Following the crazy events of last week’s episode it was always going to be a difficult episode that came next.
If you haven’t seen the latest episode of The Following and don’t like spoilers don’t read any further. If you are up-to-date or want to find out what happened in tonight’s episode keep reading.
There was so much going on in last week’s episode Sacrifice, that tonight’s episode of The Following felt a little bit of a let-down. It seems that the episode was setting the scene for what’s to come so we’re waiting with baited breath to see what next week brings.
At the end of Sacrifice Mike (Shawn Ashmore) witnessed his father being murdered by Mark (Sam Underwood) at the hands of Lily Gray (Connie Nielsen) and it looked set to push him even further past his clear anger issues. Tonight’s episode opened with the funeral and Mike was supported by Max (Jessica Stroup) and Ryan (Kevin Bacon).
Leaving the funeral Ryan was approached by writer Carrie Cooke (Sprague Grayden) who wrote the hit book The Havenport Tragedy based on the events of Joe Carroll’s (James Purefoy) murder spree in the first season. She told Ryan that she had information suggesting that Joe was alive which Ryan refused to comment on. Throughout the episode the relationship between Ryan and Carrie was teased as it was revealed that she had got him drunk and seduced him in order to get him to give her quotes and material she could use for her book.
At Mike’s house, Ryan was approached by FBI Director Franklin to head up a covert team to find Joe. Franklin admitted that he believed Joe to be alive and wanted Ryan to be the man to bring him to justice. Franklin confided that there was a mole in the FBI and he was looking into agents past and present to find them. Mike overheard part of the conversation but when he quizzed Ryan he was shut down and told to be with his family. Ryan instead turned to Max to help him and after reviewing all their research they pin-pointed Joe’s mentor Dr Strauss (Gregg Henry), a man who had spent a lot of time with Joe when he was younger. Ryan went to visit Dr Strauss and hit a brick wall fairly quickly when the doctor claimed not to have seen Joe for years.
As Ryan left the house he placed a bug in a plant and continued to survey what was going on from the woods nearby. As he was listening in on a radio, Ryan heard Carrie turn up at Strauss’ door. Once she was invited inside, Strauss drugged her via an injection in the neck and Ryan hurried to the house. After shooting through the front door, he discovered Strauss dragging Carrie’s body into the cellar and was attacked by another of Strauss’ students who sprayed him in the face with some drug to knock him out.
When Ryan awoke he was tied to a wheelchair observing Carrie who was prepped on an operating table. It was then revealed that Strauss was the man who taught Joe to kill and apparently had shown him how to remove people’s eyes. The doctor and his student planned to torture and dismember Carrie whilst she was alert and helpless infront of Ryan’s eyes. What they didn’t realise is that Mike had forced Ryan’s whereabouts from a worried Max and the two had followed him to the house and managed to get inside.
A brief struggle left the good doctor tied the table with Ryan and Carrie safe. Max forced Carrie to leave the room whilst Ryan and Mike interrogated Strauss using a hammer to break the joints in his hand and force him to talk. He admitted that he helped Joe get his half-brother’s body into the country and revealed it was he who helped Joe recover following the lighthouse showdown. He then told them he had no idea where Joe was now. He did reveal that Joe had been dealing with a woman in the FBI to help him travel without being detected.
Meanwhile in the new cult led by Micah (Jake Weber), Joe Carroll finally revealed his plan to Emma (Valorie Curry) following her near murder in last week’s episode. He confided that his burgeoning friendship with Micah was a rouse so he could influence the cult to start killing and become his new followers. Throughout the episode Joe got closer to Micah whilst pushing out his suspicious wife Julia (Jacinda Barrett).
Micah confided to Joe that he allowed him into the cult because he wanted to learn how to kill people. Seizing his opportunity Joe obeyed his new master and by the episode’s end Micah was poisoning his own people and sending them to heaven. Julia was mortified at her husband’s behaviour but after challenging him found herself being carted away. Emma started to settle into life at the new cult following her shock last week trusting that Joe knows what’s he doing. The two shared an intimate moment as the episode came to a close.
Mandy (Tiffany Boone) was mortified when her almost-boyfriend was murdered as part of Micah’s first foray into killing. It seems she could go either way as the show progresses so we’re expecting her to be killed or to go completely mental. Time will tell.
At the end of the episode we noticed a hint of potential romance between Max and Mike too. Despite clashing pretty badly at the beginning of the season, the two seem to be finding a mutual understanding and there were a few glances that we are fairly sure will lead to a full-on romance by the end of the season.
The Following continues in the US at 9/8c on Mondays on FOX and in the UK at 10pm on Tuesdays on Sky Atlantic.
