‘The Following’ season 2, episode 2 review: A menagerie of the morose
“The Following” is one of those shows that we really want to like. We want to support a variety of different genres on TV, and there are few “horror” shows that actually follow through on that promise. Look at “American Horror Story: Coven,” who has failed to be genuinely scary at all this entire season. At least Kevin Williamson and company have some genuinely scary and screwed-up moments.
But, the more that we watch this show, the more and more that we start to feel like the show is starting to become almost the TV equivalent of the “Saw” franchise: All about the shock value and the gory nature of the killings, and not about the substance and the characters that are there beyond them. There were some horrifying moments in here, especially when it comes to that space between watching a character knowing that they are about to be killed, and then the gruesome killing itself. It’s unnerving, and that is even when you have so many other shows on TV that often make death their calling card. Even “Dexter” doesn’t weird us out on the same level.
To us, maybe the biggest problem with “The Following” is that it creates such a shadow of darkness thanks to the mere numbers of its killers. It seems like there are just as many murderers as normal people. The difference between it and “Dexter” was that Dexter Morgan was the main killer, and save for his Dark Passenger, there were elements in there of him being a good person. We don’t really get any of those here. Joe Carroll is awful; so are Mark and Luke, Emma, Carlos, and everyone else in this cult.
Even Ryan Hardy is not the perfect sort of hero to root for, given that this week he was willing to put the lives of Lily and others in danger just to find out more information about Mark and Luke, who he thought was only one person going in. That, we suppose, is the big revelation of the episode. You already knew that Joe was back and killing again, so the scene with the priest is nothing more than uncomfortable.
With “The Following,” it may be more about tolerance than anything. There are good performances and some strong elements, but you have to be on board with a show that goes a little too far with the killing. After two episodes of this second season, we’re starting to lose interest in seeing more of the same blood and despair. Grade: C+.
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Photo: Fox