If there’s one thing I should’ve learned from sitting through the first season of The Following, it’s never get too comfortable. And not in the sense that last night’s episode was shocking and I had to brace myself. Not by long shot, most of the “The Messenger” consisted of people rehashing events of last week’s high point episode, “Sacrifice”. It felt like no one learned anything from last season, but let’s take a look anyway, shall we?
Picking up from the truly twisted end of last week, Mike’s Father getting his throat slit by Lily Grey on camera, we find Team Rouge (Ryan, Max and Max) at the Westin funeral. In one of the handful of scenes in a season where characters aren’t talking exposition at each other, we get a simple series of shots of everyone looking sad. It’s all ruined by the introduction of Carrie Cook, a journalist/author of The Havenport Tragedy – the often referred to book, an outcome from the first season. She shows up, at a funeral, to troll Hardy for answers about whether or not Joe Carroll is really dead. Umm, timing much?
Speaking of Carroll, back at the Corbin cult, a special announcement is afoot. Carroll and Co (Joe, Emma and Mandy) are officially part of the Corbin Family, finally allowed to take off their Eyes Wide Shut masks, and are expected to embrace the Corbin religion. What exactly is the Corbin religion, you ask? Welp, it’s based in the belief there is no afterlife, only a pre-life, and you must cleanse your soul in order to “ascend home”. Where’s home? Oh, a planet beyond Neptune. And you get there by consuming souls aka killing others. Anyone feel like they’re watching a Key and Peele sketch? To Micah though, this is where Joe comes in. He wants to stand out from the other 5,000 cults in the U.S., the way good old Manson and Jim Jones did. Which is really a long winded and more fact based way of asking Carroll what he already asked last week, help me kill fools.
At the wake, more people who don’t understand the fact that they’re at a funeral and not work. Enter FBI Director Tom Franklin, he pulls Hardy aside to mention Lily Grey the only time she’ll be referred to in this episode and the whole point of this aside is, the FBI are in the process of running background checks to suss out the Carroll mole. With few options of people to trust, Franklin enlists Hardy and gives my Team Rouge joke credibility. This new found power leads Hardy immediately to the doorstep of Carroll’s teacher/murder mentor, Dr. Strauss, the so-called teaser/twist that was nonsensically spoiled in the preview.
Meanwhile, Joe’s unspoken plan to take over Corbin starts to become clear, but Carroll’s obvious hints and Micah’s ignorance hardly make what follows any sort of revelation. An off-site site bunk full of zombie-like, maybe killers is a little strange but I honestly don’t know what I was expecting. Micah’s lack of knowledge of what to do with them – they’re kept there at the urging of his wife, and his blind brown nosing, leaves this Manson obsessed loon totally open to do Carroll’s bidding. Starting with, but not limited to, killing all “doubters”. It’s super easy, trick ‘em into another Carroll-based celebration, feed doubters special wafers, and hope they’re wearing their white Nikes. When they start to drop/die like flies, send them home with shouts of praise, cause what’s going on is totally normal – God walking among you. This also happens to be the first time Emma has smiled all season, thank God for small miracles, I think.
When we catch up to anti-climatic town, Hardy and Cook find themselves in Dr. Strauss’ torture chamber. They’re joined by one of the many trainee/assistants Dr. Strauss has and they prep for ankle hobbling surgery on Carrie. Strauss goes on to tell a long-winded tale that confirms everything people with eyeballs had gathered, last week. I think you know pretty much how it goes down from here, Mike shows up in time to save them and help Hardy turn the literal tables on Strauss. Which leads to more confirmation of facts we’ve already gleaned. Once freed though, Hardy and Mike have heart-to-heart that’s making me consider re-naming them, Team Vengeance. And Cook gives one of the coldest thank you’s to Hardy for “earlier”, but not before she berates him for not giving her the scoop. An episode full of classy people, I seriously hope 90% of them die.
But before the ending credits roll, we get to see the aftermath of the Corbin Mass Homicide Party. Clearly, Micah’s wife Julie plays right into Joe’s hands, albeit due to her husband being an idiot. She had no idea of Micah’s plan, really highlighting why you shouldn’t getting married or run a cult with your husband/wife. Julie’s outburst at Micah lands her in solitary confinement, spelling out Carroll’s plan loud and clear. Divide and Conquer. Oh yeah, and kill.
Next week: Joe takes a note from Michael Jordan and announces his un-retirement from murder.
Join me next week for another recap of The Following.
About Author
