S01.E02: Annihilator

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Bright jumps at the chance to help Arroyo solve a quadruple homicide for the NYPD. As Bright slips into the mind of this serial killer, he finds himself dealing with the repercussions of seeing his father for the first time in years. Tormented by the terrors of his childhood, Bright is faced with a question: are his dreams just nightmares or did they actually happen?

Airing Monday, September 30, 2019.

 

 

[Chaos Theory]

This is definitely a keeper.   

I love everything about it.  Malcom and his dysfunctional family really work for me and what happened in the past is a good enough mystery.   I really love Bellemy Young in this.  The sister is a bit of a weak spot but the show is still young.

The police stuff works too.  Malcolm works well with everyone and his “talk” with the male cop guy who keeps giving him grief worked for me.   

This is a fun show.

[patty1h]

Bryan (Hannibal) Fuller should ask for residuals -- they even have a Beverly character in this episode.  Imma keep watching for a while longer but mostly to see Tom Payne's pretty face.

[rhys]

Oof, I hate snakes& those just made me all squirmy. Coming out of Aristos's mouth? Oy! I just recently watched another tv show about snakes being sewn in a cadaver. What is going on with my tv viewing habits?

[UnknownK]

Makes you wonder how the wife and sister live like nothing bad happened while the son is a basket case, makes me think the whole family except the son was in on the murders.

[AnimeMania]

Just now, UnknownK said:

Makes you wonder how the wife and sister live like nothing bad happened while the son is a basket case, makes me think the whole family except the son was in on the murders.

I was just going to post something like this, either the wife is the mastermind working closely with her husband and her husband took the fall for her or she was the one in the trunk and is just as weird as her husband. 

[Lily H]

I had to laugh when he said "I've had sex! PLENTY of sex!"  Yeah, right. I'm thinking not very plenty, and only with women he pays or are somehow willing to overlook his strange appearance and bizarre behavior, and never the same woman twice.

This show is only 2 episodes in, and already it's so over-the-top it's ridiculous. The writers are throwing everything but the kitchen sink in there. It's like they watched a marathon of Criminal Minds after it jumped the shark, and then said to each other, "How can we put all that crap in just TWO episodes?"

Oh, and that CGI snake was cheesy as hell.

[denise42]

I am really enjoying this show i do hope they keep it.

[mertensia]

The black mambas were a bit much..

I must say someone knows how to make those flashbacks really creepy.

[sigmaforce86]

6 hours ago, UnknownK said:

Makes you wonder how the wife and sister live like nothing bad happened while the son is a basket case, makes me think the whole family except the son was in on the murders.

I'll probably give the sister a pass on being in on it, she was supposed to be 5 when Dad was caught.  But Mom's a different story - I guess this is the arcing story line for the season but it's a good one (to me at least).  Seems clear there was a body and that Dad hid or got rid of it but the easy answer, he did it to make Malcolm think it had never been there, doesn't seem to be the full story.  Dad went down for 23 murders and he seems to enjoy his crazy serial killer status.........so what makes that body different?  Why would Dad not only hide it but continue to deny it even exists so many years later, was it someone special, someone Dad and Mom both knew, did Mom help Dad that one time or other times?  

So far I like the show, I like the people and how they interact and I like the murder stories they've gone with so far.  And even though the ME is a little too obvious in her love for Malcolm it's in a fun way so even she works.  Definitely will keep watching for the season and hoping they can keep up the momentum.

[Kelda Feegle]

I'm still in for now. 

The biggest thing I'm struggling with is the fact that it is the same nurse/orderly man over the period of incarceration,  no way would a psych hospital allow that, they'd be rotating staff constantly to avoid relationships forming. 

I guess it wasn't mom in the trunk then which was my original thought but she's totally involved somehow (and I dislike the character intensely). 

[Lady Calypso]

9 hours ago, UnknownK said:

Makes you wonder how the wife and sister live like nothing bad happened while the son is a basket case, makes me think the whole family except the son was in on the murders.

It would be interesting if Ainsley was also in on it, but they did mention that she was five years old when their dad was arrested so it's quite possible that she was just young enough where it hasn't affected her as badly as it has with Malcolm. I think it could go either way, but I think I lean more toward Ainsley simply being too young when it all went down. 

That being said, I feel about 60% confident that their mother (Jessica?) knew something or was complicit in some of Martin's murders. She obviously knows way more than she lets on, given the fact that she was keeping tabs on who was visiting Martin (keeping tabs on Malcolm himself?). 

I am definitely still in on this show. What I think about when watching this is how it's basically a different version of Deception, the showrunner's last failed show, with similar themes. A family member being imprisoned, messed up family issues, a main character who has issues of his own, and some quirky people around him. 

As for the girl in the trunk, I don't know exactly what Malcolm would have seen that would cause everyone around him to tell him that he was dreaming. It had to be bad enough where Martin felt like he had to drug his son to get him to forget. And clearly, something specific triggered him in the recent years, and it has to be more than going to see Dear Old Dad for the first time in ten years. It has to be important enough where Martin feels the need to lie. Maybe a family member? Maybe Mommy killed the girl? Maybe five year old Ainsley killed the girl. Who knows? But Martin is obviously hiding it to protect Malcolm, but I don't feel like it'll be because Malcolm himself killed the girl (though it would make total sense for Martin to drug Malcolm if he was trying to protect him from being like him...for some reason....actually, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense). 

[Chaos Theory]

It’s been a decade and I am guessing mom lost most of her friends but (assuming she isn’t involved with the murders) has managed to carve out a life for herself by simply pretending it didn’t happen.   She walks into a store or restaurant and ignores all the looks.  People tend to get board of you don’t react and my guess is people have gotten bored of mom.  

As for sis there is a certain notoriety she can use asan on the air personality.  The daughter of a serial killer.  But because she didn’t actually know her father she wasn’t actually tainted by him personality wise at least.   That being said like her brother she had a taste for the darker stories.  

[Anakerie]

The Bad: The Crime of the Week.  As soon as they said Aristos had vitiligo I knew the killer was an illegitimate child and that the skin condition would be used to identify them. The "who" wasn't especially difficult since we all knew it wasn't the black sheep and the only other person shown was the lawyer.  

The Good:  I'm not watching for the Crime of the Week anyway. I'm watching for the interplay between father and son, and I wasn't disappointed. I love how Michael Sheen can switch gears in mid-air and go from Goofy Dad to absolutely chilling. Last week The Surgeon could have been anyone's fun, kooky uncle. This week we got to see the mask slip.

Definitely think Mom was at the very least in on it, if not masterminding the entire thing. I think she wants Malcolm to stay away from Martin not so much to protect him, but because she's afraid of what Martin may tell him about her involvement. 

Still wondering what was so different about that particular victim. Martin seems more than happy to give all the gory details about his other crimes. Something about that one was definitely off.  

Also wondering if this whole thing is going to end with Malcolm finding out that he's adopted or the product of an affair and not related to Martin at all.  

[Regalbegal]

This was a definite improvement over the pilot, I'm in (at least until Fox cancels it or moves it or whatever dumb thing they end up doing).  It is cheesy good fun with (for the most part) good actors, and I think fills the "Elementary" - shaped hole in my viewing: an oddball procedural. 

The case of the week was pretty good - maybe I'm dense, but I didn't see it coming that the suspect was poisoning his family while they were interviewing him.  The police characters were a little more fleshed out this time;  for both Gil and Dani the way they interact with/relate to Malcolm made me interested in seeing more about their backstories. BTW when did Lou Diamond Phillips become a silver fox?  Not complaining! (just makes me feel a little old). 

9 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

was just going to post something like this, either the wife is the mastermind working closely with her husband and her husband took the fall for her or she was the one in the trunk and is just as weird as her husband. 

At this point I would be shocked if the wife wasn't involved somehow.  

6 hours ago, Lily H said:

I had to laugh when he said "I've had sex! PLENTY of sex!"

This made me laugh out loud too - something about the way the line was delivered, plus if you have to say you've had "plenty" of sex you have... probably not.

[rove4]

9 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I was just going to post something like this, either the wife is the mastermind working closely with her husband and her husband took the fall for her or she was the one in the trunk and is just as weird as her husband. 

I'm starting to think the mother had more involvement with the husband's extra-curricular activities than she's let on.  It would explain why he seemed bitter towards her in the pilot though they seemed all lovey-dovey in Malcolm's dream/memory.

I just knew something was going to come out of the dead man's mouth but I was expecting bugs or something similarly smallish.  Snakes!

I love Malcolm's crazy looking eyes.  

[Stella Rose]

10 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I was just going to post something like this, either the wife is the mastermind working closely with her husband and her husband took the fall for her or she was the one in the trunk and is just as weird as her husband. 

Having a powerhouse like Bellamy Young and -not- giving her a much more juicy role than 'mom' would be a crime in itself.  She is, in a word, brilliant.

[saber5055]

14 hours ago, patty1h said:

Bryan (Hannibal) Fuller should ask for residuals -- they even have a Beverly character in this episode.  Imma keep watching for a while longer but mostly to see Tom Payne's pretty face.

So much this. If only Mads would make an appearance (and Hugh Dancy!) I'd be all in.

I missed the pilot, and I had been looking forward to this show based on the previews. I have to say, I was thoroughly disappointed in this episode. So much anticipation followed by no payoff.

So who cares if there was a person in the trunk or not. What difference does it make to anything. Unless it was his real mom, what's another body for a serial killer. And if it was his real mom, so what. Does it make a difference? Not to me.

All the calls to 911 also bugged. "Send an ambulance to XYZ Street!" and hang up. Ambulance for what ... gunshot, heart attack, snake bite (!), electrocution, poisoning, hit by a car ... what do the medics need to know before they get there? "Oh, sorry, we didn't know it was a snake bite so left the anti-venom at the shop."

LOL at the snake being thrown at Malcolm being big and having a white belly. Then the one stuck to his wrist was a small black one. Black Mambas can kill a person in less than 30 minutes so the 911 call really needed to be fast AND specific.

Why did the son who was dealing in exotic animals run from the police? Made no sense except to let everyone into the warehouse and so Malcolm could get a snake thrown at him. That part was so poorly written. Plus if it was that noisy inside, they would have heard it outside too.

This show is such a "whatever" hand wave. But Malcolm is fine to look at so put me in the shallow end of this pool for a few episodes anyway.

[tennisgurl]

I thought this was an improvement on the pilot, the dialogue was less awkward and without as much exposition to dump they could do more character work. I also think that Malcolm came off more natural, his oddness and quirks seemed less forced to me. 

I figured out pretty quickly that the lawyer was the killer, but not that he poisoned his family and himself while they were talking. What a creepy creep. 

So what is going  on with this girl in a box? Doctor Dead Dad will admit to tons of other murders, so why not this one? And why wont he admit that he drugged Malcolm when he found out what he was up to? I definitely suspect that mom knew more about his side projects than she is letting on, or was even in it with him. There is something super off about her, beyond being super controlling. I can see Ainsley being alright more or less because she was so young when everything came out, unless she has some dysfunction that she knows how to hide. Maybe something else happened to Malcolm while his father was drugging him that messed him up so much more?

The other detectives got some alright character moments, and maybe the detective that keeps making snarky dickish comments will stop being such a dick. "Was it...weird?" 

[rainsmom]

1. Girl in the box. I don't think it's was Dad's play thing. I think it was Mom's. That's why it was at home. Everyone else was killed away from home, right?

2. The black mambas in the corpse. So the killer cut a hole in the abdomen and put the snakes in. Okay, but there's no access to the mouth from the abdomen. He'd have had to insert them into the stomach. And hey, the acid there? Would have killed them. Sorry, but that dog don't hunt. 

[CoyoteBlue]

5 hours ago, rainsmom said:

1. Girl in the box. I don't think it's was Dad's play thing. I think it was Mom's. That's why it was at home. Everyone else was killed away from home, right?

Slo-mo through the dream-flashbacks shows a woman in a nice red dress. Could be Mom. So was Dad trying to protect Bright by knocking him out and trying to chemically fuzz his memory?

[Dbolt]

Add me to the mom was in on it club. It just makes no sense why it would be so important to cover up this one murder after the fact. I am thinking maybe the girl in the box was the real mother/wife and “mom” was in on the plot to replace real rich wife with herself. I could see some hokey thing like Martin performed plastic surgery to make mistress look like mom then offs mom. The drugging was done to mess with sons memory so he would not notice mom acting different. 

[heyitsme87]

When the mother threw the phone in anger, it made me believe that she orchestrated the killings and the wrong parent is in jail and she doesnt want Malcomnto find out. That or both parents are involved. 

[Lady Calypso]

18 minutes ago, heyitsme87 said:

When the mother threw the phone in anger, it made me believe that she orchestrated the killings and the wrong parent is in jail and she doesnt want Malcomnto find out. That or both parents are involved. 

Well, I think that Martin was still involved in the murders (he's a doctor and would know how to perform the killings better than Jessica) but I do think both are involved in the serial killings. No way would Jessica not have known about at least some of her husband's activities. It's just a question of how involved was she.

[martha21]

Seems like Dad is trying to convince Bright that Bright himself was in on the killings. Very creepy show! I loved Mom saying that sometimes life is a tragedy to be endured. She's a mysterious character and I'm interested in the story. I like all the theories upthread too!

[Perfect Xero]

So, let's see, we're over half way through the episode and only one person outside of the main cast has had a speaking part and isn't dead, I wonder who the killer is.

[rove4]

3 hours ago, martha21 said:

I loved Mom saying that sometimes life is a tragedy to be endured.

Mom and her pep talks... 

[sinkwriter]

Quote

The sister is a bit of a weak spot but the show is still young.

She grates on me even though it's only been two episodes. I feel like there's a weird tone shift when she's on screen, like she's in a different show than what it's meant to be. Like she fits in a CW fluff sort of program, not something where her father is a serial killer. She also seems too young to have put in the work and experience to be an on-camera journalist being called in for big crime scenes. I don't like the casting on this one. 

The writing still feels clunky to me, trying too hard. But I'll give it a few more episodes to see if it hits its stride. 

To me, the strongest part is still the scenes between Malcolm and his dad.

For this episode, I'm with everyone else. I'm starting to suspect the mom knows more than she is telling. Though I do think it's strange that Dad gleefully cops to other murders but not this mysterious girl in the box. What makes her different than the rest? I assumed Malcolm couldn't remember because he'd been drugged with rohypnol or whatever that date rape drug is that pretty much wipes out your memory and you have no recollection of what happened the night before. It's just blank. 

At this point, I suspect everyone (LOL). I even have a sliver of mistrust for Malcolm's cop friend (Lou Diamond Phillips). I know Malcolm's dad could have killed him that night, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know things or isn't keeping things from Malcolm, for whatever reason. It could very well be to protect Malcolm. Or it could be for a more sinister reason. I don't know. But I am curious!

 

A couple things that bugged a little bit:

Dani gets a glimpse at Malcolm's home, and barely blinks at his bed restraints? She basically asked one question (about how it must be awkward to bring people home), and that's it? I know she said it's not even close to the strangest thing she's ever seen, but still... she must have more questions, I'd think, especially being an investigator. It would come naturally to her to want to ask. (The only reason I'll let it slide is because he really wasn't in mental condition to answer very well.)

A similar moment happened when Malcolm opened the floor to any and all questions about his father, to clear the air with the rest of the team. Gil doesn't need to ask anything, because he knows Malcolm, but the others just stare at Malcolm and don't bother to ask anything? Really? (Other than "was it weird?" Come on.) He gave them an opening to ask anything and these seasoned professionals just sit there? JT had been shooting off snarky comments left and right; surely he had something more he was curious about, no matter how inappropriate the question may have been. I just felt like the writing didn't offer up true human behavior, and show that given the opportunity, cops like JT and Dani would have questions they'd want to throw out there. I suppose they may save it for another episode, but it just didn't feel natural.

Same with Dani in Malcolm's apartment scene. She's Miss Hard Ass all the time, but she takes one step in his place and suddenly she's gently (almost lovingly) putting the restraints on him? Based on what they'd shown about her up to this point, I would have expected her to crack a smart ass joke about bondage, or show a little bit of awkwardness given that she barely knows the guy and she's not the warmest person. (Not a bad thing, just saying that's what they've shown about her character thus far.) 

So I feel like the writing is missing opportunities for natural, honest human behavior and that's part of why I'm not fully connecting with the characters or the show just yet. *shrugs

[Simba122504]

On 9/30/2019 at 11:56 PM, UnknownK said:

Makes you wonder how the wife and sister live like nothing bad happened while the son is a basket case, makes me think the whole family except the son was in on the murders.

The sister is younger than Malcolm so her being in on it would be too ridiculous for even this show. What was she, like 4? Even she said she cannot fully remember that time. If the mother was so innocent, why would she be so against Bright wanting to remember that specific time and going to visit the good Doctor to help solve crimes? Why is it driving her so mad, she's out here breaking phones? Her ex husband is a murderer and she claims to hate him. The trope says when a so called "innocent" character is desperate for the protagonist to let something go, he or she is not so innocent after all. The case of the week was too campy and ridiculous to be taken seriously. I'm no expert but I don't think the black sheep brother should have looked that good after that fall. lol And before that we find out he's selling exotic animals on the black market. The lawyer was actually the outside child and knows how to put snakes in bodies and shit. Which I doubt is even possible. Multiple snakes? And how would he do it? Wouldn't they bite him and if you ignore that which is asking a lot. Wouldn't they be dead?  How did he poison the whole family’s (his family on the father’s side) food? He wasn’t their personal chief. He was just one man. I cannot think of any good lawyer jokes for his actions. 😆 Malcolm and Dani have no chemistry but the series is going to force it anyway. Hell, he has more chemistry with the medical examiner and I think she's way older than him. 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Simba122504
Removed something

[rove4]

14 hours ago, sinkwriter said:

Dani gets a glimpse at Malcolm's home, and barely blinks at his bed restraints? She basically asked one question (about how it must be awkward to bring people home), and that's it? I know she said it's not even close to the strangest thing she's ever seen, but still... she must have more questions, I'd think, especially being an investigator. It would come naturally to her to want to ask. (The only reason I'll let it slide is because he really wasn't in mental condition to answer very well.)

I think she would've had more of a reaction if she hadn't seen his night terrors in action for herself. 

[Regalbegal]

15 hours ago, sinkwriter said:

Same with Dani in Malcolm's apartment scene. She's Miss Hard Ass all the time, but she takes one step in his place and suddenly she's gently (almost lovingly) putting the restraints on him? Based on what they'd shown about her up to this point, I would have expected her to crack a smart ass joke about bondage, or show a little bit of awkwardness given that she barely knows the guy and she's not the warmest person. (Not a bad thing, just saying that's what they've shown about her character thus far.) 

The fact that Dani is the only one other than Gil who seems to approach Malcom from a place of empathy/compassion (both in the pilot and this episode) makes me curious about the character.  We know Gil's story, but is there something in her backstory that makes her able to cut though the oddity and weirdness a bit and react at times in a more caring way to him?

[TVForever]

On 10/1/2019 at 12:22 AM, patty1h said:

Bryan (Hannibal) Fuller should ask for residuals -- they even have a Beverly character in this episode.  Imma keep watching for a while longer but mostly to see Tom Payne's pretty face.

Yeah, he's a cutie, gotta admit.

On 10/1/2019 at 1:05 AM, AnimeMania said:

I was just going to post something like this, either the wife is the mastermind working closely with her husband and her husband took the fall for her or she was the one in the trunk and is just as weird as her husband. 

I've been wondering about her insistence that Malcolm didn't see what he saw. And now having seen the end of the episode, clearly there's more to come from Mom.

On 10/1/2019 at 10:25 AM, Chaos Theory said:

As for sis there is a certain notoriety she can use asan on the air personality.  The daughter of a serial killer.  But because she didn’t actually know her father she wasn’t actually tainted by him personality wise at least.   That being said like her brother she had a taste for the darker stories.  

Wouldn't it be something if Malcolm has spent his life fearing that he would be a psychopath like his father, only to have the sweet little sister grow up to be the psycho? 

[luvapickle]

On 10/1/2019 at 6:40 AM, Kelda Feegle said:

I'm still in for now. 

The biggest thing I'm struggling with is the fact that it is the same nurse/orderly man over the period of incarceration,  no way would a psych hospital allow that, they'd be rotating staff constantly to avoid relationships forming. 

I guess it wasn't mom in the trunk then which was my original thought but she's totally involved somehow (and I dislike the character intensely). 

Are you talking about the guy that sits at the table in the room, & has the phone? He's the security guard.

[luna1122]

On ‎10‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 2:54 PM, saber5055 said:

So much this. If only Mads would make an appearance (and Hugh Dancy!) I'd be all in.

I like this show okay but yeah, mostly it just makes me mad that we get this instead of Hannibal season 4.

Mmmm, Mads.

As a friend of mine wrote, Tom Payne is pretty, but he ain't no Mads. Nope.

The snake in the corpse thing was so Hannibal, except not nearly batshit crazy or beautiful enough.

[saber5055]

On 10/2/2019 at 6:25 PM, sinkwriter said:

So I feel like the writing is missing opportunities for natural, honest human behavior and that's part of why I'm not fully connecting with the characters or the show just yet.

Your entire post was spot on IMO, and the above describes why I am so disappointed in this show so far. Writers, get with it. This was the only new show I was looking forward to, and this is the only new show that isn't cutting the mustard. Crossing fingers it gets better.

 

On 10/2/2019 at 6:25 PM, sinkwriter said:

She also seems too young to have put in the work and experience to be an on-camera journalist being called in for big crime scenes. I don't like the casting on this one. 

Plus when she was announcing outside the murder house, her expression and tone was all, "Oooh, boogity boogity, spooky stuff here, creepy, just look at my face to see how creepy and scary it is, it's MURDER!"

A pro journalist/newscaster shows no expression when doing a live broadcast, it's just the facts, ma'am. Geez, show writer, watch the news sometimes to see how it's done IRL.

[Ailianna]

On 10/1/2019 at 3:51 PM, tennisgurl said:

The other detectives got some alright character moments, and maybe the detective that keeps making snarky dickish comments will stop being such a dick. "Was it...weird?" 

I decided I like him when Malcolm got the snake off Keiko (the ME--I can't remember her character name), and he said "OK, you can stay for one more case."

[Jennabelle88]

I'm really liking this show, and unlike most others, I really like Bellamy Young. I fell in love with her on Scandal and she's just as good here. I guess I'm the odd man out because I didn't get the sense that she was in on the murders. I just figured she was a really overprotective mama bear looking out for her son. I have to admit though that her being in on it makes sense. I can see it. 

[Chaos Theory]

I am thing Malcolm might have had “plenty of sex”.  Relationships are another matter.   There are a lot of women who like notoriety and having sex with the sin of a serial killer (especially a handsome one like Malcolm) would probably be a turn on.   

Relationships are a whole other matter.   Between his night terrors,  his obsession with murderers,  and the fact that he was a frequent visit to his father,  even his mother was a bit over the top, Malcom probably went burnt through whatever girl who tried to date him pretty quickly.

[tanita]

I'm convinced that the mother had something to do with the killings. He probably killed the victims, but they were either a killing team or she was in on parts of it. I also thought she might have been the one in the truck, some kind of kinky game they played. He could have taken the fall for her, or maybe that was their plan, that at least one of them remains free with the kids. Or, it's a all a red harring.

[Morrigan2575]

I think the mom was aware and may have helped cover up in order to keep her "perfect" family. However, I don't think she was in on the killing.

They're really beating down the whole Malcom/Lady Cop stuff but, I was hooked on Malcolm/Tanaka (I actually remembered her name!) In 2 seconds.

[jelaine]

Quote

 I was hooked on Malcolm/Tanaka (I actually remembered her name!) In 2 seconds.

Same here. I love the way they just clicked. They get each other right out of the box and are delighted by that fact.

[nodorothyparker]

Two episodes in, I admit I don't really care all that much about the Crime of the Week.  I'm here mostly for the family dynamic because stories of families who live through horribly traumatic stuff like, oh, dear old Dad's a notorious serial killer and now he wants father-son bonding time are right up my alley.

I'm not convinced yet that mom was in on any of the killings as much as I think she may have found out about some of it and chosen to keep quiet to not upend what we're told was a fairly upscale life as a well-to-do doctor's wife.  Instead, she left her 10- or 11-year-old kid to stumble upon it and do the right thing by calling the cops and it's easier for her pretend that she didn't leave him to be in that position to find one of Dad's victims in the first place.  I got the impression that she already suspected that Malcolm was seeing his father again and wanted to keep tabs on it because he's obviously not doing well.  But then I couldn't believe that she and Malcolm would be sitting in a public restaurant openly talking about dear old dad the serial killer where anyone and everyone could overhear them in the first place.  Putting all the implausibility of Malcolm continuing to visit Martin on his own as a child, Martin is probably a very abstract concept to Ainsley since she was only 5 when he was arrested and she's likely had no relationship with him since beyond whatever she might have seen in the news.  I wondered randomly when she discovered the voice mails if she's even ever heard his voice since then.

I'm trying to remember the last time I saw a man as young as Tom Payne in a formal three-piece suit.  I did like mouthy detective (TJ?) suddenly having nothing to say beyond "was it weird?" when Malcolm tried to clear the air about Daddy Dearest, who was positively chilling in his denial about using chloroform on his young son.  "Why, that could kill a child!"  But sure show, he's got so many phone privileges for his "consultations" that he can fill up his son's voice mail.  I kept waiting to see if he was going to clue Arroyo in that his father was harassing him, but no dice.