‘Prodigal Son’ Bosses on Bright’s Memory & a Big Jessica Episode
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Episode 3 of Prodigal Son, “Fear Response.”]
On Prodigal Son, Bright (Tom Payne) is still trying to put together the mystery of the girl in the box and what exactly happened back when his father was arrested. And now we’re beginning to delve into Jessica (Bellamy Young) and even see her visiting Martin (Michael Sheen) in flashbacks and the present day in “Fear Response.”
And it’s during the last visit to Martin’s cell that Jessica begs him not to take the only thing she has left — their children. But Martin snaps at her, “I was there. I know the whole story. What happened to them wasn’t just about me.”
So, what is the “whole story”? “You will be getting big answers in each episode,” showrunner Chris Fedak promised TV Insider. “For us, some things are mysteries that will go on for a while, but we are telling a lot of story very quickly. … There are certain mysteries that we can string out and things that are the core of the show.”
Meanwhile, in an attempt to remember more after having flashes back to that day, Bright chloroforms himself at the end of the episode and remembers Jessica stopping him as he approached the box as a child. “I saw a woman,” he told his mother. “That doesn’t concern you,” she said. “Never speak of her again. You have no idea what your father is capable of.”
For those of you wondering if Jessica has a dark secret and how much she may have known back before Martin’s arrest, stay tuned for Episode 4, which Fedak called “a big Jessica episode.” And be prepared for more flashbacks to Jessica and Martin coming up.
All of that being said, there is a question of how much Bright can trust what he remembers. “Chris and I do not encourage this form of therapy, though he is remembering things,” showrunner Sam Sklaver said. “He trusts his memory, but like any good detective, he wants to verify it.”
(David Giesbrecht/FOX)
“We’ve been very lucky with Fox and Warner Bros. in that they are intrigued by the mystery of Bright’s mind as well,” Fedak added, and exploring Bright’s mind is a big part of the series. “There is no other show on TV as obsessed with memory as we are. We are constantly delving into memory and how trustworthy it is.” Even the most sane person in the world can’t necessarily trust everything they think they remember.
“For us, it’s a lot of fun to explore that and play with that, and it’s also very cinematic and it’s a part of each episode,” Fedak continued. “Does he trust his memories? He’s remembering them. They’re in his mind. There’s things that are affected and forgotten and displaced. He’s trying to compare what he remembers to what actually he can prove in the present.”
We’ll have to wait and see just what really happened back when Bright was a child. And with Prodigal Son receiving a full season pickup from Fox, we’ll be getting more and more answers.
Prodigal Son, Mondays, 9/8c, Fox
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