S02.E13: The Last Weekend

[Trini]

The search for a serial killer known as "The Woodsman" might help the NYPD find one of their own.

Airdate: May 18, 2021

[redfish]

Me (at the last 30 seconds of the episode): Nooooooooooo. Auuuuuugggghhh. Nooooooo.

Noticed Malcolm's hand stopped shaking now he's deep into the violence. Oh dear.

I wonder Martin calling Malcolm a bad son was because Malcolm drew him back into violence/torture like an addict or the fact he called the cops to send him back to prison. Because I don't think that's fair to accuse Malcolm of making him the Surgeon again when last season even though it was self-defense against that assassin he was excessively vicious to poke out the guy's eyes and reveled in it.

Jessica never stops being awesome. Capshaw tries to drug her with what she calls breakfast. Ha.

[Chaos Theory]

That was at best a season finale.  That was in no way a series finale.

What I did like was the Jessica and Capshaw stuff.   And the AI slay stuff.   

 

Was that Skylar White?

Martin and Malcolm is always magic.  Martin trying to be a good father and Malcolm asking him to torture a man.  I thought that was supremely unfair and Martin was essentially right that Malcolm needs to believe Martin is still a monster so he turned him back into one. 

THAT WAS NOT A SERIES FINALE!!!!!

[ParadoxLost]

I studied Krav Maga with Grace Jones.  heh.

[Cigale]

Just asking myself...

Did Martin kind of commit suicide?

[Bort]

Well I lost $50. I’m guessing in conjunction with Ainsley’s light/dark speech and Malcolm’s knifing of Martin that we were to be left with the question of the Whitley kids flip-flopping on who is light and who is dark. Well, I’m still on the Ainsley Is Dark train (as unfinished as it may be now) because Malcolm's self-defense move in no way compares with Ainsley’s crazed slaughter of Endicott last year.

[Trini]

The Malcolm/Martin parts were the best parts; they really managed to get me invested in their toxic relationship. If we had a third season, I'm sure Malcolm would probably be having a breakdown about stabbing his father; but it was self defense.

So the Jessica/Capshaw fight was cool and all itself, but it seemed superfluous to me. Wish they had done more with Ainsley and Ainsley and Martin this season.

Hope I get to see Tom Payne in something else soon.

Edited May 19, 2021 by Trini

[CatLady]

I'm still grieving over that episode being the end.

 

What a quirky, fascinating show.  Love Jessica, love Bright, love Martin(at times) and love, love, love LDP as Gil.  He always brings such depth to characters.  One thing I hated was Dermot Mulroney playing the devil Endicott.  To me, it was definitely against type.  Always enjoy DM, except here.  Bellamy Young was fantastic but Michael Sheen was outstanding as Martin.

Why?

[cathmed]

I realized this would be series finale but I can't believe this is how they decided to end  the show!!   Guess the writer's room didn't have time to make any additional edits since it was just discovered it wouldn't be renewed??   It's still a cliffhanger and too many unanswered questions, i.e., Martin's fate (did he really die), Malcolm's fate (arrested, justifiable, etc.)  What a disappointing and unsatisfying ending as I'm still in shock!  I know it was stated that due to low ratings, it would not be renewed but I felt it was one of the best shows on TV.  It can't just be left to end this way!  🤞 it will be picked up by another network!  I'm sorry to see this show end!😢

[OoogleEyes]

I'm going to miss this crazy show!

[gibasi]

I will really miss this show.  It really made me feel like it was the finale when they brought in Edrissa for that short scene. Everyone in the cast was terrific. Honestly there is usually one person in a show who I just don’t like or feel is a wast of time. Not so in this case. It always felt like to me that everyone was enjoying working with each other and they all had chemistry with each other. Well done show!

[perkie1968]

21 hours ago, sisterspoon said:

Did Martin kind of commit suicide?

That's exactly what I thought.  He knew he was going back to prison and that Malcolm would never see him any differently so he pulled a 'suicide by cop' but 'suicide by Malcolm'   Which is brutal since Malcolm would have to live with killing his father, even if he hated that dad was  a serial killer.  

 

11 hours ago, CatLady said:

but Michael Sheen was outstanding as Martin.

THIS.  If you can make fans love and feel bad for a serial killer, and still laugh at some of his wacky quips, that's an amazing actor.  

[saber5055]

On a totally shallow note, Malcolm looked FINE out there in the woods in his not-suit. I'll miss that part of this show for sure.

[UnknownK]

3 hours ago, perkie1968 said:

THIS.  If you can make fans love and feel bad for a serial killer, and still laugh at some of his wacky quips, that's an amazing actor.  

It helps that you never actually seen him enjoy killing anybody. Its one thing to talk about him killing so many people and another to actually see him do it that would sour people to the character.

[FormerMod-a1]

I think Martin charged at Malcolm on purpose.  I'm also not convinced the self-defense stab was in a location to kill him.  If the show went on he'd be alive and Malcolm would be wracked with guilt, worry about becoming his father, people would be doubting him all over again and he (Malcolm) would either be in jail or institutionalized.

 

I loved Jessica's confidence in self-defense ("I took krav maga with Grace Jones").

[tennisgurl]

Of course Jessica wont get taken down by a few pills and some booze, that's just a typical brunch in the Whitly family! Jessica is just the best, I love that they gave her a whole fight scene for the finale. This was a really good season finale, and while it doesn't feel like a series finale, at least they ended on a high note, presuming the show doesn't get picked up by a streaming service, which I am crossing my fingers for. It had some good moments for the whole cast, although I would have liked to see more of Edrisa, and this could be seen as some kind of climax for the Martin and Malcolm relationship. I definitely suspect that Martin deliberately went at Malcolm so that he would kill him in self defense, that way he wouldn't go back to prison, and he could die knowing he made his son a killer, which is what he always wanted. Even if its so obviously in self defense, Malcolm is going to be crushed about killing his father. 

I admit I was putting off watching this, I just don't want to be done damn it. I am going to miss this show so much, its wild and crazy but also makes it characters very likable and human. Its got a great cast playing great characters who are likable and complex, even Martin our favorite psychopathic murderer, knew when to be funny and when to be serious, and did end up asking a lot of interesting questions about nature vs nurture and how people deal with familiar tragedy, its just been a really fun show and I hate that its gone so soon. Still crossing my fingers that someone might pick it up again, this might actually be a good show for streaming, its very bingeable and could go in even darker directions outside of the networks constraints, but if this is the end of the show, at least they went out strong. 

[denise42]

tennisgurl Are you on Twitter if you could just go over there and just tweet this and fight for another season it would be lovely we are hoping that Netflix will pick it up.

[Cotypubby]

Wasn’t it last season on Prodigal Son where there was a scene with Malcolm showing just where to stab someone to make it look serious but not be fatal? I swear I can remember that. Maybe it was a different serial killer show? I’m sure had the show returned they would have had the wound not be fatal (no way were they planning to get rid of Michael Sheen) and Malcolm would have to deal with the trauma of having almost killed his father. 
 

[Trini]

22 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

Wasn’t it last season on Prodigal Son where there was a scene with Malcolm showing just where to stab someone to make it look serious but not be fatal? I swear I can remember that. Maybe it was a different serial killer show? I’m sure had the show returned they would have had the wound not be fatal (no way were they planning to get rid of Michael Sheen) and Malcolm would have to deal with the trauma of having almost killed his father. 
 

Yes, it was this show; Season 1, episode 14, "Eye of the Needle".

[ShellsandCheese]

Malcolm is such a punk! It’s obvious that Malcolm really has not dealt with his daddy issues at all. At. All. 
 

But I need more of this show. I really need this show to lean into Ainsley potentially being just like daddy. Or perhaps both children are just like daddy. At the same time, this show is nothing without Martin Whitly/Michael Sheen! So if he really is dead, perhaps it’s better that it is over.

Edited May 23, 2021 by ShellsandCheese

[Chaos Theory]

I’m conflicted.  If Martin is dead the show loses something in Michael Sheen but if Martin is dead it and the show does continue it adds a whole level where both kids have this big hole where they have to face who they are and their darkness and guilt with so many questions and without any answers. 

[seacliffsal]

I am SO going to miss this show.  Such a great cast and good story and it's cancelled while dreck continues to stay on for years.  

What an ending!  I did not see that coming.  Loved Jessica taking out CZJ!  

Hopefully, this show will be picked up by another network/streaming service.

 

[sinkwriter]

On 5/18/2021 at 10:02 PM, ParadoxLost said:

 

I studied Krav Maga with Grace Jones.  heh.

 

My favorite line of the episode. And I loved Jessica faking being affected by the valium and then being all, "It's going to take a lot more than a couple of pills chased with alcohol to take me down." LOL.

On 5/19/2021 at 11:27 PM, UnknownK said:

It helps that you never actually seen him enjoy killing anybody. Its one thing to talk about him killing so many people and another to actually see him do it that would sour people to the character.

I think I finally saw it in Martin when he was tied to the bed and Vivian left the room, and Martin just RAGED (with Sheen practically looking right at the camera as it came in for a super close-up). He's always been kind of quirky insane with a level of darkness hiding underneath, but that was the moment when I said, "There he is... that's the killer in him."

I thought it was interesting when he blamed Malcolm for stirring it back up in him after he swore he was no longer a killer, and Malcolm said something like "That's not how psychopathy works." I agree -- no matter what Martin tried to claim about himself, that rage was in him just an episode before, and it doesn't seem to take much to get it to come back. It's always going to be a part of him. He's a serial killer and that's not going to go away. 

Which is why I'm bummed that the show's done because I wanted them to delve more into Ainsley's similar personality and how she's the true follower of her father's footsteps. I hoped season 3 would dive into that, while showing Malcolm learning to stand on his own, become who he truly is, and finally recognize that he is not his father and never will be, no matter what Martin tries to claim.

I hope the show gets picked up somewhere, because this ending with so much up in the air was not a good way to end the series.

Edited June 4, 2021 by sinkwriter