TV SERIES: The Following.

The Following is a thriller TV series which centers around Ryan Hardy, portrayed by famous Footloose actor Kevin Bacon, as he attempts to re-capture serial killer Joe Carroll. For a brief summary - Ryan Hardy is an ex-FBI agent who dealt with Carroll when he originally started killing young women who were his students at the university where he worked as a Professor in English Literature. Hardy arrested Carroll for his crimes, putting Carroll in prison as Hardy  grew closer to Carroll's ex-wife, Claire Matthews. While at Prison, Carroll sets up a network of serial killers who will help him put his plan to, emotionally and mentally, torment Hardy and also aid his later escape from prison. Hardy is called back by the FBI as a consultant of sorts, as they attempt to put Carroll back in jail and try to put an end to Carroll's followers' killings.

 Without spoiling too much of the fantastic plot and subplots, I will move onto why I really feel this is one of the best thriller dramas any channel has released in a long time. 

 The character of Hardy is three-dimensional (which it is very different in comparison to typical cop shows) and every episode you  learn something new about his past as well as his inner turmoil. The only flaw in this character is that he is an alcoholic - which to be fair, you can allow given that he seems to be surrounded by death, but it is still rather cliche I feel. Hardy is determined to capture Joe, yet can be at times childish in his responses to Carroll's threats and phone calls which he receives throughout the show. Not getting his way, he will effectively take a tantrum like a small child in the middle of the Super Market - just kidding , he's much more inward with his emotions. But don't let that put you off! Hardy has interesting relationships with fellow FBI agents on the case such as Mike Weston who is a young FBI agent that looks up to Hardy, and Debra Parker who is an FBI specialist on cult behavior, and head of the Bureau's Alternative Religion Unit. Also Hardy's conversations with Joe reflect some unnerving similarities in both characters.

 Carroll and his followers are also a particularly interesting bunch. Carroll's demented vision is to effectively write the events in Hardy's life like that of a novel, putting certain obstacles in his way and causing Hardy much emotional heart-break. Carroll is an interesting serial killer with a passion for Edgar Allen Poe's work and seeming is in love with  ex-wife despite being a sociopath. You can even sympathize with his followers - which you will find disturbing on some level. Yet that's one of the best bits of this show is its worrying ability to make you empathize with the enemy and as you feel yourself doing it, you are horrified that you can empathize with killers. I guess that's what it's trying to do. Horrify you with the fact that these characters are human no matter how alien their actions are. 
 One of my favorite characters is surprisingly a cult follower - Jacob Wells. Jacob isn't a killer when you first encounter to him. He wants to be, yet can't work up the nerve. Jacob  also has confused feelings toward his colleagues (Emma and Paul), and is in love with them both however only comfortable with his feelings towards Emma therefore having a obvious public relationship with her. Jacob is the most intriguing as he hasn't killed anyone so I kept thinking why are you there, why don't you go home? He is kind and gentle; not really the killer type. He is basically like a groupie who doesn't seem to actually like the idea of killing people, despite desperate attempts to force himself to. 

Only problem...

is the typical antics of the FBI to not do it by the book. Dark house where they have never been before, with the possibility of a serial killer - they separate instead of waiting for back-up. No gun - why don't you run towards the killer who has a knife? The FBI are always getting captured or beaten up or killed during completely preventable situations. However the plot (for myself) more than makes up for this normal TV show nonsense.

 I love the dynamics between the characters as well as the controversial themes.

 Unlike other shows which focus on serial killers or just killers, The Following has a complex plot and can make you absolutely miserable when Hardy gets so close to catching Joe nearly every episode but fails, however you will love it! I began to love being miserable as I learned more about each individual character and learned more about what made these killers the way they are. 

 The most controversial theme is the indoctrination of Carroll's son, Joey, into the cult being he is only 10 years old. After Joey is kidnapped by his babysitter(Emma) and her two colleagues(Jacob and Paul), the threesome film Joey and one of the boys (Jacob) putting a mouse in a jar and tightening the lid until the mouse can't breathe then send it to his mother's e-mail address. This scene sent shivers down my spine, and made me feel a little nauseous; still it gave me a horrible foreboding about Joey's future.

 With Poe's murder stories being a prominent theme throughout the show, if none of the gory murders give you the chills the intermittent crazed drawings of murder victims and Poe's creations scrawled across walls in clubhouses and training camps will. Flashbacks of both the serial killers and the FBI agents past, I was beginning to look at both sides with a sense of uncertainty, the morality of the show starts to become a grey area outwith the killings. Are the killers truly bad people or just people who have made bad choices? Are they evil and cruel as individuals or is it the cult? Do they want to belong somewhere, anywhere?

 Forget the killings and the killers, what is really scary about this whole idea is the invisibility of cult members and that the FBI can't seem to stop them.

Overall, The Following is a great watch for any horror fan. I would recommend you just give it a brief watch at the very least! Or watch the whole series? (hopefully) 

The show is broadcast on FOX at 9/8c on Mondays in the USA and Tuesdays at 10PM on Sky Atantic in the UK. (Probably best to watch it from the beginning though)