The Following - Kill The Messenger
Last week on The Following, Theo's true identity was uncovered which led him to have to kill his family, Gina Mendez returned and left the force and Ryan fell deeper into his obsession with Joe.
"I'm not your friend" Ryan
Ryan is in denial, which got shown this episode a lot. He doesn't see Joe as a friend, just someone whom he locked up and caught, but deep down even he knows they have some sort of a connection, it may not be friendship, but there's something between them. Ryan again continued down his dark path where throughout the episode kept calling people Joe or getting people mixed up with Joe. I've surprisingly liked his transformation; it shows us that even the toughest of men can be broken.
This episode, like most of them, Purefoy and Bacon were at the top of their game in scenes they shared together. Their interactions are always something I look forward to as I enjoy the banter between the characters or in this case Joe trying his absolute hardest to persuade Ryan that they're friends. Purefoy does a good job at showing Joe's affection for Ryan by using sarcastic and humorous remarks towards Ryan, so he deserves some attention for that. If the show continued without Joe/Purefoy I don't know if I'd stick around, Ryan and Joe make The Following, and without either of them, in my opinion, it wouldn't be the same.
"Face the man who took your dignity" Theo
This episode we got a look at how a well-known sociopath such as Theo would train a student of his, if he had any. Theo's not only brilliant at hacking, and evading the FBI, he's also a brilliant manipulator. He managed to manipulate this man, Gary, who had lost everything at the hands of his general Robert Tubbs. Theo used that to his advantage. Although, he killed Tubbs, Gary felt satisfied watching him die. Anyone can become a killer, and Theo proved that this episode. You just need to find where someone's most vulnerable and use that against them.
Elsewhere, Mark returned. We witnessed earlier in the season Mark and his split personality of himself and Luke, but it appears he's now taken it even further and is fully committed to becoming Luke. He knows he isn't strong enough to take out Mike Weston, but knows Luke would be so he wants to become Luke. Sam Underwood has always been an underrated actor on the show, but he shouldn't be. Playing one character is tough, but playing two separate ones as the same person is admirable and shows us how well he can perform given the right material, which he has been all season long. Unlike Theo, Mark's plans have been made clear from the start of the season, and now Daisy has been reintroduced he and her presumably will team up to try to take out Mike. If Mark succeeds, which is unlikely, although it would be a shocking death if he did, I'm not sure what he would do next. So really there only seems one way Marks story will end and that's him in a body bag.
Summary
It was another great episode of The Following; the show has taken itself into darker territory with its lead character so I'm interested to see what's in store for Ryan. Part of Theo's plans were finally revealed, which is what I've been wanting to hear about all season so I'm glad something about what he's doing has become clear. Overall, it was another fantastic episode that promises great things ahead for the remaining episodes.
As always, thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of "Kill The Messenger"
