Matt Smith reviews episode 8 of The Following season 2…
With last week’s start on the road back to good TV, The Following gave itself the chance to redeem itself in this critic’s eyes. A new cult introduced, Joe Carroll seemingly getting back to his full strength and Agent Weston falling deeper and deeper as he’s pushed further and further.
This week there’s the fallout from the latter, as Weston’s family and friends bury his father. Meanwhile, Ryan Hardy is given legitimate legal power in chasing down Carroll with the a-okay from the higher ups. Carroll himself deals with the fallout of the new cult’s handling of Emma, while trying to position himself in a better position in this mysterious organisation. A question that hasn’t quite been answered is what this new cult actually does. Does the leader Micah have anything in mind apart from getting as much devotion from as many followers as possible?
This is answered somewhat with the new developments between Micah and Carroll. Who in this new cult is really surrendering? Is it Carroll by doing Micah’s bidding? Or Micah by giving in to a seemingly new, murderous excitement? This new development seems like little more than an excuse to introduce more grisly murders to the screen, however, and isn’t as interesting as the show thinks it is. Like the short-lived union with Lily Gray’s group there is, once again, a power struggle within a new cult that is seemingly resolved, and all too quickly. While I called for Lily Gray’s storyline to be culled from the series, and it seems I got what I asked for this week, it seems too obvious that the show is trying the same idea again with a different twist. Perhaps next week will see newer, more interesting developments. And the show does well enough to keep me at least willing to watch next week, if not exciting me to the point of not being able to wait.
The show does keep you guessing, in that the question of whether this new character will or won’t become a recurring villain always pops up. This week, it’s a doctor who taught Carroll that murder is okay, if you really have to. Could he be a new chief antagonist, the man who could be better than Carroll at what he does? How is he different from Carroll? How is he the same, but perhaps worse (his egotism is put on full display as he offhandedly mentions exactly how many former students acknowledged him in their books)?
I was hoping for more time with the potentially very interesting doctor, but the episode gave way for more of the same to show that both sides are shades of grey as opposed to black and white. Are the good guys as bad as the bad guys? It’s a question this show has posed a number of times, with each answer either non-existent or superficial.
While the show has gotten better over the last couple of weeks, it’s been trying so hard to ensure the time given to each character is enough and that the flow towards a conclusion isn’t stalled that it hasn’t got the strength to then grab attention. At the moment, it isn’t necessary. I find myself increasingly putting effort into caring about these characters and their stories, as opposed to naturally becoming connected with the series. As it gets deeper and deeper into moving plots and arcs to be completed, The Following is unfortunately only reaching the levels of the passable when it comes to what else is on offer.
Matt Smith – follow me on Twitter.
Originally published March 13, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
