Fear Response

**\* GALLERY**

## Synopsis

Malcolm gets his dream interview opportunity when the NYPD zeroes in on one of his and Martin's favorite psychologists, Dr. Elaine Brown, who may be involved in a homicide linked to an LSD-laced psychology trial. Meanwhile, as his night terrors continue to evolve, Malcolm checks in with his trusted childhood therapist to discuss new theories on what exactly he witnessed as a child, and the consequences of Malcolm's visits with The Surgeon begin to add up when Gil, Jessica, and Ainsley catch wind that he has been seeing his father again.

## Plot

*Flashback 1998*

Jessica Whitly visits here now convicted husband Martin Whitly in prison. This is their first time seeing each other since he was arrested, and she has come to inform him that both she and the children will not be coming back.

In present day; Jessica arrives early at her son's apartment building only to find she's locked out. Malcolm Bright is in the middle of one of his night terrors during which he breaks his restraints and involuntarily throws himself out his window. Back inside his apartment, his mother confronts him about seeing his father and cautions him to stop, as his nightmares are getting worse. She once again insists there was no girl in a box.

Before going to work Malcolm stops in to chat with his childhood shrink, Dr. Gabrielle Le Deux. He fully explains to her the situation and she too, cautions him to stop seeing his father not wanting to worsen his PTSD. Their session is cut short when he is paged into work.

When Malcolm arrives on the scene, everyone is all-ready waiting for him, and Dr. Edrisa Tanaka is examining the body. They discover a note and realize his entire brain has been cut out of his skull. Back at their office Edrisa gives further information on the examined body, but Malcolm is interrupted by a phone call from his father who disguises himself as Malcolm's Doctor. Martin has been watching the news from his room and is impressed with his daughter's vocabulary as well as offers suggestions on what type of killer could be behind the body count.

Malcolm and Dani Powell head to the University for a quick interview with *Dr. Elaine Brown*. while Malcolm gushes about his infatuation with the doctor, Dani questions her style of human trials and experiments. She says she can offer no further information but is interrupted by, *Dr. Carl Mitchell*, a fellow colleague with information about a grad student who recently killed herself that was part of some trials they were conducting.

Jessica tracks down her daughter Ainsley Whitly, demanding to know why she was not informed that Malcolm was seeing his father again. Ainsley exclaim she's sick of getting in the middle of them, and demands they work it out together.

Back at the NYPD, Dani and Malcolm informed Gil Arroyo of their findings. Having found a hand-written letter about the grad student who killed herself with the same hand-writing that was found on the body earlier. It was accusing the psych department of off the book experiments of grad students dosing themselves with LSD. The grad student had been tripping on acid when she jumped, they were interrupted with a phone call from Dr. Carl Mitchell who they had been talking with earlier. However, something happened on his end, and he stopped communication. Dani, Malcolm and JT Tarmel ran over to the building and found him tied up on the rooftop. The two detectives split up to find his assailant, while Malcolm stayed with the doctor. The would-be killer got away and Malcolm was attacked by Carl once he untied his hands. He was hallucinating hard on acid, and Malcolm eventually pushed him over the side. Luckily he felt only a single story, with the ground below them having an extended balcony.

Back at work, they were informed Mr. Mitchell suffered a fractured rib and was still not lucid enough to make any statements. JT and Malcolm's argument was interrupted by Edrisa who confirmed his talk screens came back positive with extreme levels of LSD, more than 50 times the standard dose. The exact same thing that had happened to their original victim. Realizing everyone was connected to the University, they immediately went to Elaine Brown's house to provide information and protection.

They confronted her about, more or less being in-charge of the entire experiment. Malcolm gave a profile of who they were looking for and she confirmed they should look into Dominic Render, who had dropped out six months ago. Believing the drug had triggered intractable paranoid schizophrenia.

Jessica made an unexpected visit to Gil at his office. She was well aware of her son's close relationship with Guillen and deceased wife, Jackie Arroyo. She wanted him to stop encouraging any relationship between Malcolm and his father. He brought up how she was the one who originally brought Malcolm back into his father's life when he was a kid. Jessica insisted at the time she didn't know what to do with her son's nightmares but that now his father was back in their lives things were getting worse.

Later that night, Jessica prepared herself to go visit her ex-husband. She remembered their last conversation together before calling her driver to take her to Claremont Psychiatric Hospital.

Malcolm and JT were on a stakeout outside Dr. Elaine Brown's house. JT finally demanded to know why Malcolm had no respect for police officers, Malcolm insisted he did as his life was originally saved by Gil. Much to JT's annoyance Malcolm then began trying to guess his first name. Almost ready to wrap up Malcolm decided to ask Elaine Brown some questions in private. They were interrupted by the lights going out, and her severe acid trip. JT noticed the lights and tried to get inside the house only for him to be locked out at every door. Malcolm was soon attacked by *Dominic Render* but was shot dead by Elaine Brown. JT arrived too late and found the drugged doctor having an acid trip in between the two, but Malcolm was able to talk her down.

Jessica was escorted by Mr. David and finally confronted her husband for the first time in 20 years. He thanked her for raising such beautiful children, and when he tried to caress her face she immediately backed away, terrified of him. Jessica cried for him to leave their son alone, but Martin insisted she knew the whole story.

Malcolm wanting to find his missing memories decides to lightly chloroform himself. He had a possible flashback of him finding the body of a woman and his mother telling him to never talk about it again.

## Quotes

**Malcolm Bright:** I'm tiring of these phone privileges!

**Martin Whitly:** Did he take the brain? ... I saw you on television. You and your sister!

**Martin Whitly:** Please tell your sister her diction is mmm impeccable. Chapin paid for itself.

**Martin Whitly:** This case may prove difficult for you, Malcolm. Well, fear has always been your particular stumbling block.

## Notes

* There is a flashback to 1989 when Martin Whitly was first inprisioned.
* Jessica Whitly is the landlord of Malcolm Bright's building.
* Jessica confronted Malcolm about re-visiting his father.

## Cast

* Tom Payne as Malcolm Bright
* Michael Sheen as Dr. Martin Whitly
* Bellamy Young as Jessica Whitly
* Lou Diamond Phillips as Gil Arroyo
* Halston Sage as Ainsley Whitly
* Aurora Perrineau as Dani Powell
* Frank Harts as JT Tarmel
* Keiko Agena as Dr. Edrisa Tanaka
* Sakina Jaffrey as Dr. Elaine Brown
* Charlayne Woodard as Dr. Gabrielle Le Deux
* Kasjan Wilson as Young Malcolm
* Esau Pritchett as Mr. David

**Others**
* Giuseppe Ardizzone as Jessica's Driver Adolpho
* Joseph Anthony Sudol as Dominic Render
* Cortney Gift as Uni