The Following – Episode 2.01 – Resurrection – REVIEW

The following…is full of new blood.

With a knife through the stomach of Claire Matthews seconds into the premiere, “The Following” skewered its ties to last season’s stories. What follows (heh) in “Resurrection” is almost a sequel, a reboot of the show’s premise, which also means a slew of fresh faces, some villains, some victims. So where do they all fit in?

Who I suspect will be the most important is Lily Gray, the sole survivor of a vicious subway attack carried out on the one-year anniversary of Joe Carroll’s “death.” It’s a creepy (the Joe masks give me the wiggins!) and effective inciting incident that kick starts this new chapter and feels specific to the new NYC setting. Lily herself seems like she’s going to be a combination of Sarah Fuller and Claire, a living victim Ryan feels guilt over and a responsibility for (hence him coming to apologize to her late in the episode), and a love interest Carroll will no doubt target at some point. Performance-wise, Connie Nielsen did a nice job giving this potential damsel in distress some weight.

Next up is Ryan’s niece, played by Jessica Stroup. At first, she seems to represent the normal life Ryan has been trying to lead. He runs, he teaches, he goes to AA meetings (and yes, both his sponsor and his flirty friend went right on the “Is he/she a cult member?” list) and hosts dinner parties.

But after the subway attack, it becomes clear that Ryan, despite his claims to the FBI, has continued to investigate Joe’s cult and that police officer Max has been assisting him in gathering intel. Stroup, like Spencer Grammer and Kristen Kreuk before her, isn’t super believable as a cop (it doesn’t help that I mostly know her from “90210”), but I’m curious enough to see where the character goes.

On the other side of the spectrum are some sinister new cultists. When we first see a slick-haired man eerily eying a pretty young blonde, it’s clear that she’s not going to be a series regular. But it’s only after several off-putting scenes of him conversing with the dead girl like she’s still alive, complimenting her music collection and offering to make her an omelet, do they reveal that it’s actually a set of identical twins! Very smartly edited and there’s a lot of fun things the show can write with this set-up.

The twins are clearly in charge as, in addition to the massacre in the subway, they stage their victim’s body as a message seemingly to both Ryan and Joe and later viciously discipline another disciple. This new leadership is not lost on Emma, who spends the episode confused and caught off-guard. It’s a new look for her and I like it. Last year, she was the one with all the answers and now the shoe’s on the other foot. Plus, Valorie Curry is rocking Emma’s punk makeover.

We also get some new FBI cannon fodder (James McDaniel from “NYPD Blue” and who I initially mistook for Reiko Aylesworth, but is really Valerie Cruz from “Off the Map”) and they’re the ones who bring a suspended Mike back into the fold. I’m intrigued by the new dynamic they’re setting up between Ryan and Mike. Obviously they’re still on the same side, but Mike’s disillusioned with his hero and the trust between them is broken after what happened in the woods post-Parker’s death. What will Mike do when he inevitably finds out about Ryan’s rogue investigation?

To wrap up, we drop by the out in the sticks home of a prostitute (hi there, Carrie Preston!) and her daughter, who catches a story about Carroll on the news. To the non-surprise of everyone ever, the “Daryl” she calls in to see the report is an alive and bearded Carroll, who seems bemused to see his old nemesis on TV. Sigh. Nothing against James Purefoy, per say, but I actually find Joe himself to be one of the weaker parts of the show. The cult itself (and the different characters drawn into it) is fascinating to me. And I love the mystery of never knowing who will be revealed to be a follower. But it’s hard to buy Joe as a figure of such devotion, especially when he’s pontificating about Edgar Allen Poe. Hopefully the writers get a better handle on him this season.

So what did you think? Which new character are you rooting for to survive the season? Or are you still missing some of last year’s deceased? Sound off in the comments!