The Following 1/21: "Pilot"

Hi everyone!

I have started watching a new show called "The Following".  The first episode aired last Monday.  I had wanted to write a weekly recap of this show just like I did a few years ago with the tv show "Jericho", but The Following is so fast paced and contains so much information in each episode, I'm not sure if I will be able to do that.  I would like to try and at least write a weekly "what I thought" post about that week's episode.  So, bear with me, I haven't done this in awhile!

©2012 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Patrick Ecclesine/FOX

Basically this show revolves around a serial killer who has created a following and the former FBI agent who is trying to stop him.  Kevin Bacon plays Ryan Hardy, a damaged former FBI agent and James Purefoy plays Joe Carroll, a literary professor obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe and also the serial killer.  A few years before, Ryan caught Joe and put him in prison....now Joe has other plans.  He has managed to create a following of "friends" who are willing to do anything and everything that Joe tells them to do.

In this first episode, Joe was able to escape prison thanks to a prison guard who is part of Joe's "following".  The FBI director calls Ryan Hardy and asks him to meet with the agents who are on the case in order to give them insight into Joe the serial killer.  What gets me is Ryan is treated like a pariah when he meets up with the other agents and they don't LISTEN to him!  Considering Ryan is the one who caught Joe in the first place, you'd think they would at least give him some credit.

Image Credit: Michael Lavine/Fox

Ryan is a damaged man.  He was stabbed in the heart by Joe and now has to use a pacemaker.  When Ryan gets stressed or exerts too much energy, he becomes weak.  I loved how during this entire episode, you could hear a heart beating in the background.  I've always liked Kevin Bacon and I think he's a great fit for this role...he's very believable and even though he's broken, he's a determined man.

 

©2012 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Patrick Ecclesine/FOX

James Purefoy is pure gold in his role as Joe Carroll.  Joe is charming and charismatic and also psychotically evil!  He has a brilliant mind and is obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe as well as the other authors of the gothic period.  Joe, being inspired by these stories, murders his victims in symbolic ways.  I am a fairly new fan of James Purefoy...I discovered him in the movie Ironclad (which is a great movie by the way, I highly recommend it) and really liked his acting.  He does a great job portraying Joe Carroll..it's chilling!






I really enjoyed the first episode.  It was fast paced, packed full of information, and we met most of the recurring characters such as:

• Joe's ex-wife who formed a relationship with Ryan
• The team of FBI agents (I don't trust all of them)
• Joe's son
• A few members of Joe's following

I've been following (teehee!) the Facebook page for this show and I have to agree with many of my fellow fans in saying the FBI agent with the mole is very annoying.  She's very short with Ryan and doesn't seem to have much compassion for others (I'm thinking maybe she's part of Joe's following).  I know there always has to be conflict somewhere in a tv show, so I guess we just have to grin and bear it!

Well, there you have it.  I am definitely a fan of "The Following" and will be watching each week.  If you want to watch here are the details:

The Following airs every Monday night on FOX at 9pm eastern/8pm central time.  If you miss an episode, you can watch online at: http://www.fox.com/the-following/
You can also like the show on Facebook by visiting their page HERE.

Let me know what you think of the show!  Also, if you would like to blog about each week's episode with me, I would love to put together a sort of blog carnival.  I've hosted one before in the past and found they are really fun and you meet some great people too.  If you are interested please let me know!  You can message me at the Halloween Night Facebook page or email me at:  halloween_night-owner@yahoogroups.com and be sure to put "The Following blog" in the subject line!

Thanks for reading and watching!