Prodigal Son delivered a shocking episode that left the fate of one of our favorites on the line. Here’s why the series is unlikely to kill this character.

Caution: This post will include spoilers for Prodigal Son Season 1, Episode 14. If you haven’t watched it yet, I urge you to right away because the spoilers will start from the beginning.

Well, all that escalated quickly! Did you see the turn of events in Prodigal Son Season 1, Episode 14 coming? Probably not.

We ended the episode with Malcolm (Tom Payne) stabbing his father so his mother, Jessica (Bellamy Young), wouldn’t have to, and he stabbed him in a way that could help keep him alive. Right now, Martin Whitly’s (Michael Sheen) life hangs in the balance. However, it’s unlikely that the show will kill him off. At least, just yet.

The episode ended with Martin still in surgery, but in the promo for the following episode, we see that he’s in a coma. Whether that coma is medically induced or just the fact that he didn’t wake up from surgery isn’t clear just yet. What I do love is that the show isn’t leaving us too long with questions. We’ll get the next episode on Feb. 17. I just don’t think it’s going to end with The Surgeon dead.

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Whitly is just too important to the story

Since the very beginning, Sheen’s character has been an important plot point. He’s the reason Malcolm struggles to sleep and why the family is looked down on in the social circles. He’s the one that has helped to solve some of the cases, being able to explain his own thought process and profile some of the serial killers.

While we now know the memories that Malcolm had repressed and The Surgeon finally admitted to wanting to kill Malcolm when he was young, things aren’t completely over. There’s still the case of the Girl in the Box, the 24th victim. In real life, it’s possible that the serial killer would die before a family got justice, but this is the world of TV. Justice and dramatic storylines are necessary, so keeping The Surgeon alive makes sense.

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The Surgeon is an entertaining character

Michael Sheen is one of the greatest actors on screen right now. Whether you’ve watched him in The Good Fight, Good Omens, or now Prodigal Son, you’ll never see the same character. You don’t see the actor. You seen whatever role he has become for the sake of the show. And The Surgeon may be a dark and dangerous character, but he’s also one of the most entertaining on the show. The dynamic between Martin and Malcolm each time they’re together is perfect. We get some of the most humorous lines, breaking up some of the tension and trauma throughout the episodes.

This type of character is necessary for storytelling, especially in a show like Prodigal Son. There’s no way that the series would survive without The Surgeon popping up now and then. And he doesn’t need to be in every episode for us to enjoy the entertainment. We’ve had episodes without Martin, which makes his character all the more appreciated when he shows up.

Jessica and Malcolm’s freedom on the line

There’s also a huge storyline now surrounding Jessica and Malcolm. Despite Malcolm being the one to stab his father, Jessica is the one that’s taken the blame. She did bring the knife in, after all. She was going to do it, but Malcolm decided to take on the burden instead. Yet, Jessica is the one that the police are talking to, despite Gil clearly knowing that Malcolm did it.

With Martin’s life on the line, we now have a storyline for Jessica and Malcolm. One attempted to kill a man and the other allowed it to happen. Either way, they’re both in some serious trouble should Martin die. Despite him being a serial killer and the stabbing happening to save another life, the police are going to want to make sure someone is charged for this. If Martin dies, Jessica (and Malcolm when the cops find out) will face life in prison.

But the dramatic thing is to have a will-he-won’t-he-die storyline. It drags out the potential for a longer prison sentence and a bigger trial. If he survives, Martin can then tell the full truth of the events, making it clear that Malcolm was the one who stabbed him, which will be another cloud over the Whitly head right now. With Martin surviving, he has something that he can hold over his ex-wife and son forever. That’s definitely going to create some serious drama for the series.

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Do you think The Surgeon is going to die? What do you think is going to happen next in Prodigal Son? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Prodigal Son airs Mondays at 9/8c on FOX.