Spoilers ahead for the fall finale of Prodigal Son Season 1, called "Silent Night."
Prodigal Son was a quick hit out of the gate with its first season for Fox in the 2019-2020 TV season, and viewers already hooked on the drama will likely be on the edges of their seats in the coming weeks due to the fall finale cliffhanger. The case of a murdered detective took an intriguing twist for Bright when he discovered the Junkyard Killer was responsible, and he very nearly caught the killer... until the baddie got the better of Bright.
After seemingly killing the former cop who was chasing answers with Bright, the Junkyard Killer whacked Bright hard enough to knock him out, and the episode ended with a serial killer dragging Bright away for unknown but undoubtedly nefarious purposes. Unfortunately, the only ally who knew what Bright was up to looks pretty dead, as Bright had kept the rest of the NYPD mostly in the dark about his connections to the case via the Junkyard Killer.
So, the fall finale cliffhanger featured Bright dragged away by a serial killer, with nobody who could help him knowing what had happened or where he was being taken. There are about a million ways the fallout could be handled in the winter premiere in January, and it's hard to rule many out at this point. Co-creator Chris Fedak spoke with TVLine about "Silent Night," and he said this in response to a question about Bright's mental state when the show returns:
Not. Good. [Laughs] Bright is doing two things: He’s trying to figure himself out and he’s trying to escape, but there’s a third thing, which is that he’s fascinated by the minds of serial killers. He’s also trying to understand this guy. It’s very much a duel when we come back into the story. It is a gigantic, scary, panic attack of an episode. If you think we have done some crazy shit on this show, we are about to take it to another level of disturbing. It’s a ludicrous, fun, crazy episode.
Well, I can't say that a "panic attack of an episode" will be a relaxing way for Prodigal Son fans to spend an hour when the winter premiere debuts in 2020, but "some crazy shit" guarantees that the weirdness that has helped Prodigal Son stand out will be back in full force.
We can certainly count on Bright surviving captivity by the Junkyard Killer, as a new hit show wouldn't kill off its lead halfway through the first season, but he probably won't emerge the same man he was before he was whacked over the head and abducted. Trying to get into the head of a serial killer who has all the control in the situation probably won't be great for Bright mentally, not to mention any physical harm he'll experience beyond the initial head wound.
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Will Bright come to understand the Junkyard Killer? And if so, will that be a good or a bad thing for him? And would it change his relationship with his dad? Whatever happens, it should be entertaining for viewers, though, especially if Mindhunter Season 3 with its serial killers is on hold for now.
Unfortunately, viewers won't find out until Prodigal Son returns with its winter premiere on Monday, January 20 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. Prodigal Son is only one of many shows returning to the airwaves in the new year, and you can find more on our 2020 winter and spring TV premiere schedule.
