Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Following: Season 3

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from season two, but no major season three spoilers+++

Season three of The Following begins one year after the events that ended season two and now sees Joe Carroll back in jail and Ryan once again trying to move on with his life. When Mark Gray resurfaces and forces Agent Clarke to confess about the FBI's misconduct in the killing of Lilly. Michael Ealy appears a few episodes in as a new threat, Theo Noble whom Ryan has to try and take down, and Annet Mahendru appears toward the end of the season as the leader of a shadowy group. This season also sees the Joe Carroll storyline finally wrapped up as the show begins to transition to a new story arc.

The reason the season feels unsatisfying is that the writers were clearly setting up the storyline for the fourth season when the show was abruptly canceled (after everything had been filmed) so it never got a proper ending. It does not really end on a massive cliffhanger, thankfully, but what would turn out to be the final story arc is never resolved.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the A/V quality is very good as it was with the Season 1 and 2 releases, and there are a handful of extras. Those include deleted scenes for most of the episodes, a few behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a Funny AND Die spoof of the show. There is also a gag reel and a portion of the 2014 Comic-Con panel.

Overall, the season is good even if a bit unsatisfying. There is not as much of the Carroll-Hardy back-and-forth from the prior seasons, but when James Purefoy does appear, he is great. There is not as much gore this season as there was in the prior seasons, but it is still a pretty violent and bloody show. So, it is not exactly family-friendly. But, if you are a fan of psychological thrillers and crime dramas, this is a good blend of each genre. You definitely want to watch the show all the way through and not jump right into season three, otherwise you will miss way too much backstory.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Following: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the first season, but no major season two giveaways+++

The second season of The Following picks up a year after the events of the season one finale in which Ryan (Kevin Bacon) and Claire (Natalie Zea) are attacked by Molly who turned out to be one of Joe's cult members. We learn that Ryan killed Molly but that Claire did not make it. On the first anniversary of Joe's death members of his cult stage and attack and the FBI brings back Ryan and Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore). We learn that despite Ryan's claim of having no interest in Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), he and his niece, Max (played by Jessica Stroup) who is a New York City detective, are convinced that Joe is still alive and trying to track him down. Of course, Joe does turn out to still be alive and the season is about the hunt to track him down.

The second season is much like the first in that there is a story of the week aspect, but it is mostly one long story arc that plays out over the course of the fifteen episodes. The show is obviously very violent given that a murder cult is one of the main plot points. The show does go all in with twists, sometimes doing a twist just to put one in. It does try to have some kind of shocking moment every episode, which I think is unnecessary because at some point it gets kind of silly. But, if you are good at the suspension of disbelief and do not overthink it, you can look past some of the more eye-rolling elements.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the A/V quality is good and there are a fair amount of extras. Those include a making-of documentary titled Inside The Following that is broken into fourteen brief 1-2 minute featurettes are spread across the set's three discs, each one focusing on a different episode's production. Then there is an 18-minute feature titled Following Marcos Siega in which executive producer/episode director Marcos Siega discusses the challenging production of the second season. Then there is a 21-minute portion of the 2013 Comic-Con Panel, deleted scenes, an alternate ending for the season finale, a character feature on Joe Carroll, a feature on the Ryan Hardy and Mike Weston relationship, a feature on how the Joe Carroll mask was created, and a 5-minute gag reel. So, a lot there for those who like watching the bonus material.

Overall the show continues to be good. The twists can get a bit silly, but on the whole, I think the show keeps the audience in suspense and the writers do a good job balancing the ensemble cast. Purefoy is great and pretty much takes over every scene he is in. So, if you are a fan of crime thrillers, this is definitely a good one.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Following Season 1

 

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.