Two episodes in and I’m still into The Following. It has continued to pique my interest and has kept me engaged. There were a few changes afoot for this second episode. Overall it was good, there was a great amount of story, the right amount of gore and a well done score. More details after the break though the bottom line is that if you’re not watching already you should spend the two hours and judge for yourself.
The biggest change this week was the departure of the strong female FBI agent from the pilot. Not sure why she left but she was replaced with another strong female lead, Agent Debra Parker (Annie Parisse). Agent Parker joins the investigation with significant cult experience. She also knew all about Hardy’s sordid past and is able to confront about him about it. She adds a nice dynamic to the group and played (one of) the female leads very well.
The episode started off right where it left off from the pilot and we saw security guard Jordy enter the sorority house. Unfortunately was able to complete his dirty work and murdered girls in Joe Carroll’s style. (Me thinks a cult is forming). So the entire plot centered around finding Jordy and the hunt for his kidnapped son, Matthew.
There were a lot of interesting scenes and the narrative used flashback in a positive way. Claire (Joe’s ex-wife) had to go see him in prison and they had to confront her affair with Hardy. We got to see a lot of the dynamic form around the trio of followers (gay next door neighbors and nanny). I see the potential for a lot of drama there.
There was also a lot of good investigative work done by the FBI team. They were able to make progress and find some more clues. What they did find out was that Joe’s following is bigger than they expected. They found out the nanny’s real identity and that led them to her house. What they found was a very creepy empty house with all this Edgar Allen Poe writing on the wall. To top it off there was a man inside the house, wearing a Poe mask that attacked Hardy.
At the end of the episode Claire was saved and Jordy was caught. Joe’s master plan was foiled. They still don’t know where Matthew is yet. Then it ended with the Poe mask character lighting a man on fire in broad daylight.
So some of my fear’s about the show came to life this week. With the plot to catch Jordy and the setup of the Poe mask character they are definitely working with a “baddie of the week” theme. They did balance it out this week though. There was a lot of backstory with Claire and Hardy as well as the exploration of the trio’s dynamic and the nanny’s backstory. (She’s one tortured, messed up soul). I think this is going to continue for the next twelve episodes so all I can hope for is that the long story arc and backdrop are better than the weekly search plot.
I am loving the mythology they’re starting to develop on the show. Having everything related to Poe and the way they tie it in seems genius to me. In full disclosure I’ve never been a Poe fan nor do I claim to be an expert but I am loving it. And one last interesting piece of the episode was the final scene between Agent Parker and Carroll. She brought him a book of the complete works of Poe. They had a look exchange that made you start to think. Is she an admirer herself? Is she part of the following? Why would she bring him that book and feed into his ego? Those are some questions I want to see answered.
Catch The Following at 9PM ET Mondays on FOX.