HomeTVThe Following season 2 Freedom recap

The Following season 2 Freedom recap

We’ve been hooked on the second season of The Following and look forward to it every week. As we enter the last third of the season things are really getting exciting.

If you haven’t seen the latest episode of The Following and don’t want anything spoiled then please stop reading now. If you are up-to-date and want to relive the action then keep on reading.

Last week we found out what had happened to Claire (Natalie Zea) since season one. It was revealed that Weston (Shawn Ashmore) knew all along and it seems he’s getting closer with Max Hardy (Jessica Stroup). Ryan (Kevin Bacon) still doesn’t know she’s alive and is getting closer with Carrie (Sprague Grayden). Meanwhile Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) has taken control of the cult and started to put his epic plan into action. This saw him unleash some of his new followers to attack random members of the public which included an assault at a restaurant.

This week’s episode was a tense affair that kept us guessing throughout. It begins with Joe and his followers. He’s feeling moved and praises them. He wants to move onto the next part of his instruction to them and asks for volunteers. A woman named Angela volunteers.

Joe asks her to think of the happiest moment of her life and she talks about a time in her past when she was in Florida Keys with her fiancé before he died. She says she felt free and Joe tells her that freedom is the gift he wants them to give the world.

He then presents her with a fellow cult member who is tied to a table. She’s called Carla and Joe gives Angela a knife and tells her to save Carla and send her home. With some encouragement she stabs Carla to death and surprises herself that she was able to do it and is then creepily delighted about it.

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Credit: FOX

The action then moves to Ryan and Carrie in bed having morning snuggles. On the news they are reporting on a growing number of Joe Carroll fan clubs that are forming. Carrie pushes Ryan on the whereabouts of Lily Gray and mentions there have been sightings in 12 countries. Ryan says it’s all news to him and that he has no clue where she is. They seem happy together.

Soon after there is a knock at Ryan’s door and Weston turns up. He tells Ryan that he and Max have been working to identify local cults where Joe might be hiding out.

We then see that Claire is watching the latest news about Joe. She’s still asking to leave witness protection but they try to persuade her to stay. She is desperate to see Ryan and claims that she can help. Claire is told that if she leaves she must go without her son and mother for their safety.

Meanwhile a van pulls up outside a bakery. Masked men carrying knives storm into the bakery and stab everyone. Something feels wrong and we wonder if these are Joe’s followers, copycats or someone else. Ryan and the FBI turn up to 5 dead and 12 injured. Ryan is as suspicious as us when he sees the scene and discovers that there is no message from Joe.

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Credit: FOX

Back with Joe and Emma they discuss that Mandy is a problem. Robert wanders in to talk with Joe. He’s upset about his friend Carla. Joe reassures him that she was special and that’s why she was chosen. When he leaves Joe tells Emma that he’s changed. They have great work to do – a special mission to save the world to bring about salvation through redemption. He sends Emma to make sure Robert isn’t going to become a problem.

A brief scene then shows a girl wearing scrubs getting in a car. Another girl walks up to her and stabs her to death before stealing her hospital ID and car.

Emma confronts Robert and questions him. She says to trust and believe in her and Joe. This seems to help put Robert’s mind at ease but just to make sure she sleeps with him.

We then see Mandy sneaking about and she grabs a laptop and hooks it up to the Internet. She tracks down a phone number.

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Credit: FOX

At the hospital where the stab victims from the bakery are being treated we see the woman who stole the ID. She’s making her way through while carrying a heavy bag. She drops it off at a locker and sends a text message.

Some of the patients from the bakery attack get text messages and we realise they are working with her. They have used the cover of being stabbed to get into the hospital. They then head to the locker to retrieve the bag which was full of guns.

Ryan and Weston investigate the bakery and realise something is up. When they hear the patients have gone to the hospital where Luke is being held the realise that it is Lily Gray and not Joe Carroll behind the day’s events.

In the hospital the woman who delivered the bag uses the ID she stole to pass security to gain access to Luke. She hands a mobile to him and his mom is on the line saying she is bringing him home. The men working with the women then storm the security killing almost everyone. They fill the area with gas so wear gas masks for themselves.

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Credit: FOX

Ryan arrives with the FBI to secure the hospital. They discover Luke is missing and that he is headed with the men to a waiting ambulance in order to escape. Before that can happen they manage to find the vehicle and kill the driver preventing the escape.

Ryan and Weston split up to search different areas of the hospital. Weston comes across a group of staff and checks their ID. One of them is the girl who broke Luke out but she doesn’t want to be taken alive. While trying to stab Weston she is shot to death by the FBI.

Back with Joe he’s mixing with cult members and at the same time we see Mandy frantically packing.

Ryan tracks down Luke but is taken prisoner by one of the men. Ryan tries to bargain and kills the man during a struggle. Luke manages to escape the hospital to the Market. He manages to give them the slip. Ryan bumps into Carrie who asks him to dinner later.

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Luke is nowhere to be found and makes it back to Lily and Mark. There’s a quick reunion but we’re sure she has plenty of tricks up her sleeve still to play.

Joe sees Carrie’s broadcast and calls Lily a clever little viper. We then see Mandy hitchhiking. She gets picked up and asks to use a phone. Dialling the number she found on the Internet she gets through to Mark.

The episode ends predictably with Claire showing up at Ryan’s apartment. He is understandably shocked having presumed she was dead. We can’t wait for the next episode to see what happens. What did you think?

The Following continues at 9/8c Mondays on FOX in the US and at 10pm Tuesdays on Sky Atlantic in the UK.

 

Greg Ellwood
Greg Ellwoodhttps://8ce250469d.nxcli.io
Greg is the Deputy Editor of Entertainment Focus. He writes about Games, Tech and TV. You can find him on Xbox/PSN/Steam as Tahllian.

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