The Following mixes a serial killer story with a cult story. It stars James Purefoy as Joe Carroll, who was an unassuming college professor and serial killer, and Kevin Bacon as Ryan Hardy, the FBI agent who figured it out and arrested Carroll. Carroll manages to escape prison with the help of a bunch of cult followers he has groomed while in prison. The season basically involves Hardy's attempts to recapture Carroll, and Carroll's attempt to ruin Hardy's life, while forcing his ex-wife Claire, played by Justified's Natalie Zea and his son Joey to join him and the cult.
The show is basically a serial with a story arc that spans the entire season. There are a lot of twists and turns mostly involving who is or is not a cult member helping Carroll, and Hardy trying to figure out Carroll's next move. The show has a strong supporting cast including many recognizable actors such as Shawn Ashmore, Maggie Grace, Mike Colter, Valorie Curry, and Adan Canto.
The Blu-Ray set has a lot of extras including a maximum movie mode for the pilot episode (which plays picture-in-picture commentary throughout the episode), a regular commentary track on the season finale, almost an hour's worth of deleted scenes, and several making-of featurettes that range in length from a minute to just under 30-minutes. So, if you like watching the extras, there is a lot there.
Overall, the show is very good. It is well written and acted. As I said, it does have a lot of twists and misdirection. Some of those work better than others, and the show does, sometimes, fall into the trap of trying to be a bit too clever. But, generally, the show does a good job of keeping the audience guessing about what will come next. It ends on a couple of major cliffhangers and leaves a lot up in the air going into the second season. It is a mix of thriller, horror, and drama. It is violent and can be gory at times, and there is some sexual content, but not a ton. So, you have to weigh all that against what you will enjoy, but if you are a fan of that genre, it is definitely worth watching.
The show is basically a serial with a story arc that spans the entire season. There are a lot of twists and turns mostly involving who is or is not a cult member helping Carroll, and Hardy trying to figure out Carroll's next move. The show has a strong supporting cast including many recognizable actors such as Shawn Ashmore, Maggie Grace, Mike Colter, Valorie Curry, and Adan Canto.
The Blu-Ray set has a lot of extras including a maximum movie mode for the pilot episode (which plays picture-in-picture commentary throughout the episode), a regular commentary track on the season finale, almost an hour's worth of deleted scenes, and several making-of featurettes that range in length from a minute to just under 30-minutes. So, if you like watching the extras, there is a lot there.
Overall, the show is very good. It is well written and acted. As I said, it does have a lot of twists and misdirection. Some of those work better than others, and the show does, sometimes, fall into the trap of trying to be a bit too clever. But, generally, the show does a good job of keeping the audience guessing about what will come next. It ends on a couple of major cliffhangers and leaves a lot up in the air going into the second season. It is a mix of thriller, horror, and drama. It is violent and can be gory at times, and there is some sexual content, but not a ton. So, you have to weigh all that against what you will enjoy, but if you are a fan of that genre, it is definitely worth watching.
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