The Following, Episode 2: "Chapter Two"
Man, Edgar Allen Poe was a creepy looking mofo. He looked the part of horror writer that is for sure. The second episode of The Following kept up the intense tone of the pilot and there was no noticeable drop in quality, which is not always the case when a brand new show premieres with a great pilot. Ahem, Smash, ahem.
Ryan was met with news that the FBI profile, Debra Clark, who specializes in cults, was taking over the investigation. Ryan overhears a conversation about him. Awkward. He talks to Clark about the people that Carroll has indoctrinated. Clark is hesitant to call them a cult or any synonym of the word cult. It is a dirty, inflammatory word and she will not have it. Ryan requests a gun, but that is another thing that Clark is not having. She mentions Ryan's heart problems and then asks him how long it's been since he had a drink. Ryan's silence speaks volumes. She says she'll take his gun request under advisement.
Clark tells Ryan that Carroll is requesting a meeting with Claire. Ryan is hesitant about letting the meeting happen, but Claire will do anything in order to get Joey back. The meeting goes about as well as expected. Carroll taunts Claire about her relationship with Ryan. She refuses to rise to the bait though and turns the tables on him, telling him that she enjoyed her time with Ryan. You can tell that this is not the reaction that Carroll was expecting and he is visibly upset. There is some choking before the agents burst in. Claire leaves the meeting knowing less about where Joey was then she did when she went in.
This episode also shines a little more light on the members of Carroll's following. It turns out that Joey's nanny is really Emma Hill. Emma is shown in flashbacks meeting Carroll at a book signing. It turns out that she is also the only one who enjoyed his book. We are also introduced to Emma's mom, who appears to be your stereotypical, bad mother, aggressively flirting with Carroll and putting her daughter down. You can tell right away that Carroll recognizes something in Emma. After he is put away, Carroll introduces Emma to Jacob Wells, one of the "gay" guys who was living next door to Sarah Fuller. They become a couple and Emma invites him to dinner where she stabs her mother while Mommie Dearest badmouths her daughter to her new beau.
Emma seems to be in charge of Carroll's other followers. She doesn't take shit and is miles away from the mousy girl that we meet in flashbacks. She is calling the shots. Miguel Torres, Jacob's partner in faux gay shenanigans, is not convinced that Emma has what it takes. He questions what Jacob sees in her, but Jacob is confident. Emma hears their conversation and is not pleased. It is interesting to be able to watch the follower's dynamic. I get the feeling that maybe Miguel wasn't pretending to be gay, but maybe I'm wrong. I think Emma has the same feeling since she leaves the door open while she and Jacob have sex. These are definitely the people who should be caring for a child.
Meanwhile, Ryan and the other FBI agents are able to identify and track down Emma's former house. Ryan and Weston head there and find it locked up tight. Ryan uses the fact that he is no longer a law enforcement officer to break into the house. He finds walls covered in Poe's writings and articles about Carroll's trial and conviction and about Ryan himself. There is also a shelf covered with Poe masks and of course, one of the Poe masks is actually being worn by a person, who attacks Ryan and escapes. Once Clark sees the house, she finally admits to them dealing with a cult. They also find the body of Emma's mother.
Meanwhile, dog killing follower, Jordy, who we last saw entering a sorority house, ends up slaughtering every one who was there and positioning their bodies as homages to Carroll's work. Jordy ends up sneaking into Claire's house. Seriously?! That place was crawling with cops. If this continues to happen it is going to go way past the suspension of disbelief element that you always have to have when watching TV, and go into incredulity. When Ryan confronts Jordy, he finds out that this has all been planned by Carroll for his new book. Ryan puts a pin, or bullet, in that plan when he shoots and wounds Jordy rather than kill him.
Ryan meets up with Carroll and they have another intense confrontation, this time with 100% less finger breaking. Carroll is gloating. He still thinks he is in charge and is manipulating everyone involved. It was great seeing the look of relish that Ryan gives when he tells Carroll that Jordy is alive. You can see Carroll deflating a little. He knows that Jordy is the weak link in his followers and could easily be turned and give away information that Carroll doesn't want the FBI to know. It will be interesting to see how Carroll is able to turn this situation to his advantage.
Finally, in the episodes closing minutes, Poe Mask douses a stranger in gasoline and sets them on fire.
Man. This show is great and I'm hoping that it keeps it up. The only thing I'm not feeling are the romantic flashbacks between Claire and Ryan. If they are planning on making them a couple then they need to work on the relationship in the present rather than showing it in the past. Also, it's a little jarring to have two sets of unconnected flashbacks in the same episode. Also, did anyone else think that it was a little strange that Clark gave Carroll a copy of Poe's stories? Is she trying to earn his trust or is she part of the following? So, what did everyone else think? If you have any theories, feel free to let me know what they are in the comments.
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