The Following - Boxed In - Review: "Lily Gray was Executed in Cold Blood"

The Following - Boxed In - Review

Last weeks installment of The Following saw the return of Mark Grey, twisted as ever. We also saw a few new followers, and what they are capable of. Ryan also continued to struggle to put the past behind him.

"Until you confess what you've done innocent people will keep dying" Andrew

Well, Andrew wasn't wrong there. Agent Jeffery Clarke was another unfortunate casualty this episode in the ever ongoing mission to take down all the sociopathic, and violent people that mean to do innocents harm. It came as a surprise to me to see Jeffery fall victim so early on in the season, and during the episode I did keep waiting for a twist, sadly there wasn't one.

Jeff's death will have an emotional effect on Ryan which will make him even more determined to take down Mark, and whoever is involved with him. Ryan has lost so many people already, that he didn't seem too shocked to learn Clarke had died. He was upset, sure, but he wasn't surprised.

The way Clarke died was in a horrific fashion, with him being disassembled and put into a box. It was a brutal death, and perhaps the most shocking one yet, not because his death was unexpected, because it wasn't, but because of the way he died. It became obvious as soon as he got caught trying to escape that his time was limited, but I still remained hopeful he'd be saved. If Mark's followers and he are this imaginative I can only guess as to what Theo (Ealy) has in store for us. This may just turn out to be the most horrific and bloodthirsty season yet for the show.

Speaking of Mark, this episode saw his inner circle of followers start to crumble. They aren't as dedicated to him as Joe's followers were to Joe. Marks followers are much more intelligent and deadly than Joe's followers, but they aren't as dedicated to their leader, Mark. Without dedication, Mark is useless, and effectively working alone without anyone he can rely on.

Mark also continues to perfect the illusion that his brother still exists. Sam Underwood again was fantastic this episode with portraying himself and Luke. Mark seems much smarter than his deceased family and is using fake disguises like fake beards; he doesn't seem like your normal "thoughtless" killer who doesn't think things through. He always has a plan, which is why I don't think he'll be caught. Well, not yet anyway.

We know Daisy and Kyle have another agenda and are only pretending to go along with wanting to help Mark, but they need to, Kyle especially, step up their game before Mark realizes that he's being played. Mark is merely a pawn in a bigger game, and it will be interesting to see going forward how he fits into what's about to happen, when Daisy and Kyle reveal what exactly they're doing, and who their working for.


"Lily Gray was executed in cold blood" Agent Jeffery Clarke

After trying to buy himself some more time, which didn't work, Clarke spills all on what really happened with Lilly Grey, and how he helped cover it up. The backlash of that will be severe, especially for Mike and Ryan; I'm wondering if they will be taken of the FBI for what they did. Even though Lilly, Luke and all the others deserved what they got, it's still murder. I can see why Mark targeted Clarke; he is the weakest among them, and the most likely to crack under pressure. He was already having a hard time dealing with the cover up, so I'm willing to bet that Mark knew that, and used that to his advantage.

I would've liked the secret Ryan, Max and Mike kept to remain hidden for a while longer than it did, just so Ryan could get the chance to tell Gina. We haven't really gotten to know Gina as well as her predecessor Debra Parker which is a shame as she seems like an interesting character. Having Ryan tell her all that happened would've brought her into the circle of trust, which would've instantly guaranteed more screen time for her.

The biggest question I had this episode was, just who is Andrew? We find out that he and Joe shared a class run by Dr Strauss. Andrew it turns out is one of Strauss's followers, not Marks. That was interesting because Mark blames Joe for his mother's death so it seemed odd he would ask for help from one of his followers or close friends. There has to be some inner connection between Andrew and Lily or Mark to make Andrew leave his family behind to help Mark, perhaps their related or his mother and Andrew were together at some point.

Something I've continued to find a bit unrealistic about the show which I can't ignore any longer is the hesitation each follower has when they have a gun pointed at one of the FBI team. This episode Mike is pinned down by "Spider" (A follower) and instead of pulling the trigger straight away he stands there. (Spider) If he were a real killer he would've shot Mike without hesitation. It always seems way to unrealistic considering who the person with the gun normally is.

Summary
Unlike the premiere episode this was far more horrifying. It was another intense and thrilling hour of television that introduced us to some of Mark's deadly new followers techniques. We also said goodbye to Agent Clarke, who fell victim to Mark, and his plan at achieving revenge for his family. All in all, it was another solid episode.

As always, thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of "Boxed In"

About the Author - Robert Fruin

Robert is a sixth form student from the United Kingdom, who is currently studying IT, Media and Business Studies. Robert is a huge fan of the ended ABC series LOST, he has seen it many times over and has even visited some of the filming locations for it. Robert mainly watches drama series such as Game Of Thrones and Person of Interest, but has a soft spot for the comedy The Middle. Some other shows he watches are Grey's Anatomy, The Walking Dead and The 100. Some other interests include Cycling, Kayaking and Photography.Robert is currently reviewing Aquarius, Black Sails, Helix, Intruders and Z Nation. Feel free to connect with him on any of these social media sites.

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