The Following: Why I’m Still a Follower & Summary for 1×07 Episode Let Me Go
I know I missed by summaries from 1.04-1.06, but not because I quit on the show in any way.
I kind of cheated on this blog with other writing, and I apologize.
But I’m back, and The Following has seen a lot of changes.
The Following 1.07 Let Me Go Summary with Spoilers!!
The ever manipulative Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) uses his three broken fingers (courtesy of Ryan, at the end of the pilot) to make the warden grant him a transfer. Ryan (Kevin Bacon) is rightfully pissed, and he gets Mike (Shawn Ashmore) to look into the Warden. Yes, breaking prison fingers is not exactly law enforcement code, but considering what Joe did (in addition to the murders of the girls that got him in the prison of the first time: he escaped from prison after killing several guards, having trained a guard to become a serial killer, have his cult members play his last surviving victim…….Yes, it goes on.), surely any guard in his right mind would have let that slide.
So as it turns out Ryan was right. Joe’s followers have kidnapped warden’s daughter, and were using it as leverage to ensure his escape during transfer. The daughter happens to be imprisoned at the same garage where Emma (Valorie Curry) and Joey are waiting for. Of course Joey, being the nice and clueless kid that he is, tries to free her, gets into trouble, gets Emma in trouble but all but the hostage are saved by the arrival of Charlie (Tom Lipinski)-the guy who had kidnapped Claire (Natalie Zea) but later interrupted by the arrival of the FBI.
But by the time Ryan and Mike got their research results and stopped the transfer truck, Joe had already travelled safely in his lawyer’s car. To get his kicks, he gets the lawyer to call Ryan (who was on his way with Mike to them through lawyer’s cell) and kills her while she is still on the phone.
Ryan does get to Joe, but not before he is met by some followers who fly him out in a helicopter despite his best efforts. But he has one of them in custody, and with Parker’s approval, he tortures the information out of him, getting to where the daughter is held. Of course Joey and Emma are long gone, and a very frustrated Claire is taken under protective custody, and even Ryan, by choice, doesn’t know the location.
And Joe gets united with all of his followers in a secluded big house, where he also gets to see Joey and to his joy, his son recognizes him.
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The Following 1.07: Let Me Go Breakdown: The cool, the improbable and the annoying
1.07 was a game changer, with Joe out of prison, reunited with followers and Joey, and Claire going into protective custody without Ryan to ensure her safety. It was fun and exciting, even its implausibility levels were a bit high.
Still it was cool to see:
1) Joe vs. Ryan outside the prison cell with Joe seeming on the verge of losing control and killing Ryan right then and there.
2) Ryan not buying the warden’s cooperation and waking up to the game before everyone else
3) Ryan disarming the follower and shooting him with the guy’s gun- and later torturing the info out of him.
4) Seeing the lawyer die. She was annoying as hell, and she was a victim of her stupidity all the way.
The weird, improbable and annoying:
1) I’m bored with Claire’s only interaction with Ryan her complaints about their failure to save Joey. Oh sure, FBI fails more than Joe’s followers commit crimes, but she does need to realize that her ex is such a talented psycho/actor that she didn’t have a clue something was wrong with him during their relationship- going on to have his baby and naming him Joey. She has to cut some slack when it comes to the number of his followers and how they are everywhere. Even during times when FBI would attempt at being successful, the followers screw things up. And Ryan? He has the only functioning brain in the department, but his alcohol soaked brain cells and weak heart, along with the moles and the mistakes of others do get in his way.
2) So Ryan won’t know where Claire is. Awesome. He is the only one he knows she can trust, and he’s leaving her to potential moles. Great move, Hardy.
3) After Joe kidnaps Claire, or Claire goes to him for the sake of Joey, we’ll see a more frustrated Hardy and Ryan. I’m more than willing to see too-lucky-to-be-true scenarios- but please let Hardy have them for a change, and not the followers.
What I want to see:
1) Ryan getting out of the kill-me-instead mood every time someone is endangered by Joe or his followers. What I want from him is to go all Brain Mills mode and stay there (you know-the famous: I’ll find you and I’ll kill you mode) or better yet, his character from Death Sentence. He might have a weak heart, but I’m sure he can pull it off as an FBI agent if his loving father-turned-into-ultimate avenger character can take down an entire group of villains.
2) Maybe Ryan getting his own set of rogue followers who defy law and rules to catch/kill Joe and followers. That’d up the stakes in their cat and mouse situation.
3) Have the followers turn on each other. Would be so fun if some of the followers turn out to be faking to get in and handle Joe themselves. Like maybe relatives/friends of victims? Or hired guns hired by the victim’s families?
Yeah, yeah. I’m big on revenge.
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I still love The Following. Sure, the actions of the FBI drive me crazy too but it is still so much fun. I just need the lead character to go from part-time badass to full-time badass.
Favorite lines:
(parking lot scene- the guy is holding Ryan at gunpoint)
Ryan: You can’t kill me. He wants me alive.
The Follower: Then I’ll shoot you in the leg.
Ryan: (just before he moves to disarm him) Don’t miss.
Then Ryan maneuvers the gun out of him and shoots him in the leg.
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(parking lot- the guy is on the stretcher- others have left Ryan alone with him)
As Ryan puts on medical gloves:
Ryan: So, the boy. Joey Matthews. Where is he?
The Follower: I’m not gonna tell you anything.
Ryan: You look like you’re in pain.
The Follower: I can handle it.
Ryan: Oh. That’s good to know.
Then he presses hard into his gunshot wound until the guy screams, and then some.
Also on The Following
The Following: When Both The Protagonist and Antagonist Are Writers
Mad Love: The Following Episode 4 Review – The Mad Get Madder
The Following 1×03 The Poet’s Fire Review: What’s with the FBI?
The Following 1×02 Chapter Two Review: Still cool, and yes, Hardy Needs to Toughen Up. But how?
The Following starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy: Epic Start
Also on Kevin Bacon
Crazy, Stupid, Love starring Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone
Actor Musicians and Musician Actors: Keanu Reeves, Jon Bon Jovi, Kevin Bacon
Writing Humor That Cracks You Up 1: Poking Fun at Oneself Unashamedly feat. Kevin Bacon
