FBI – Season 5 Episode 3 “Prodigal Son” Recap & Review

Prodigal Son

Episode 3 of FBI Season 5 starts with a robbery at a gun shop that ends with the owner’s brother (Teddy) being killed. The robbers steal a few guns and flee the scene. The FBI team checks the video and gets the number plate of the car used in the crime. It turns out the robbers stole a number plate off a car and the owner had no idea her car was missing a number plate.

OA and Nina secure the security camera videos of the culprit stealing the number plate. They are shocked when they realize the suspect (Clayton) is a young boy who goes to the same school as Jubal’s son (Tyler). OA and Nina visit the school and he is not at school so they go to his home.

At his home, Clayton has locked himself in his room and refuses to surrender. OA tries his best to talk to Clayton to give himself up but sadly Clayton commits suicide using a gun they stole. They search his home looking for the stolen guns but the house is clean.

With Clayton dead, the FBI needs to find his partner and recover the guns. Their worry heightens as they find drawings in Clayton’s room suggesting they might have been planning a massive school gun attack.

Tiffany and Schola interview the parents and they give them a lead on a boy named Simon. Simon tells Schola and Tiffany that he had a fallout with Clayton months ago. A few months ago, Clayton told him that, “it would be pretty cool to shoot up a school.” Simon was worried so he cut ties with him and informed Clayton’s parents about their son’s plan but they begged him not to say anything to anyone else. Lastly, Simon gives them a list of the new friends Clayton hung out with after their fallout.

They go through the list and try to hone in on Clayton’s accomplice. Jubal is shaken to hear his son’s name is on the list and he goes home to talk to Tyler. He calmly questions his son about the robbery at the gun shop but Tyler didn’t know about it. He is offended that his dad is asking him to “snitch” on Clayton and refuses to tell Jubal more. He says he only hangs out with Clayton a few times and occasionally they play video games online. Jubal asks him to keep his distance from the boys on the list.

Jubal is still suspicious so he asks his ex-wife (Samantha) if she can verify Tyler’s alibi. She is surprised to hear Tyler has ties to the suspects. Samantha tells him Tyler has been having a rough time and she is angry that Jubal has been brushing away her concerns whenever she shared them with him. Jubal is a great officer but he is failing at fatherhood. Last time, he missed his son’s birthday because he prioritized work.

The FBI does an in-depth dive into the social media activities of the boys on the list and narrows in on a new suspect named Zachary. They visit his home and the parents can’t believe their son is linked to a case involving guns and murder. They permit the FBI to search the house and OA finds a few guns in Zachary’s room. There are still three guns missing and they believe Zachary has them on him.

Zachary is still in the wind and so far they have been unable to trace his whereabouts. They evacuate the school and Jubal interviews the school’s counselor and she tells him Tyler and Zachary are close friends. Jubal drives home and Tyler refuses to believe Zachary is a criminal. Zachary has been protecting Tyler from bullies and Tyler thinks he is incapable of murder.

The FBI gets a possible lead on where Zachary may be hiding out but they miss him. They check the last call he made from the landline in the house and he called Tyler. Jubal goes back home and asks Tyler what he talked about with Zachary. Tyler doesn’t want to help Jubal because he considers Zachary a friend who has been there for him, unlike his dad.

Jubal is surprised to hear Tyler calling him out and Tyler explains he has been dealing with a lot in school. He is the new kid recovering from cancer, it is brutal for him in school. Jubal tries to make Tyler feel better and he finally agrees to help Jubal and gives him a clue.

The lead from Tyler helps them figure out Zachary is heading to another gun store to steal ammunition for the stolen automatic rifle. They arrive late and find Zachary has shot the attendant at the store and stolen ammunition. Zachary calls Tyler again and he sneaks out of the house to meet him. Jubal realizes he needs to pay more attention to his son and promises to change and be a better dad. But first, they need to find him before things escalate further.

They trace Tyler’s phone and he is heading to Zachary who upon seeing Jubal takes Tyler hostage in a bookstore. They need a plan to rescue the hostages and Jubal refuses to wait for SWAT and goes into the bookstore. He is able to rescue the hostages and Zachary is taken into custody.

The Episode Review

This is the most time Jubal has spent with his son and it was because of a case. Jubal needs to prioritize his family before it is too late. Work is important but so is family and Jubal’s workaholic tendency is not healthy. I hope he can salvage his rocky relationship with his kid and pay more attention to Samantha’s concerns for their son.

It is scary how easily these kids were able to get guns and plan a massive gun attack. Guns in the wrong hands cause harm. 17-year-old students were planning to kill their fellow schoolmates and nearly executed their plans. What makes it scarier is just a few months back, this was the reality for many in the Uvalde school shooting.

As much as this is a TV show, we can’t ignore the fact that gun violence is a real epidemic in many parts of the world.