PRODIGAL SON Post-Mortem: Bellamy Young on Jessica’s Traumatizing Trip to Claremont—And the Terrifying Aftermath

April 27, 2021 by Marisa Roffman

[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Tuesday, April 27 episode of PRODIGAL SON.]

He’s out!

PRODIGAL SON’s Martin (Michael Sheen) finally broke out of the Claremont…after triggering an incident at the prison hospital with Jessica (Bellamy Young) trapped inside.

Though Jessica managed to survive the incident intact (minus one bloody pair of shoes, half of which is now lodged in a prisoner), her worst nightmare has now come to fruition: her ex is loose, and Malcolm (Tom Payne) may be the only one who can catch him.

Here, Young breaks down the WTF-worthy episode, and Jessica’s fears about what comes next.

How did the writers approach this script with you? Did you get a warning before it came, or did you open it up and go, “Wait, WHAT?!” when you saw Jessica got to attack a man with her shoe?
I just got the script, and I read it, and I was like, “What?!” And then the next thing I did was go to my fitting with Katie Riley, who is a genius, our wardrobe designer, and she picks these Tom Ford shoes, which—they are not really useful for walking. They were clearly meant for self-defense, in a way; I feel like we’re giving them their proper due.

You know Jessica, she has a thing for heels as weapons…she threw one at the TV last year. She’s aware of it being the strongest bit of her armor. But when Gil says, “Find something to protect yourself”…she does. I was worried about it, but our special effects team built a whole shoe. The shoes are so beautiful, the original Tom Fords, but they built one that is every bit as beautiful, but one that will not pierce a skull. Sahr Ngaujah’s [the man who plays Darryl’s] acting is so beautiful, so I just have to hit him. He has to sell receiving it. And then we did this amazing appliance that was without a heel, and, like, glued on over his ear with the shoe coming out of it. They worked hard on that gag, and it really [worked]…I watched it, and I shrieked! The sound effect, everything, looked so good.

What was the process of crafting that scene, as Jessica realizes she’s being literally backed into a corner?

Well you know, it’s been funny because this year because of COVID, we just haven’t had as much together collaborative time as usually you would. It is very much a year of you walk on, you rehearse once or twice with your masks on and lay some marks. And then instead of, “Let’s see how it feels, maybe we need to change this,” it’s not really [an option]. This year has been much more about preparation.

Satya Bhabha was our director on this episode, and he had been very careful about how the hallway was built, so the way he sort of walked me back landed me right at the end. It was really just all in the words. She is cornered, she’s not a quitter, so she’s going to fight back. And she’ll try to talk him out of it. But if she can’t, all bets are off, man. It’s life or death, and it’s Jessica. We get to learn a little something about her that day.

How does having to take this violent step impact her?
I think it surprises even her, obviously, because she could never have woken up that morning and been like, “I’m going stick a heel through a man’s ear today!” But it’s happened. And there was also a lot of reaction shots that were not in the episode, just of Jessica being totally freaked out. And I had this wonderful line of [screaming], “I did that! I did that! I did that!” So in shock and freaking out.

I think it will sit with her. I don’t think you forget how that feels or sounds; the way it goes in. But what’s still paramount in her mind, in that moment, when she sees Gil is that we have to save the world from the Surgeon. No one is safe if he is free. So, I still think there are bigger fish to fry than putting a heel through Darryl’s ear.

With Martin out, how is this changing Jessica? Certainly she’s been worried about his impact in the past, but now there is nothing stopping him, especially with their kids
That’s the thing, even in her worst life, she was living her best life, because Martin was behind bars and locked up and chained to a wall and watched 24/7. Should he still be alive, that is the only acceptable scenario for her. She’s afraid for herself, she’s terrified for children, she’s terrified for the world. Like, will the sprees start back up? Will it be in New York? Will we ever catch him again? Will he come to our house? Does he need that key? Here I am a Claremont waving a key at him,is he going to come for me?

But also it turns her life back into the circus that was in 1998: there’ll be police everywhere, there’ll be press everywhere. The indignity begins again. And it’s a smaller concern, but one that is also brutal and she knows is already in motion, as the memory comes back to her head.

And she’s always been protective of her kids…

Yes! Malcolm put him away. Is he going to seek retribution? Ainsley is just finding some very scary things out about herself. Is Martin going to take her under his wing? There’s no good, “Oh, but maybe this will happen, and some good will come from that.” I can’t think of a thing where some good would come with that, no.

Is she actively trying to keep them home or is that not something that is feasible given their jobs?

I think that it’s all going to move a little faster than her plans, is what is safe for me to say. I think her intent is to keep everybody close and basically lock everybody down at the house. But things go faster and wilder than she could ever imagine.

Jessica did meet Vivian. With Martin now out, is Jessica thinking Vivian could be a key to where he went?

I think any vestige of jealousy died long ago. When it comes to Martin, the only thing she’s ever tried to figure out is, what is he up to? What is his endgame? How is he going to use this? I think that’s sort of the mindset she’ll be in about Vivian. I don’t think she cares exactly what’s been going on. She’s suspiciously gorgeous to be working at Claremont, so that was shocking, initially, to her. But I think it’s taken her a long time to come to terms with the fact that Martin is incapable of love as a sociopath.

So I don’t think she thinks, “Oh, maybe he loves her” in that way that any of us would when we see our ex with someone other who’s attractive and clearly capable. I think it is more about how will he use her? And now that he’s escaped, was this it? Is she the link? Is this how it happened? Just trying to put it together. But it’s always just like, what is Martin doing now? What is he up to? How scared do I need to be? How bad is it going to get? Her whole life is defense that way.

Looking a bit ahead, what can you tease about the finale?

I just have to say like, it was COVID this year, so we’re lucky we got to work at all. But I think we put a season together that knocks it out of the park. And the way this whole season, these next few stories, where they go, and how they get there, and what happens when they land, is jaw-dropping. I feel like I’m going to need to watch them like three times in a row, back-to-back, the last few, particularly, just because it’s like a symphony, the way they put it together.

But just keep your eyes on Vivian. And just be sitting down. It is crazy.

PRODIGAL SON, Tuesdays, 9/8c, Fox

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PRODIGAL SON Post-Mortem: Bellamy Young on Jessica’s Traumatizing Trip to Claremont—And the Terrifying Aftermath

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