1.7 Let Me Go Most of this season has been the Kevin Bacon show, and with good reason. He’s been good in every episode, and he gets some decent action scene work in this week’s episode, but the focus isn’t on him as much as it is around him, because he’s the focus of Joe Carroll’s attention. James Purefoy is given a lot of screen time this episode, and while he’s still not exactly the Manson-type charismatic guru that he’s sold as being, he’s able to acquit himself a little better with a fairly clever, intricate plot to extract himself from federal custody and make another escape. To the show’s credit, this escape is a pretty good step above The Following‘s standard level. While it’s pretty obvious that Joe is going to get away from police custody somehow, having the show turn the convict into a shell game swapping between FBI van, the warden’s trunk, and Olivia Three-Fingers’ trunk worked out pretty well, thanks in no small part to the stylish way that it was filmed. Director Nick Gomez does a good job with these segments, and it’s pretty clever to chop them up in contrasting match cuts with hands opening doors, trunks popping open, etc. It’s not really suspenseful since everyone knows Carroll is sneaking away – FBI included – but it’s executed very well. Seamus Kevin Fahey’s script contains some weird beats (like a Beatles reference blatantly explained for the audience by a character) and a fairly flat character in the form of Bo (who is a two-note crazypants), but also some good moments as well. I actually liked the way they defined Charlie’s code of ethics a little better in this episode. He’s still capable of evil, but he’s lawful evil not the chaotic evil of Bo or the neutral evil of Emma. These are still bad guys who have kidnapped a child, but there are shades of grey there even in their shades of grey, and they’re the weaker points in Joe Carroll’s otherwise cohesive group of followers. That’s the issue with any cult, let alone a cult as large as Joe’s. There are two dozen people or more in Joe’s cult at this point, between the ones that have died, the ones we have met, the ones that have been implied, and the ones we see at the end of this episode. Charles Manson had as many as one hundred followers at various points. How do you keep them all in control and keep them all working towards your goals? Especially when faced with a strong, fearless enemy in Ryan Hardy (chaotic good with a real mean streak)? It can’t be much different from producing a television series in that respect. US Correspondent Ron Hogan was mildly amused by this week’s episode of The Following, through he’s too sick and tired to pay too much attention. Find more by Ron daily at Shaktronics and PopFi. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
