Recap: 'The Following' - 'Welcome Home'
Ryan bumps heads with a new authority figure and Carroll enjoys freedom
Monday's "The Following"
Credit: FOX
For the past several episodes, "The Following" has skirted the obvious fact that there's something sexual about Joe Carroll's murdering pattern. Whether or not he's sexually assaulting anyone (and we have not seen him do that), he specifically targets women -- young women. Almost all of the bodies so far have been women, and the men have been largely incidental manslaughters, killings on the way in or out of killing someone else.
"Welcome Home" gets aggressively overt with that theme -- to the point that the climactic murder of the episode reads like an enormously intimate act between lovers. I'm beginning to think that "The Following"'s at times obscure characterization makes more sense if you substitute sex for each knife-related murder. Certainly one of the flashbacks from this episode, in which Joe teaches his first follower Roderick how to torture and then kill a woman, has an overt vibe of sexual violence. Joe caresses her as he explains to Roderick that he likes to get in tune with his victim's breathing. The horror of the scene is magnified by the fact that Joe isn't angry; if anything, he's strangely loving.
I'm not convinced that any of this is being presented to the audience in a particularly skillful way, but I'm beginning to understand that Joe is probably a megalomaniac, drunk on his own power, and probably aroused by it, too. I can accept Joe as a sexy cult leader -- were it not for the fact that there's also Joe the estranged father, desperately trying to cobble his family together. At times it seems that "The Following" is demanding I sympathize with Joe, and I am having a lot of trouble doing that, at least in part because he's a mass-murdering sociopath, but also because he's not the best-written character.
But "Welcome Home" gives James Purefoy a chance to stretch his legs. He was being underused when he was in prison, so it's nice to see him swagger about the house, lording it over his weird cult followers. Joey is still afraid of him, which leads Joe to conclude that he needs Claire to come and be the boy's mother. Claire is locked away somewhere secret, so the cult decides to start picking off the FBI agents, one by one. And the cult is joined by the mysterious Roderick, who appears to be a murderer masquerading as a mild-mannered sheriff in rural Virginia. Roderick, it turns out, killed a few of the women that the FBI ended up pinning on Joe; as a result he's in Joe's debt, which is of course an uncomfortable place to be.
The FBI's total inability to do anything right with regards to Joe means that a new boss gets sent in to school them: This boss is Nick Donovan, played by Mike Colter (who you might recognize from "The Good Wife"). As handsome as Colter is, it's hard to see how Donovan adds value to the cast, which already feels bloated. Much like almost everyone else on the show, Donovan doesn't like Ryan very much. When he finds out that Ryan asked Mike to hack into his email (!) he sends Mike home, presumably to fire him.
This conveniently (very conveniently) puts Mike in the crosshairs of the cult. They abduct him and take him to an abandoned concrete warehouse and... well... knife-fight.
On one hand, Roderick, Charlie and Louise (who are the main cult players interrogating Mike) are weak characters, and the conflict extends for so long it's hard to maintain suspense. On the other hand, Mike Weston under pressure is a lot of fun to watch. Sure, he's the classic good-guy, but he has that same charm, the same grace under pressure, that we see Ryan exhibit time and time again. Towards the end of his abduction, he's standing on concrete, blood dripping from his mouth, wielding a knife after being beaten with fists and metal pipes, and he's still fighting. As a longtime Shawn Ashmore fan (don't ask), it's all I could have really asked for.
Charlie stabs Mike really brutally in the stomach, but Ryan shows up and shoots everyone, so Mike ends up clinging to life while the cult goes home, having failed in their mission to find out where Claire is. Charlie is so upset he asks Joe to kill him -- oh yeah. Kill him. Straight up ritually murder him for failing to give his life meaning. This scene, too, I'm torn about. I found it very badly written -- Charlie's entreaty for Joe to kill him because otherwise his life has no meaning seems way too on-the-nose, psychologically, for a cult follower to produce, and is furthermore beating its audience over the head with this continued explanation. On the other hand -- in terms of the creepy and weird and insane -- this perfectly fits the bill. Joe not only embraces but kisses Charlie on the cheek as he prepares to gut him; Louise and Roderick lay out plastic sheeting, as if they have done this many times before; even Emma looks horrified. And at the end Joe faintly smiles, overcome with emotion (for everyone looks a bit aroused) but also smiling, intoxicated with his own power.
I have had some trouble with where the show is going, but admittedly, in revealing our own insanity, it does at times a stark and horrifying job. Add the last scene with Roderick and Louise to the prevailing overtones of the blurred lines between sexual assault, desire and murder, and you've got a lot of messed-up stuff to get you through to next week.
Odds and Ends:
Ryan: "Nobody likes me." Mike: "Well, you're inconsistent and extreme. It's hard to get used to." Ryan: "... I was joking."
Great surprising moment of levity when the FBI is interrogating their captive from last week, who seems only capable of babbling in prophetic tones. Parker and Mike roll their eyes; Ryan says sarcastically, "Wow, that was creepy." Mike even goes so far as to say that the suspect is paraphrasing Ted Bundy poorly.
Oh yeah, Emma and Joe are sleeping together. Who didn't see that coming?
What did you think? Does the show freak you out?
News From Our Partners
-
Total Recall: Bradley Cooper's Best Movies
Parental Guidance: Epic and Beautiful Creatures
Comic Book Movies You Can Watch Online
-
Interview: Arrested Development’s Jeffrey Tambor on the show’s return and inevitable movie
Gateways To Geekery: An initiation into the psychedelic sci-fi rock of Hawkwind
Hear This: You don’t have to know the words to have fun with this Stone Temple Pilots single
-
What to Watch Tonight: The Season Premiere of Rookie Blue and the Series Premieres of Save Me, Showville, and Does Someone Have to Go?
What to Watch Tonight: The Season Finales of SVU, The Middle, Modern Family, Chicago Fire, Nashville, and Criminal Minds
The Critics Choice Awards Nominations Choose Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad
-
'The World's End' Trailer: Pints, Pals, and Killer Robots!
Francis Ford Coppola Directing New Italian-American Saga
'Don Jon' Trailer: Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Scarlett Johansson Go Jersey
-
'Man Of Steel': Is Zod Superman's Khan?
New 'Man of Steel' Trailer: Watch Now!
'The Hangover': Retracing The Success Of A Few Crazy Nights
-
Netflix's 'Hemlock Grove': Is Season 2 in the Cards?
'Arrow' Season 2: What Major Scene Was Cut From the Finale?
J.J. Abrams Adresses 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Underwear Scene by Showing Benedict Cumberbatch Showering
-
Jennifer Aniston Strips In New Movie
AMC Boss Reveals Plans For 'The Walking Dead's' Future
Amy's Baking Co. Owner Facing Deportation?
-
The Telefile - Modern Family: Goodnight, Gracie. Hello, Series Highlight.
The Telefile - Critics' Choice Television Awards 2013: Nominees Announced
The Telefile - TV on DVD: Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Latest Posts
-
The "Argo" actor/director joins the Five-Timers Club in the season finale.Saturday, May 18, 2013
-
The former "SNL" great returns to host for the first time.Saturday, May 11, 2013
-
Is the third time hosting the show the charm for the star of "The Hangover Part III"?Saturday, May 4, 2013
-
After this finale, will you be saying "Nevermore"?Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013
Recent Activity on Facebook
Most Popular on Facebook
Top Stories From Around the Web
Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupMike
March 12, 2013 at 8:55AM EST Reply to CommentI enjoyed this episode. I thought Charlie's killing was extremely creepy. I don't look for this show to make a lot of sense realistically, but to just be entertaining. The interrogation with David was the second time Kevin Bacon seemed to be having fun. I really enjoy the sarcastic version of Hardy seen here and when he was captive at the farm house.
23skidoo
March 12, 2013 at 10:45AM EST Reply to CommentI'm still watching, but I'm having a harder and harder time dealing with the implausibility of it all. From the cult members being anywhere, anytime, to, for example, the new by-the-book FBI boss letting two people go into a warehouse, outmanned and outgunned. I also didn't get the grand sacrifice Charlie made by allowing himself to be stabbed in the gut and then buried out back by the rhododendrons. Seemed kinda pointless — all homoeroticism and serial killers being anal about getting blood on the new rug aside.
notWalt
March 12, 2013 at 10:51AM EST Reply to CommentI am now thinking that the Following getting renewed for another season was the worst thing that could have happened. They MAYBE have enough material to bring this to reasonable close this season, but now will have to stretch and delay and defy logic even more to set up another season.
Kevin Bacon remains the best part of the show by far. Mike got to show a little more (and I guess we can finally eliminate him as a potential mole!). The addition of Nick is not helpful; Parker is a good charachter, but without power she just becomes a shrill spectator.
Becky I am ready to quit the Following. Too many psycho law enforcement / quasi military characters. As I have family members serving in both categories, it is extremely troublesome to see them portrayed as either psychpaths or inept in their jobs. Not believable at all. Love Kevin Bacon. Parker is always too late to help probably because she's one of the Followers too. No way Charlie with his knowledge of Clair would have been sacrificed. Joe LOVES to kill chicks, not dudes. Now Mike has seen Roderick, so his cover is blown. It has "jumped the shark" already.
March 12, 2013 at 2:01PM ESTDaisy
March 12, 2013 at 2:29PM EST Reply to Comment"Welcome Home" is the last episode of this show for me. I am extremely disturbed by the depiction of murder as a sexual release. I'm not denying that this is the case with some murderers, but I don't have to watch it acted out in a television show. The scenes near the end were cruel and at the same time ridiculous. Showing a main character (even if he's a serial killer) with blood on his stomach being seduced by a young girl was just sickening. The worst scene was when "Roderick" choked his girlfriend to get turned on enough to have sex with her. Way to show abuse at the highest level, FOX!
The screw ups by the FBI and other law enforcement (again, some of these things may happen) are just too frequent. I'm done.
Roy Munson That's really silly.
March 12, 2013 at 11:27PM ESTMultiple murders were shown all season and you were OK with it but when it's depicted in a sexual manner -- "WOAH! Now, you've gone too far!"
mark m.
March 12, 2013 at 8:22PM EST Reply to CommentI've invested a lot of time in this show, so I'm gonna stick with it until the end of the season. But they'd better come up with an ending that's at least a LITTLE satisfying, or I'm done with this thing. It's getting way too sadistic, and there's never any payoff for "the good guys". Now people will say that Dexter is sadistic, but that show is balanced with extremely likable characters and a good dose of humor. This show has neither of those. Even some of the so-called "good guys" are a-holes. Like the new guy in charge. Another a-hole. And pixie-haircut girl needs to die a horrible death.
mark m.
March 12, 2013 at 8:23PM EST Reply to CommentI've invested a lot of time in this show, so I'm gonna stick with it until the end of the season. But they'd better come up with an ending that's at least a LITTLE satisfying, or I'm done with this thing. It's getting way too sadistic, and there's never any payoff for "the good guys". Now people will say that Dexter is sadistic, but that show is balanced with extremely likable characters and a good dose of humor. This show has neither of those. Even some of the so-called "good guys" are a-holes. Like the new black guy in charge. Another a-hole. One last thing - pixie-haircut-girl needs to die a horrible death.
Roy Munson
March 12, 2013 at 11:25PM EST Reply to CommentParker shot at the van as they were getting away, so she's definitely not a follower, right?
For that matter, none of the FBI could be followers since they were all pictured on that Hit List at Joe's house, I suppose
toml
March 12, 2013 at 11:42PM EST Reply to CommentThe show's getting ridiculous in its reliance on the Kevin Bacon character continually running up against the villains with JUST ONE colleague. The entire FBI seems to be on this case and yet whenever they rush off to follow a lead, there's just two of them - how unlikely is that given how few leads this lot ever get
Jack
March 13, 2013 at 6:15AM EST Reply to CommentOne of the most dumb-ass storylines in the History of TV .. This show has become nearly unwatchable in its stupidity
Daisy
March 13, 2013 at 8:11AM EST Reply to CommentRoy...I see your point and know there were multiple murders shown all season. It is a show about a serial killer after all. However, when the writers and producers of a series degrade one of the most beautiful and intimate actions two humans can do with each other and incorporate it into one of the most horrific actions people do to each other, THAT'S where I draw the line. Earlier episodes had scenes that hinted at this connection...the trio in the shower, Joe's look of ecstasy as he strangled his lawyer, etc. I was hoping they would stop "going there," but I guess they plan to keep pushing the envelope in their attempt to be a half-assed cable show. Everyone has a choice here...mine is to stop watching this show.