alway suspect Ainsley was a tiny bit of a sociopath as she was sort of ruthless in a professional way but I felt she was too young to be tainted by dad. 

Wrong!

[tennisgurl]

LIKE DAUGHTER! OH YEAH, I SO CALLED IT! My girl indeed.

...sorry, I just got excited, this was a really intense finale! Yeah I think a lot of us called Ainsley as Martins true murder heir, but it was still shocking to see her just straight up slit Nicholas's throat and stab him a bunch of times! Martin is the proudest papa in all of New York! Turns out, he spent all that time trying to make Malcolm his next generation killer, but really Malcolm takes over Jessica, and its Ainsley that takes more after dear old dad. Granted, she isnt exactly building her own torture cellar yet, but...

So much going on, we really need that second season, there are so many plots up in the air! Poor Gil, I guess they had to have him to hurt to make us think that it was possible that Malcolm could be driven to kill, but hopefully this will at least mean that he and Jessica will be able to give it a shot soon now! And I have no clue where Ainsley goes from here, or what happens with Malcolm and the murder charge, there is a lot going on here, I need to see what happens next! 

Jessica, bring that recording! Well anyway, Jessica was a real badass this week, saving Gil, smashing Nicholas in the head, going out with him to try and get a confession out of him, she is not a lady I would screw with! Or her army of lawyers!

Malcolm finding Sophie was a nice ending for the Girl in the Box mystery. He finally got closure, especially with Sophie saying, correctly, that he was just a little kid, there wasnt anything he could have done, and its not fair to himself to carry so much guilt over what his father did. Man, poor Eve. She spends her whole life trying to find her sister, dedicates her life to helping women who disappeared like her sister, only to find out she was alive and well right outside the city, only to finally find her, and then get killed. 

"Did we forget the secret tunnels under the house?" 

"Oh, the one the murderers use?" 

[AnimeMania]

I am not sure why they dumped Eve's body in New York when they killed her in Connecticut.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

36 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

I am not sure why they dumped Eve's body in New York when they killed her in Connecticut.

So Malcolm's team would find out about it more quickly?

[Trini]

Ainsley!!  D-:  Well, I was expecting a twist with her, but it was still surprising. Like, how is Malcolm going to deal with this?? He already let one killer go free, I don't know if he really has the energy for a second cover-up.

Well, now Martin has a new favorite child! (BTW, should we make a quotes topic? They keep giving Martin hilarious lines.) I do wonder if he can ever go back to the cushy psych ward since that was Endicott's doing.

I do appreciate that they wrapped up the Girl in the Box mystery. But yeah, it bugs me that Malcolm is still a murder suspect. And Gil!! Why did he have to get stabbed? 😞

There's just so much up in the air for a potential season 2.

[Simba122504]

The Ainsley twist wasn’t shocking. Great and predictable move but we obviously cannot have Malcolm be the true heir given he’s the protagonist. It then becomes a poor man’s Dexter. If he had killed Endicott, I would have cheered him on, though. 😂 It’s okay to kill the big bad if it comes to it. Malcolm helping to cover it up would be ridiculous, even for this show. I mean NA was supposed to be this all powerful being and all of a sudden goes missing and the NYPD/city doesn’t care? Or his body is found,  they don’t care who did it and just claim he crossed someone more powerful than he was?   I’m ready for S2. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Simba122504
Question mark

[NeenerNeener]

6 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

she could go back to being on "The Orville".

Nah, if the gossip sites are right the actress has burned her bridge to Seth MacFarlane, so The Orville is out.

[redfish]

Quote

The Ainsley twist wasn’t shocking. Great and predictable move but we obviously cannot have Malcolm be the true heir given he’s the protagonist.

I think the prodigal son metaphor still continues on. From the start the kids were resisting  Martin's "influence" (takes a monster to make a monster) then Ainsley succumbs and kills much to Martin's approval and embraced into the fold. And as long as Malcolm holds out and resists from joining the "family business" to the very end until one day he will kill in cold blood he is still the prodigal son. To Martin, killing is a normal thing and Malcolm is abnormal and Martin has to "fix" him. I think when season 2 comes back Martin will still be there to tempt him to return to him.

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by redfish

[sonyab]

26 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

"Not buying into that at all.  I didn't see any uncontrollable rage issues in the prior nineteen episodes."

Endicott must have done something to her before Malcolm showed up! Maybe they will talk about it on season 2.

26 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Jessica forgetting her purse was so cliche, it was embarrassing.   They might as well have had her twist her ankle as she was getting away.

Hahahaha. Or fall down while she was running!!  That would be so 80's movies hahahaha.

[Samwise979]

I knew Ansley was going to kill Endicott but I thought it would be more like, Endicott and Malcolm fight for the gun, it gets thrown aside, Endicott gets the upper hand over Malcolm and just when we think it might be over for him, bang! Ansley shoots Endicott. You know, more like a self defense type senario. Slitting his throat from behind was really shocking. I literally gasped. 

Martin's reaction to it, "my girl" [evil smile] was so so good. 

[sigmaforce86]

35 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Jessica forgetting her purse was so cliche, it was embarrassing.   They might as well have had her twist her ankle as she was getting away.

Real possibility considering they had her in a skirt so tight she was doing this weird mince step like my ankles are tied together type of running as she went across the street for her car.  The one moment in the whole hour I was pulled out of the show and actually laughed out loud.

For the rest - it was really good if a little quick and at some points cobbled together.  I just read an article on TV Line that explained how they were forced to piece together parts of the two cut episodes and compress a few things so that they could make this the finale.  Based on that I have to forgive any hiccups, it really couldn't be helped since it wasn't their choice to lose those episodes and they didn't have a lot of time to adjust and shoot the parts they needed to make this the finale.   Loved Martin's "My Girl" and how he was the general calm eye in the center of the riot hurricane around him.  Ainsley was right about one thing, when he stops panicking and uses that exceptional brain of his Martin can do just about anything and be stone cold while doing it.

Still this is a really well acted show with a good story and very few missteps especially for the first season.  I definitely want more and very much want Tom Payne, Michael Sheen and Lou Diamond Phillips to all return.   Tom of course is necessary, the other two could refuse a second season in theory but it wouldn't be a show without them.  So I guess it's we'll take what we can get in terms of this episode being the finale but crossing fingers that it's not also the final.

Edited April 28, 2020 by sigmaforce86

[Risky Librarian]

9 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I am not sure why they dumped Eve's body in New York when they killed her in Connecticut.

Control. Endicott wanted Jessica (and to hold a knife to Martin's throat), one way or another. If he couldn't suave his way into getting her, he does it with subterfuge. Eve is murdered and dumped within the proper jurisdiction, which upsets Malcolm, who presumably becomes angry enough to murder her killer when he's found, because he is his father's son who spent years under the tutelage of The Surgeon. Endicott reaches out to Jessica and pulls strings for a favor for her, tying her to him by obligation and fear.  If Eve is found where she's murdered, Malcolm would have found out too far after the fact for it to be of any use, if he found out at all. And he might have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for him underestimating the other kid.

That ending was kind of great. I don't care for Ainsley, but I enjoyed that resolution. She damn sure tried to cut that dude's head clean off. Which, let's face it. he deserved it. I'm going to be sad if this doesn't get a second season. I could have gone either way with it at the beginning, but I like the performances and the overall chemistry of the cast.

[Chaos Theory]

2 hours ago, redfish said:

I think the prodigal son metaphor still continues on. From the start the kids were resisting  Martin's "influence" (takes a monster to make a monster) then Ainsley succumbs and kills much to Martin's approval and embraced into the fold. 

 

Whose prodigal son is Malcolm?  Does he even really have his fathers drive to kill?   Or is he like Endicott said his mother’s son?   Or is he when it comes down to it Gil’s de facto son.   So I think the metaphor works.  
 

As for Ainsley I think the sudden act of violence and her being her fathers daughter has been coming for awhile.   She felt most alive during the filming episode with her father where her boyfriend got stabbed.   She is good under pressure.  She wouldn’t let her father give that heartfelt goodbye speech.   I think what happens next is going to determine what kind of person Ainsley becomes.

[AZChristian]

I sometimes miss important stuff when watching, and I've now watched it twice and still don't have an answer.

How did Sophie (the girl in the box) get into the hospital to kill Eddie?  I did pick up (the second time) that Martin said that the forearm to the side of the shoulder/back is how you hold a dog down . . . so there's a link as to how she might have overcome him.

But Martin also said it would take at least 45 seconds to two minutes to actually suffocate someone with a pillow.  With all the doctors, nurses, and cops in and out of Eddie's room, how did Sophie get in there?

[UnknownK]

I assume she just dressed up as a nurse and went in. The guy would be under sedation after losing his eyes so probably didn't put up much of a fight anyway.

[Roxie]

For me, Ainsley killing Endicott wasn’t surprising, but the viciousness of it was. 

[UnknownK]

43 minutes ago, Roxie said:

For me, Ainsley killing Endicott wasn’t surprising, but the viciousness of it was. 

The cool part was she zoned out and asked what happened after it was done.  We could find out she did this before and just doesn't remember it making for some interesting stories.

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by UnknownK

[meira.hand]

18 hours ago, redfish said:

OMG I just realized even though Endicott is dead, Malcolm still has a pending murder charge and now Ainsley with her own murder case. There better be a season 2 because there are so many tangled threads.

The police already know that Endicott's lab falsified Malcolm DNA evidence (and many others), so his case is no longer an issue. Also, with Jessica's phone still recording, Endicott  taunts and Ainsley crazed screams during her attack can be heard and make it a quite convincingly a case of temporary insanity.

[CoyoteBlue]

3 hours ago, meira.hand said:

Also, with Jessica's phone still recording, Endicott  taunts and Ainsley crazed screams during her attack can be heard and make it a quite convincingly a case of temporary insanity.

If the gun is untraceable, they can make a case for Endicott threatening Malcolm and Ainsley attacking him out of fear for their lives. 

[sinkwriter]

14 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

Real possibility considering they had her in a skirt so tight she was doing this weird mince step like my ankles are tied together type of running as she went across the street for her car.  The one moment in the whole hour I was pulled out of the show and actually laughed out loud.

LOL. Seriously! I actually said out loud to my TV, "Kick those heels off, lady! You need to RUN!" She didn't have time to be mincing down the stairs and around the streets after the car crash. 

[sinkwriter]

I looked back at my comments in the pilot's thread, and yep, I talked about the sister as being the one to turn monster:

Quote

What I think I'd find more interesting is if they spend all this time showing us that we should be worried about Malcolm being his father's son and descending into madness and violence... and in the end it turns out that his sister is the one who cracks. She's the one her mom referred to as "perfect" and not the one to worry about.... <snip> And then we wonder, just which one is the true monster and did they inherit that from their father, and can it be stopped?

So I agree with Roxie - I wasn't at all surprised that Ainsley was the one to kill someone (they've been working toward this in little ways all season), but the viciousness she used to kill Endicott was brutal. She is definitely her father's daughter. I just wonder how far she'll go now that she's done this. Has she gotten a weird taste for it, and Martin just needs to push the right buttons to completely pull her into his side of things? She looked shocked once everything calmed down, but during and right after the attack she actually seemed like she enjoyed it or at the very least found it strangely invigorating. She seemed surprised by it. 

I actually think it could be both chilling and funny if they get a new season, because you just know that suddenly Ainsley's going to be Daddy's Favorite, and poor Malcolm's got to feel weird once he's out of the loop because he's his mother's son and doesn't have what it takes. Daddy's done with you, son, he's got a new student to nurture. Ewwwwwww... so creepy.

[Simba122504]

15 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

If this series comes back, TPTB are going to have a lot of explaining to do when it comes to Ainsley completely losing it seemingly out of nowhere.  The twentieth episode in and Ainsley totally loses it, turns on a dime, and slices and stabs Endicott?  Not buying into that at all.  I didn't see any uncontrollable rage issues in the prior nineteen episodes.

I do see a temporary insanity defense coming a mile away. 

Edrisa is getting creepier and creepier as the weeks go by.  

Jessica forgetting her purse was so cliche, it was embarrassing.   They might as well have had her twist her ankle as she was getting away.

They actually filmed out of order. This was the true intended season finale but it was supposed to be episode 22 but COVID-19 shut everything down. 

15 hours ago, redfish said:

I think the prodigal son metaphor still continues on. From the start the kids were resisting  Martin's "influence" (takes a monster to make a monster) then Ainsley succumbs and kills much to Martin's approval and embraced into the fold. And as long as Malcolm holds out and resists from joining the "family business" to the very end until one day he will kill in cold blood he is still the prodigal son. To Martin, killing is a normal thing and Malcolm is abnormal and Martin has to "fix" him. I think when season 2 comes back Martin will still be there to tempt him to return to him.

 

I mean the series finale (if it makes it that far) can always come full circle, but if Malcolm starts killing, it becomes a poor man's Dexter. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Simba122504

[AnimeMania]

I wonder if Ainsley was supposed to have more interactions with Endicott in the episodes that didn't get filmed, since they were supposed to meet each other for an interview. Maybe that would explain why she was so ruthless towards him.

[Grammaeryn]

I had been joking with my roommate that Malcolm is the Luke to Martin’s Vader. Leia being unknown and underestimated.

Malcolm getting the psychological help early on meanwhile the assumption that Ainsley was too young and protected could lead to this. 

[foxfreakinmulder]

On ‎4‎/‎28‎/‎2020 at 6:51 AM, sonyab said:

Hahahaha. Or fall down while she was running!!  That would be so 80's movies hahahaha.

Hahahaha. That would only happen if she was wearing sneakers. She did all that in 6 inch heels running in baby steps. LOL :-)

I'm glad Malcolm finally found the girl in the box.

I hope Martin goes back to his cushy cell, I really don't want to see him in general pop and add new characters.

I'm also hoping for a season 2.  

[springbarb]

9 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I wonder if Ainsley was supposed to have more interactions with Endicott in the episodes that didn't get filmed, since they were supposed to meet each other for an interview. Maybe that would explain why she was so ruthless towards him.

That's what I'm going with. The last time we saw them together was that meeting in the restaurant, and his behavior toward her in this episode was...very creepy. (I'm also hoping we met Leonard in those two episodes, because that guy was random.)

[Chaos Theory]

I think it’s a clever misdirect to call the show “prodigal son” because Endicott is essentially right about Malcolm.   He is all smoke and no fire.   Even from the start we should have seen it.   This is the boy who turned in his own father rather then let him kill a police officer who wasn’t even suspicious about him at the moment.   This is a guy who has felt enormous guilt both about turning in his father and about an “imaginary” woman he didn’t save.   Malcolm just can’t kill anyone.   It is probably why he sucked at being an FBI agent.   He can’t pull the trigger even when his own life is in danger.  

He feels too much guilt as it is.

He would drown in the guilt if he actually killed someone.

Ainsley on the other hand is the exact opposite.   She has been Benignly neglected since she was five years old.  Both her parents are obsessed with Malcolm.   She doesn’t have “A Gil” as a pseudo father figure.    Her mother can’t even bring herself to watch her interviews with the sound on.    Then Ainsley finds out her father is her biggest fan and it must have filled some emptiness inside of her that she didn’t even know was there.   Inch by inch he snuck his way in.    Whatever was supposed to happen in those two missing episodes is inconsequential.   I completely buy Ainsley killing Endicott.     Ainsley is that fire that catches even before you see the smoke.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[springbarb]

Also, was pleased to see Marlo from The Wire as Martin's prison buddy. Since they haven't named the character, I'm just going to assume it IS Marlo, who naturally is running Rikers, but has apparently mellowed enough in age to tell Martin about him imminent death before actually making it happen.

[seacliffsal]

Loved this episode even with a few hiccups in it.  I think Endicott did do something to Ainsley as she was silently crying when Malcom got there.  I was surprised by how useless and intimidated Martin seemed when he first got to Rikers, but maybe it was because he hadn't interacted with other people for 20 years.  Ainsley did remain him who he was; right before she realized who she really was...

And the way Martin said "my girl" was just perfect.  

I so hope this show is renewed, it has been one of my favorites this year and I am thrilled they were able to put together this season finale which just upped the ante in terms of story left to tell.

[Sile]

7 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

I hope Martin goes back to his cushy cell, I really don't want to see him in general pop and add new characters.

 

Me, too! Martin isn't the only one that misses Mr. David.

[staphdude]

Alara continues to provide security! Not a surprising move given it would never be Malcolm and Jessica was where she needed to be.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

4 hours ago, springbarb said:

Also, was pleased to see Marlo from The Wire as Martin's prison buddy. Since they haven't named the character, I'm just going to assume it IS Marlo, who naturally is running Rikers, but has apparently mellowed enough in age to tell Martin about him imminent death before actually making it happen.

Riker's only holds inmates awaiting trial or serving sentences of less than a year.

Edited April 30, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Happytobehere]

2 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Riker's only holds inmates awaiting trial or serving sentences of less than a year.

Sadly, this i untrue. With the prison system being what it is, you often hear stories of people being at Riker’s for years. In a previous job, I had the unfortunate experience of visiting Riker’s and the roommate of the person I was visiting had been there about three years. 

6 hours ago, springbarb said:

Also, was pleased to see Marlo from The Wire as Martin's prison buddy. Since they haven't named the character, I'm just going to assume it IS Marlo, who naturally is running Rikers, but has apparently mellowed enough in age to tell Martin about him imminent death before actually making it happen.

Isn’t The Wire set in Baltimore? I mean, Marlo could have gone to NY at series end, but somehow, that takes the punch out of it. Although I am certain he was cast for The Wire nostalgia, as I too recognized him immediately.

Also, Ainsley was always obviously off to me. But then again, I think the ME is a serious killer waiting to happen.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 hours ago, Happytobehere said:

4 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Riker's only holds inmates awaiting trial or serving sentences of less than a year.

Sadly, this i untrue. With the prison system being what it is, you often hear stories of people being at Riker’s for years. In a previous job, I had the unfortunate experience of visiting Riker’s and the roommate of the person I was visiting had been there about three years. 

Undoubtedly because he was awaiting trial. Not because of a sentence (unless he had less then a year left after receiving credit for time served.)

Edited April 30, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse

[sonyab]

21 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

Hahahaha. That would only happen if she was wearing sneakers. She did all that in 6 inch heels running in baby steps. LOL 🙂

Hahahahaha! She did!!! At the time I wasn't laughing and was so scared!! GIL!!!!! 😞 But yeah thinking about it now, ROFL!

Quote

I'm glad Malcolm finally found the girl in the box.

Yeah me too! I thought she was dead!!

Quote

 

I hope Martin goes back to his cushy cell, I really don't want to see him in general pop and add new characters.

Yeah I like Martin back in his cushy cell too.. With Mr. David.

Quote

I'm also hoping for a season 2.  

ME TOO!!! 😞

Edited April 30, 2020 by sonyab

[perkie1968]

Wow, so much to unpack for this one.  First off, I was not a huge fan of this show when it started.  It was weird and creepy and Malcolm did nothing for me, especially the whole tremor/handcuffing himself at night thing.  But I'm a huge fan of Michael Sheen and Bellamy Young so I stuck with it and am so glad that I did.  The cast are fantastic and work well together.  Tom Payne managed to put some vulnerability into Malcolm and I understand him now.  I love that the ME (who's name I can't remember) is so clearly in love with Malcolm and that everyone knows it and accepts it!

I did have issues along the way.  Why would Jessica still be living in that house.  The woman is richer than Dog and can afford anything, why continue to stay in a house where your serial killer husband did terrible things.  And don't get me started on the episode where they found the ringing phone in the closed up room downstairs.  I also don't believe Jessica would have kept the last name.  I would have gone back to my maiden name even as Martin was being taken away by police.  Having said that, I hate the name Bright for Malcolm.  It doesnt suit him somehow.

Now onto this episode....

I was pissed at Jessica for taking off without her purse.  But then girlfriend, was running out in 9 inch heels and a pencil skirt and I thought for sure she was going to fall and Endicott would get her  (I also call a little shenanigans on her clocking him with a plate hard enough for him to be out of if long enough, but I digress!).  Loved her smacking into the other car, dragging poor Gil's butt out of the trunk and into her car and then off to the hospital.  So I forgave her the purse thing.

I call shenanigans on Malcolm getting the 911 call from Ainsley and not realizing Endicott had her and bringing police with him.  

I too believe Endicott did something to Ainsley before Malcolm got there.   She was sitting so still on the couch I thought he had drugged her and was surprised when she got up and went to stand by Malcolm.

The minute Malcolm pulled out the gun, I knew he wouldn't be killing Endicott that Ainsley would but I had no idea how.  

Ainsley killing Endicott was absolutely gobsmackingly fantastic and something you don't see very often on network television.  Cutting his throat was shocking enough but then the raging chest stabbing was even mind blowing.  Having her not remember it is the icing on the cake.  

Here's to hopefully a season 2.  

 

[ahpny]

Quote

Also, with Jessica's phone still recording, Endicott  taunts and Ainsley crazed screams during her attack can be heard and make it a quite convincingly a case of temporary insanity.

Quote

I too believe Endicott did something to Ainsley before Malcolm got there.   She was sitting so still on the couch I thought he had drugged her and was surprised when she got up and went to stand by Malcolm.

My first thought wasn't "temporary insanity," but self defense. While there isn't enough information to concoct some sort of self defense story now with the information we have - and Malcolm's "confession" to Martin ("she took your advice [to kill Endicott]") didn't help either - her behavior does suggest Endicott did something to Ainsely that perhaps could be spun into some sort of self-defense story. The repeated stabbing doesn't really help with that, though that could point to some sort of diminished capacity sentencing, should we ever get that far.

Also, I was puzzled by Martin's use of the Yiddish term "Mazel Tov!" and, in a separate comment, referring to himself as being circumcised. Was he being sarcastic? Aren't the Whitley's supposed to uber-WASPs with, as Jessica said, "more money than [they] can spend in three lifetimes?"

[Perfect Xero]

I'm not convinced that Bright never zoned out and killed someone himself, I feel like that's the next big twist reveal they still have in their pocket for next season. We've seen how dangerous he can be while dreaming, it's not a stretch to think he could be like his sister.

Been waiting on the Ainsley is a killer reveal all season, the real surprise to me was that this seemed to be her first kill and she doesn't seem to be a calculating killer like her Dad, rather one who zones out and/or kills in a rage when pushed.

Will be interesting to see where they go with Ainsley next season, will she become a serial killer working with Dad? Will she try to pull a Dexter and only kill criminals to strike a balance between Martin and Malcolm? Will Bright and Mom pull her back before she kills again? Will she go all in on being a killer, dodging Bright and team, will she join Martin in trying to recruit Malcolm to team killer?

[Trini]

1 hour ago, Perfect Xero said:

Will be interesting to see where they go with Ainsley next season,

I'm assuming she takes Dad's place in that Claremont cell.

[CoyoteBlue]

2 hours ago, Perfect Xero said:

Will be interesting to see where they go with Ainsley next season,

Malcolm is afraid he can kill and has spent his life ruthlessly making sure he doesn't, to the point where it paralyzes his ability to defend himself and/or his family.

Ainsley found out she can and will kill to protect herself and her family and now has to figure out what to do with that knowledge - was it just normal self-defense, or the beginning of something darker and deeper?