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Mad Love: The Following Episode 4 Review – The Mad Get Madder

Posted on February 16, 2013 Written by ripitup

The Following Epsiode 4 images — The Following screenshots from episode 4, Mad Love. Image via andyl.org.

I know I’ve posted only about The Following for the last couple of weeks, but it is the first time I’ve kept my promise (to myself) for writing regularly of a TV show that I really like. But worry not, a non-Following related post is on its way.

Until then, let’s take a look at another exciting episode:

(*Yes, there’ll be spoilers!)

MAD LOVE: EVENTS

To catch up with the episodes or refresh your memory, you can start with ……………

The kidnappers/Joe’s followers Emma (Valorie Curry), Paul (Adan Canto) and Jacob (Nico Tortorella) still have Joe’s son Joey, to the increasing panic of his mother Claire (Natalie Zea). After all they sent her an email showing him how to kill animals.

Ryan (Kevin Bacon) gets distracted, however, when Maggie, the lunatic wife of the Poe-masked killer Ryan killed, kidnaps his sister Jenny (Susan Misner) and tells him that she’ll let him go if he shows up unarmed and alone. Ryan’s biggest fan, and possibly only friend, Weston (Shawn Ashmore) convinces him to go along with, proving to be the sane and sensible person of the episode.

In the meantime, Jacob is left with the task of killing the girl Paul brought in, and Paul finally lets in Emma on Jacob’s secret: It’s not that they were actually having an affair when they were “pretending to be gay” – something Emma is already aware of. But that Jacob hasn’t killed anyone. This makes Emma more determined that it should be Jacob who kills the girl. But he isn’t ready so he lets her go. Unfortunately, she can’t run far without being wounded and recaptured by Paul and Emma-who seem to have formed a creepy new alliance over their killing experience and love for Paul.

Over in Brooklyn, as Weston tries to find a way in, Maggie has Ryan tied up, lying on makeshift table across her tied-up sister Jenny. Her plan is to make Jenny watch while her brother dies. There’s nothing that Ryan can do as she places magnetic fields on his chest, making his heart batteries stop.

Thankfully Weston comes in on time, saving Ryan and Jenny. Unfortunately, he ends up killing Maggie too, but now at least he has her phone and emails.

We get a few more flashbacks to Ryan and Claire relationship where Ryan decides to leave her for her own good. From what we can see, they are still in love with each other. But Ryan, being the good guy that he is, he doesn’t spend time with her other than to ask her how she’s doing and update her about the case.

MAD LOVE: Thoughts

Ryan is being a boy scout for no good reason

It might be just me, but I can’t wait for Ryan to follow his heart and reignite his affair with Claire.

What’s the point of staying away from Claire when Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) is back in their lives with a vengeance and doesn’t seem likely to be leaving any time soon? Besides, Ryan is a bit too optimistic in thinking that a woman can leave her past behind just because the FBI agent related to the case broke up with her. Hello? A serial killer ex active again from prison, with followers all over the country, with her son kidnapped by 3 of them…Where fake backgrounds are professional enough to fool the FBI.

Will Ryan smarten up?

Glad he’s armed again and all that, but what’s with trusting a lunatic to save his sister? Yes, it is the mistake every cop has ever done in pretty much any situation where the villain tells them “show up alone unarmed or he/she dies.” Right, because villains have always kept their word about not killing an innocent person. Please…

And this is not any villain, it is the psycho, revenge-seeking, Joe-following wife of the guy Ryan killed an episode ago.

OK, so even if we excuse Ryan’s panicked behavior, what the hell was he thinking not having his sister placed in protective custody? He has only one person to protect, so it’s not like FBI would deny him such a request. And since neither Carroll would play without Ryan, or they could crack the case without Ryan, all Ryan would have to do is to threaten to walk away.

But then again, I guess we should be lucky Ryan only really screwed up this time. Up until now, FBI was driving us crazy with their mistakes.

The mad get madder- The Threesome

Well, considering Emma was OK with Paul and Jacob having played house for 3 years and she was already dating Jacob, it wouldn’t have been that hard for her to do some stuff with Paul. He is the hot one, after all.

And hey, since Paul and Jacob seem to be more bi than gay, being in a three-way relationship could be a better option than Paul or Emma killing the other one in her/his sleep.

Let’s add one more thing to the things poor Joey will need to solve in therapy.

There’s a smart boy: Joey finds the phone

Claire’s son is smarter than he’s letting the kidnappers believe. He makes a mental note of where the cell phone is, which he’ll be using in the next episode where we are probably getting a confrontation between the FBI and the kidnappers.

Mad Love wasn’t that gory or disturbing. But it added some decent developments to the story. We got rid of another Joe follower, found out an interesting secret about Jacob, we had a scene where Emma and Paul made out other than fight or insult each other…We also got a creepy little information about Joe: he doesn’t mind if his following hasn’t killed anyone yet…They can join, and do the deed when they are ready…

What is your favorite episode so far?

The Following 1×03 The Poet’s Fire Review: What’s with the FBI?

Posted on February 6, 2013 Written by ripitup

The Following episode three- the poet's fire — James Purefoy and Kevin Bacon. Image via screenrant.com.

The Following’s third episode aired, and it’s still as addictive as ever. But the problem is, the writers keep presenting us some really ridiculous scenarios along with all the cool and exciting. Let’s go over the storyline, and then point out the good and the bad.

The Poet’s Fire- The Following 1×03- Some main stuff

– Claire’s (Natalie Zea) son is still with the two neighbors and his nanny, seemingly happy and playing around.

– FBI has smartened up a little, and has given Hardy (Kevin Bacon) a gun- who now canvasses the crime scene with other agents, complete with his bullet-proof vest, decreasing the possibility of being hit at the back of the head by one of Joe’s (James Purefoy) followers (aka episode 2).

– A follower’s MO is fire, as depicted in the end of this episode and we are shown more about his relationship with the others.

If you don’t want spoilers, stop here, please bookmark this page and come back after you’ve watched the show!

If you have seen the episode, let’s roll:

The Poet’s Fire- The Cool:

– The setting-on-fire scene. It’s creepy, the victim is chosen for a reason that is revealed by Carroll a bit later and we’re given a good reason on why a guy dressed as Poe and reciting his lines isn’t perceived as strange.

– We get another potential victim, the fire guy’s wife. Sure, we can suspect her, but there’s also the possibility of she’s a victim just like Carroll’s wife. She’s appropriately traumatized.

– The first meeting of Joe and Ryan-and how reassuring and normal Joe seems.

– The expected unraveling of one of the neighbors, and confirming our guess about how the gay pretense wasn’t exactly pretense

– The very ending – the e-mail to Claire.

The Poet’s Fire-The (really) bad:

-After knowing how well Emma and neighbors forged their backgrounds, Ryan and the cult expert (though more she, than Ryan) buying into the Poe-masked killer’s wife’s background, leaving her alone in the office with the computer), and then sending her to her home-with one agent as protection!!!! And the demise of the agent…

Now you’d think that with all the screw-ups since episode 1 (not giving Ryan a gun, not taking him seriously and not listening to him-leading to Sarah’s death…), the leading agent would be smart enough not to buy into the wife’s story, and not send her with one agent. Even if she was telling the truth, one man wouldn’t be enough. They don’t know the number of killers the husband might be working for, and what if that one agent went to the bathroom for crying out loud?? Who’d protect the woman then?

While the bad is really bad, thankfully the cool outweighs it. Maybe later we’ll be given a moer reasonable explanation to the lead agent’s behavior, such as her being a follower of Joe!!

Still, my addiction level remains the same, and I’m loving how the show keeps it all about Joe and Ryan episode after episode without straying from what makes the show, with only adding to it.

Let’s hope the good guys make smarter calls in the fourth episode…

Favorite Line: “I slipped.”

While talking to Jordy, the nutjob guard-turned-psycho, Ryan repeatedly asks him where Claire’s son is. When he doesn’t answer, Ryan elbows him really hard, and when Parker (the leading agent) says “Ryan”, Ryan casually says: “I slipped.”

Looking forward to episode 4!

Suggested Reading

The Following starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy: Epic Start

The Following 1×02 Chapter Two Review: Still cool, and yes, Hardy Needs to Toughen Up. But how?

Posted on January 30, 2013 Written by ripitup

With the haters hating and lovers loving, The Following has scored over 10,000,000 viewers and if Fox keeps its word of one episode every week, we will be in for a treat. And with luck, second season or not, we will get a cool ending, since Bacon has only signed for one season.

Kevin Bacon-The Following — Kevin Bacon finds creepy Poe masks in Emma’s old place. Yes, he is weirded out like us. Image via zap2it.com.

Episode 2 wasn’t as thrilling as 1, but it was gritty, dynamic and it set a nice little background for what’s more to come. My only problem was that there was too much background for Emma, the babysitter. What I didn’t like about it was that she was so gullible and readily so disturbed that Carroll didn’t even have to remove a finger to impress her.

This has a pro and a con: It shows how it is possible that Carroll (James Purefoy) has such a devoted cult. Many were already ready and willing. The con? We are supposed to believe Carroll is one charismatic and influential psychopath path, but if groupies are groupies without any effort from him, it makes the followers psychotic but it doesn’t add to the hype of the character they are building.

As for Hardy (Kevin Bacon) needing to toughen up, I have to agree with Carroll there. Now, Hardy was never a sissy- and the fact that Grace died isn’t his fault. The bureau is still full of idiots that don’t listen to him. They are getting a little wiser, but Hardy does still need to up his game. For one, Carroll has an army of young and fit psychopaths. But he expects this to happen with Hardy’s heart, something he gave Hardy in the first place, is beyond me. Maybe we should call Tony Stark about that…

I do like the conflicts between the trio, Emma and the two non-gay neighbors. One of the guys is dating her while the other resents her. And I do have a feeling the resenting one does have bi tendencies, to say the least. I’d enjoy it if he took down Emma.

I also like the cult-expert agent, played by Person of Interest’s Stanton, Reese’s former CIA partner, Annie Parisse. She is cool, and whether she turns out to be a mole or not, she is a good addition.

As for Claire (Natalie Zea), Carroll’s ex, I loved the dialogue where Carroll asks whether she quivered with Hardy’s every touch and she says “yeah, it did.” Need I mention Hardy was watching along with other FBI agents and Carroll knowing this?

The only 2 things that will make me hate The Following:

Claire or Hardy turning out to be on Carroll’s side. It’d be the equivalent of Patrick Jane turning out to be Red John, and it is a big no-no. Other than that, Williamson can bring it on!

The Following starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy: Epic Start

Posted on January 25, 2013 Written by ripitup

the following-kevin bacon-james purefoy — The Following starring Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea & Shawn Ashmore.

Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) is a “retired” FBI agent who quit the agency after catching the serial killer John Carroll (James Purefoy) whose victims were his female university literature students and were killed brutally, with references to classic horror writer Edgar Allen Poe.

Not everyone wants him back, and he doesn’t want to be back. But when John escapes from prison to kill his only surviving victim, Sarah (Maggie Grace), he doesn’t have a choice. Sarah is heavily protected, and so is Claire (Natalie Zea)-John’s ex-wife.

Even though Ryan Hardy has literally written the book on Carol, things will be even more difficult this time: Carroll has formed a huge following-ready to kill or be killed for him. And Ryan has a battery operating heart, no longer in great physical condition, and the FBI agents working for him won’t always listen, with the exception of fan Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore). Oh, and there is another minor complication-Hardy had an affair with the killer’s ex-wife…

Let there be blood…Kevin Williamson Style

There is anyone who knows to utilize clichés better than anyone else, it is the writer/creator Kevin Williamson. It’s not to say he doesn’t thrown a bit originality here and there, but his signature is to get well-known clichés, make some homage, make fun of them a little, add something from himself and get hits, no matter the genre.

But while the first Scream movie was good to watch, the series became a bore, leading to way too many slashers, several of them written by Williamson himself.

But just when you thought he is all about slashing teens, he came up with Dawson’s Creek, where all the teen problems and angst came together pretty seamlessly, until he decided to go all Melrose Place on us and have all the characters hook up with each other.

But he is great with beginnings, and The Following pilot, to me, is the best thing he has ever done. Admittedly, I was positively biased towards the show. Hello, it is regular Kevin Bacon on TV! And it does have a compelling plot, and I do love a good cat and mouse.

As for the clichés some viewers have been complaining about, well stuff was probably original when Poe wrote them, but today, you need to give the writers a break. I am not saying it is OK to write sloppy and stupid, but The Following makes the best of its material.

And Williamson has picked the best cliché to begin with. And the first fictional serial killer Purefroy’s character reminded me of is Red John of The Mentalist. It made me feel like they were showing how Red John is operating.

I like that the agent didn’t lose a family member of his to the killer (The Mentalist, Se7en, The Watcher…), I like that with his first encounter with the psycho, he got injured right away before going all Taken on Purefroy’s ass. I like that he really cared about Sarah, but got involved killer’s wife. I liked that the killer had an unsuspecting wife and a son.

The pilot was really something, but then again, it is all relative, and it does depend on what you expect. I got what I was waiting for:

A chilling and cool thriller with interesting character interactions, on-the-edge protagonist, and that the fact that the villain is writing his “next novel” with the ex-agent.

So yeah, it’s well worth watching, even if just to check out Kevin Bacon alone.

There are few actors who ace the psycho, the good, the grey, and Bacon is one of them.

P.S. Another cliche that works? Marilyn Manson’s version of Sweet Dreams in a horror/thriller setting.