‘The Following’ season 3 spoilers: Could Joe Carroll cause problems for Ryan Hardy, new love?

At first, we understand if you would think that the title for this article about “The Following” would be completely absurd. Outside of some fanfiction here and there, you’re not seeing Ryan Hardy and Joe Carroll together that way.

With that being said, there are other sort of connections out there that exit beyond just romantic ones, and what Ryan has to contend with on the show’s upcoming third season is the memory of Joe, and what happened there, haunting him to the extent that it could interfere with his new relationship and his new life. The problem? He is not even currently around! The man is behind bars, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.

Even with that being said, you still have to consider (and potentially be surprised by) Kevin Bacon’s new comments in an interview with TV Guide:

“There’s just this inexplicable connection that [Ryan] has to this guy that is a strange sort of bromance … It’s almost like [Joe’s] the other woman, or the other lover. … He’s been such an important piece of my life.”

We do want to see Joe back and a part of the story at some point during the show’s run, but honestly, it would be nice to have almost an entire season without him. Our personal hope is that we are going to get a chance to see the character come back maybe in the finale, with that setting the stage for a fourth season.

What do you want to see on “The Following” as we move ever deeper into the season? Share with a comment below.