Article originally written for Seat42F.
Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) is back as THE FOLLOWING returns
this week on FOX. It’s been some time since season two ended, of course, and
almost all of the characters seem to be in good places in their lives,
relatively happy. What that means is that chaos is about to hit again, more
murders will be committed, and the question as to who will survive is raised
week after week.
As the season premiere, “New Blood,” begins, Ryan is happily
seeing Gwen (Zuleikha Robinson, Homeland, Lost). Ryan doesn’t have the best
track record with women, and so he’s taking things slow with Gwen, but the
question remains: is she secretly evil? On almost any other series, this
wouldn’t even be a consideration, but on THE FOLLOWING, there’s probably at
least a fifty/fifty chance of it, with the other option being that she’ll soon
become a victim. Though how cool would it be if neither occurs?
As mentioned, things start out peacefully enough, but that
doesn’t last long, and the body count rises quite significantly in the first
hour alone. The main perpetrator this time around is not Joe Carroll, who is on
Death Row, less than a month away from execution (what are the chances he’ll
actually die?). Instead, the new cult leader is Mark (Sam Underwood), whose
mother, twin brother, and adopted sister were killed by our heroes last year.
Mark is not mentally stable and he is bent on revenge, a dastardly combination.
Ryan is soon drawn in to stop Mark, which makes sense, given
Mark is purposely targeting Ryan, Max (Jessica Stroup), and Mike (Shawn
Ashmore) with his games, the three that have wronged him, in his eyes. These
three lied about some of the deaths they committed last year, and Mark wants
the truth exposed. Will they be able to stop him before the truth comes out?
Ryan isn’t the only one in a different place in “New Blood.”
Max and Mike have also followed their paths forward, and while I won’t spoil
what that means, I will say flashbacks in the season premiere help fill in the
gaps to get them to their current place. THE FOLLOWING is a very serial story,
and while the action may take place months or years apart, hence the time jumps
during hiatus, the writers do a pretty good job connecting the dots so viewers
are not lost. These leaps also make logical sense to the plot.
A lot happens in “New Blood,” both fresh and following up
from previously. A major character gets married. Another contemplates a big
step in his relationship. Exes come back together and see how the other is
doing. Mistakes are brought back up. Most importantly, though, is that THE
FOLLOWING gives its characters time to dwell on past wrongs in order to see how
they influence moving forward.
Early in the first episode back, Ryan is reminded of the
collateral damage left in his wake. It may not be his intention to kill anyone,
but even those cult members who die along the way have families and loved ones
who care about them. If Ryan captures the bad guy but lives are lost in the
process, is that worth it? Should he have done something differently? Is he too
careless about others in his pursuit of justice? These fascinating questions
are raised in “New Blood,” and that dramatically raises the quality of the
episode.
THE FOLLOWING is by and large an action mystery, and it does
that well. More interesting to me is that it is taking the steps to address the
emotional toll on the characters. Ryan Hardy is not made of steel like 24’s
Jack Bauer. Self-examination is part and parcel of who he is, and the fact that
the show is re-focusing on that is exciting. I hope there will be plenty of
time for it to continue as the season unfolds.
THE FOLLOWING airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
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