The Following

The show started well, good original storyline and a great turn by James Purefoy as baddy Joe Carrol.

Sadly the show quickly went down hill. Key stone cops quite literally. Highly trained FBI agents who cannot shoot baddies from close range and constantly get out witted.

This could have been excellent.

At this writing, The Following is rated 7.7, but most of the reviews are very negative. How can that be? Personally, I find many of the criticisms of this show undeserved.

The Following is not for everyone. It is a very dark and violent tale that takes gore to a new level.

This crime drama is a two-character dance between Joe Carroll, a college professor who turns his academic expertise about E. A. Poe into a cult-driven real life tale of murder, and Ryan Hardy, the object of Carroll's rampage. Both men are intelligent. Like Holmes and Moriarty, they duel in the darkness.

Both men are obsessed. Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) is an alcoholic, plagued by guilt. In the end, he is addicted to Carroll, like Ahab to the white whale. Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) is obsessed with the story he has plotted and cast Hardy in as the tragic hero.

The Following is, really, a horror story. As such, one should recognize the basics of the genre and not disparage them. The surprises hidden in the darkness. The character who, against all good judgment, investigates the shadows. The actor who is compelled to go it alone when reinforcements are advisable.

As a horror story, The Following gives us a worthy villain who, via his army of minions who can be as scary as zombies, terrorizes with an uncanny ability to strike at will.

The Following plumbs the depths of insanity and obsession. Not everyone will want to go there, but the story is literate and the chills are frequent.

After watching the series premiere of "The Following", it left me with an impression that I simply couldn't find anywhere else as the story unfolded in such a terrifying way. Although some may complain that it moves by a little too fast(which I admit at times it did), that's only a small qualm as the performances and main plot make up for it with various twists and turns throughout the story. Kevin Bacon was simply incredible as the worn down FBI agent with a tragic past that has yet to be explored further as the show progresses, but James Purefoy is MARVELOUS as the twisted serial killer. With his manic stare and smile, you're not really sure as to his true motives. This makes him more dimensional yet at the same time diabolically and devilishly sinister; playing mind games with the protagonist with his schemes of mass murder and mayhem. Purefoy is a beast of a man that no one wants to mess with.

"The Following" is one to watch. I'll be tuning in to the next episode to see how twisted and horrifying the world will be in the eyes of the hero and villain in a battle against good and evil. If the quality of this show keeps up, I'd expect more seasons.

The Following really is a pretty underrated show. It stars Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy who are both really good actors and are fantastic in this. It's a great thriller from beginning to end. The first season is the best but the other two are still worth watching. I actually think it had another season left in it but I guess they wanted to end it before the quality dropped too much. Each episode ends with you wanting more so this is a show that's good to binge. Admittedly some of the story is ridiculous but if you can just turn off your brain and just enjoy it for what it is then I promise you'll have a good time watching this.

I have to say I really enjoyed The Following more than I though I would. It follows FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) as he chases notorious serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) who escaped death row. Hardy is the one who originally caught Carroll after he killed 14 women. While Carroll was in prison he developed a cult of his followers who will go to any lengths to prove themselves to him and that included murder, abductions, sacrificing themselves, etc. This is an edge of your seat cat and mouse series that's definitely worth a watch. It might have gone a season too much but even that last season is a decent watch.