The Following - Reunion - Review: "The Return of Joe Caroll"

The Following - Reunion

Last week we witnessed Mark escaping once more, Max getting knocked un-conscience, Kyle's death, and Dr Strauss walking free from prosecution.

"Who's Strauss's best student" Ryan

Joe Caroll finally returned this week in what was for me this season's best episode. Ryan decides to face his demons he tried so hard to get rid of and went to seek help from his old nemesis. Joe is still locked up and is about to be put to death since he is on death row, but that didn't stop him from being his charming self, a character we love to hate. Even though their scenes together were brief, I enjoyed the interplay between Bacon and Purefoy, them playing off each other was as good as it's ever been. Despite the show needing a change, Purefoy is part of the shows heart, and soul, and without him the show wouldn't be the same.

What was interesting and surprising was that Joe was not Strauss's best student; this was in fact Theo, played by the wonderful Michael Ealy. Whilst Joe is good at gaining a vast amount of followers, he wanted to be known and feared, whilst Theo prefers to stick to the shadows. That's why Strauss thought highly of Theo most likely, his ability to take life, without the need to broadcast it to the world. I realize Strauss taught Theo a lot, like how to hide the bodies, but even before Strauss met him he seemed much more capable of staying out of the spotlight than any other "killer" we have seen on the show. He is smart, and like many people said a "ghost". He will be hard to catch, especially since he is a hacker genius. He looks like he will make an excellent nemesis to Ryan from what I've seen so far, and I look forward to seeing what other killer things he has up his sleeves.

Speaking of Theo, he murdered Dr Strauss this episode. As Greg Henry got promoted to regular I expected him to be around for a full season, not a couple of episodes, so it was a huge surprise when he died. Although, the show now can focus on Theo instead of having to worry about Dr Strauss, who wasn't all that interesting of a character, anyway. Also, he let Daisy go. I'm not sure if she's entirely out of the picture, but we never got told where she was heading or if the person who picked her up was a stranger or someone she knew.

"I rather not be forced to cover up another one of your executions, Mike" Max

Elsewhere, Max made a speedy recovery. Her and Mike aren't really on speaking terms since he chose again to go after Mark, with this time nearly resulting in her death. Mike says he loves Max, but his desire for revenge is greater than his love for her. Although, I don't think Tom is particularly the right man for her, he is better than Mike. He at least puts Max before himself, and his job. Then again, he has pretty much become a stalker rather than her boyfriend by continuing to spy on her using the cameras Daisy and Kyle planted. In the long term though, Max will go back to Mike, but not until Mark is out of the picture. He will never stop, and settle down until Mark is gone completely.

Something about Tom seems off, he is way too shady, and surely is hiding something. Also, I don't know why he doesn't just tell Max what he saw since I don't think she will ever admit it. Tom also managed to overhear Max saying to Mike how she won't cover up another execution. That can be damaging for all of them involved, and if Mike or Max decided to re-enact their previous indiscretion I believe Tom will take what he knows to the police in a moment of anger. He can be their downfall.

Ryan revealed this episode that Gina Mendez has unfortunately been suspended for the email "Clarke" sent. The Bureau needs a fall victim and sadly it was her. I started to warm to Gina after she paralleled Debra last episode allowing Ryan and the team to continue working even though she was told to suspend them. Debra always put her faith in Ryan, and Gina did that last episode. Hopefully, her suspension won't be too long, as she's been a great addition to the team. A thought did cross my mind though that if she was permanently suspended that Ryan would take her job. He handled things nicely this episode and coordinated with everyone as good as Debra or Gina have done in the past, but I doubt they would give him the job given his past.

Summary
It was the shows most thrilling and intense episode this season. Joe Caroll and Theo made the episode. Seeing the backstory on Theo was enjoyable and it gave us a good insight into his past when he first met Strauss. I always love an episode when flashbacks are incorporated into an episode. I also loved the twists this episode, especially the one with Strauss dying. Overall, it was a very enjoyable episode which makes my anticipation for next week’s episode even greater.

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

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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