brightmalcolm

[brightmalcolm]

being unironically pretentious about flop fox network procedural prodigal son (2019) is a hard task but I know the universe gave me this journey for a reason

[brightmalcolm]

i find ainsley's competitiveness endlessly fascinating because she wants to be malcolm so bad even though he's the fucked up one. she wants her parents to fawn over her like they do him even though they are the ones that made him crazy in the first place. i can only imagine her secret belief that she could've handled the family demons way better than him if she had been the one to find the girl in the box.

she's so interesting because the viewer knows she has empathy but that ambition will override it every time. she gets emotional about jin until the opportunity to film great television presents itself. does she confess to losing sleep in 2x6 because it bothers her so much that malcolm is lying to her or is she lying awake plotting her revenge for the end of the episode? it's hard to say how she would've reacted to finding the girl in the box because she is obsessed with only two things outside of herself--her parents' attention and her brother's well-being. morality doesn't drive her the way it does malcolm. the only thing i would bet is that if she found sophie, she would've kept completely quiet until she decided what to do, so she can at least win at not being taken to the woods to be killed by their father.

and malcolm would never want her to trade places with him because the only thing that could make him more of an active suicide risk is if his sister was haunted the way he is but ainsley isn't afraid of ghosts, she befriends them

[brightmalcolm]

PRODIGAL SON 2.05 & 2.06 | Bad Manners & Head Case

[brightmalcolm]

Getting away with murder didn’t feel bad at all. No. It felt good

Sometimes you have to do what makes you happy, and if what makes you happy is cutting up the body of the billionaire your little sister murdered, don’t let your subconscious take that away from you.

[brightmalcolm]

i NEED to know about Malcolm past romantic partners because I just know one of them either only dated him for money or was one of those people who had a thing for serial killers

Oh real…first one is just a common Rich People Problems but the second one is a Whitly thing. I actually was thinking about Ainsley having a weird college boyfriend who just thought it was hot she had “daddy issues” in such a specific way. But yeah could definitely see Malcolm getting pursued by people who want to know more about his dad. And the money doesn’t hurt either!

[brightmalcolm]

It's been a long week. I'm just tired. I know. It's okay. I'm here.

[brightmalcolm]

sorta lukewarm take but i actually enjoyed dani and malcolm together as a couple! i’ve always been a sucker for the trope of two hurt people coming together and healing, so i think that’s why they resonate with me so much. dani, throughout the show, slowly begins to unravel the mystery of malcolm bright, something that scares him. it’s the unique connection of two individuals who have both survived so much. dani- her upbringing in the bronx and her battle with drug addiction and grief (i really wish we had gotten to see more of her backstory and navigation of life as a young black woman and cop). malcolm- a young psyche shattered by the sins of the father; he’s a tortured genius, but at what cost? throughout it all, dani sees through malcolm as more than just the ‘prodigal son,’ and treats him with empathy and kindness despite the walls he has constructed around himself. that being said though, i really wish we had gotten more scenes of them together to truly show their growth over time and the development of their feelings toward each other (and yes i am upset with how they left things).

This is very well put! I definitely agree about wanting more Dani backstory, I would have loved to learn more about her family especially. Not to bring Malcolm/Eve up again lol but it’s really interesting to me to compare it to Malcolm/Dani bc as you said it’s so much about two people healing together who both have hurt in their past. And Malcolm was trying to do that with Eve as well and get some closure with the girl in the box but the difference is Malcolm/Dani actually has communication and honesty and is a more healthy dynamic whereas Malcolm/Eve was a pretty toxic relationship overall.

I would have loved slow burn brightwell if we got more seasons, I think Malcolm really craves a strong friendship and that is so much what their relationship is but it could also become something more (I mean they both also clearly have romantic feelings for each other as well). Kind of ended in the worst possible place, I can’t believe Dani was the one to find Malcolm in that last scene 😭

[brightmalcolm]

one of my favorite episodes was the count of monte cristo themed episode (01x13). not only was it such a fascinating plot line, but dani looked sooo stunning in that dress, and we got to see how much of a badass she truly is.

Oh yes that’s a great episode! Plus we got to see Malcolm interrupt a wedding and give the worst speech of all time.

[brightmalcolm]

Not exactly what I was looking for but sure

[brightmalcolm]

Eve and Tally should have meet up again after 1x09 to play pool and talk idk

[brightmalcolm]

It's been a long week. I'm just tired. I know. It's okay. I'm here.

[brightmalcolm]

this week's headcanon is:

Ainsley’s autistic, she’s just like me fr

submitted by anon !

[brightmalcolm]

1998 // 2019

[brightmalcolm]

thinking about gil calling malcolm a hero when he calls the police on his father in comparison to martin telling him "we're the same" and detective shannon accusing him of helping his father with his murders

[brightmalcolm]

if prodigal son wanted to win an emmy they should have had a scene after malcolm was arrested at the end of 1x19 where he's taken outside by the police and there are reporters and sirens and he starts having flashbacks to the night his father was arrested while "we're the same" plays over and over in his head

[brightmalcolm]

I’m a civilian now, Sunshine. We’re gonna have lots of time together. Just you, me, and… we’re gonna be okay

[brightmalcolm]

I really wish the fact that Malcolm pre meditated a murder in high school or at the very least his claustrophobia was brought up a little bit more after Alma mater cause those are two insane lore drops and then they have him in a closet like nothing happened in exit strategy

SAME ANON SAME! you guys know I love alma mater but I wish they brought back some of the stuff from that episode. malcolm having a panic attack while hiding in that closet in exit strategy and trying to keep calm bc they're hiding from a murderer would have added even more tension and been a throwback to that detail. as it is now, alma mater sometimes feels like it exists outside the canon of the show almost? bc it changed malcolm's shaking hand origin and didn't mention vijay at all even though we know they knew each other from some of high school (I have my own headcanons that explain these things but it's definitly not super strong continuity on the shows part).

also yeah the nicky thing is something that definitely should have come up again. like that was the most we ever see malcolm attacking someone in a not self defense moment. and the fact that he didn't just punch nicky, but stole and emptied his inhaler, shows how calculated the plan was.

I know a lot of fans think this was out of charecter for malcolm but I actually think it's an important beat in his development and the fact that he ISN'T his father! I don't even think he necessarily planned or wanted to kill nicky, I think it was a case of "teen brain" as malcolm would call it where he was not thinking through the consequences of these actions until they were starting him in the face. I think he was beaten down by years of bullying and people assuming the worst about him bc of his dad and was pushed to just snap in a "I'll show you a monster" way but the important part is he realized he didn't want to do it in the end and got help for nicky.