As if we needed more problems in The Following, this week’s episode continues to make me lose faith in the FBI as they come one step closer to capturing the cult leader and serial killer named Joe Carroll.
The season has been building up to the inevitable discovery of the cult’s safe haven in Havensport along with the betrayal of Roderick. Ok, so he didn’t actually rally the men against Joe for a power struggle, but I guess I underestimated how much Roderick is actually kind of scared of Joe. This episode definitely showed that in multiple scenes with Roderick moving in on Joe’s turf, whether with what to do with the people in the house or what they should be doing in general to avoid the FBI. The people are worried, and there’s no doubt that since many of them know Roderick better than they could ever know Joe, that his departure from the cult will be taken heavily.
I’m just wondering why the FBI didn’t vet everyone in that sheriff’s office on their past and where they were from. An easy background check would have solved everything, but they were foolish and yet again Mike was taken down. Like, how many times can Mike Weston be thrown to the ground and bruised around before he’s sentenced to like a four month bed rest? For Roderick, the final straw is losing his close friend and mentor Daniel Munroe. Berating Joe for doing nothing but sob over his wife and contemplate his book, it takes just that for Joe to turn on him in rage. Fed up with Joe and his antics, he basically leaves the house but as he’s leaving grabs Joey for good measure, knocking Claire to the ground.Claire and Joe’s relationship and basically her poor timing, trading joey for her. now she’s going to die good job.
Well added onto Joe losing his kid again, and his falling out with Roderick, plus letting the FBI get the upperhand with their creepy paramilitary camp, his relationship with Claire isn’t much better. Despite claiming that they will have a better life and that she will learn to love him, all we learned this episode is that Claire has horrible timing. She’s been telling Joey since she got there that no one in the house is trustworthy, and now that Joey’s gone she sees an opportunity. When Joe orders Jacob to go and bring back Joey at all costs, and finish off Roderick, Claire appeals to his love for Joey and begs him to keep the kid away from the place.
Thankfully, Jacob does the right thing and leaves Joey with the FBI. But obviously Joe is not just going to let this one go, so Claire takes matters into her own hands. She propositions Joe that if he leaves Joey with the FBI she will stay with him willingly and all seems like it’s going to be a little better for Joe. I mean he’s a serial killing cult leader, but he’s my serial killing cult leader and I’d like him to have one person who loves him that he loves back, but that doesn’t last too long. Claire embraces him in a kiss and then when she’s got him distracted stabs him in the gut. Personally, I would have picked a better time, LIKE ANY OTHER TIME. Sadly Claire can’t wait, and pays for her poor timing. Joe basically declares that she is unfit to be the leading lady and therefore must die.
Jacob and Emma are thankfully coming to their senses. I think the crazy in the cult house has finally gotten to them. Jacob has gotten a revelation after freeing Joey and Emma after she was basically rejected by Joe and then slapped by him. I mean realistically if Claire dies, they could take care of Joey if they ever got their hands on the kid, but that’s never going to happen. Or should I say over Ryan’s dead body. Which could very well happen. But I’m just glad that they are getting to understand just how insane their situation is, especially Jacob’s acceptance that they’re going to die there. Yeah, you’re not wrong Jake.
Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room, aka the horrible attentiveness of the law enforcement and the FBI. The fact the leader of the FBI team, Nick Donovan, gets stabbed out of people just not paying attention is a major fault. Also like, Mike come on, leaving a kid in a room alone when the house is full of cultists is like foolish to begin with. But, if someone comes to me confessing that they are a part of a cult, crying or not, we’re taking her into custody with her hands cuffed behind her back and maybe a sedative in her. I mean sans the sedative, I’m not wrong. Instead they believe the couple tears she squeezes out and literally turns their back on her, only to get stabbed in the eye. Good job, team. All I’m saying is that they need to get their act together, even with Joe unraveling he seems to be getting the upperhand the majority of the time.
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