Warning: Spoiler Alert
There are rumors floating on the Internet, that FOX may decline renewing, their third-year series “The Following,” a point, I wouldn’t argue, as the entire series seems to feel tired, in this go round. That includes, the writers, directors and actors, who got to stretch out a great one-season premise, into two seasons and seem lost in season three. Although the debut of Michael Ealy as Arthur Strauss’ best student ever, Theo and the return of Joe Carroll, brought back a buzz to the show in the previous episode, the latest episode seemed stuck in neutral for 54-minutes.
The episode starts off on the road at night as a vehicle drives through the fog, containing a male and female Federal Marshall and serial killer Duncan Banks. Banks got captured in the previous episode after killing folks for almost 20-years, without getting caught. Banks, another of Strauss students, hid Arthur and Daisy in his father’s old hunting cabin, until Theo choked Strauss to death using a cord, nearly severing the Doctor’s head. Theo allowed Daisy her freedom, then went home to his adoring wife and kids.
The Marshalls GPS system advises them to take an alternate route, but it’ actually being manipulated by computer genius Theo. He gets the car lost deep in the woods, then shuts down the vehicle’s computers, causing the car to lose all power. The male agent looks under the hood as their radios are to far out to transmit, we see a figure in the woods, quickly realizing it’s Theo. After a while the female officer leaves the car and she’s Theo’s second victim of the night. He asks Banks if he knows who he is and Duncan says he does, but he has no information on him, name, e-mail address. Theo asks if he wants to live and Duncan can’t say yes fast enough, he’s told if he helps the man that’s freed him from a police car he’ll live.
We head to the Virginia Correctional Facility, where Joe Carroll sits on death-row, Ryan Hardy’s there to find out any info that Carroll may have on Strauss’ greatest student. Joe says it’s him of course, but Hardy tells him that Strauss didn’t approve of Carroll’s tactics, making himself a celebrity. Joe then says that Strauss purposely isolated his students from each other, so they’d all rely on Strauss. The Assistant Warden of the prison enters the room, telling Joe he’ll die in exactly, one week, his choice of lethal injection or electric chair. Carroll says that dampens the mood.
Ryan arrives at the Federal Marshall’s vehicle and Hardy’s convinced that Strauss’ killer rescued Banks. Federal Marshall Scott Turner, who’s not been on this season, shows up at the scene to investigate what happened to his people. Mike Weston says then Duncan lied, when he said he didn’t know the name of Arthur’s killer. Ryan responds he believes the guy they’re looking for found Duncan and they were strangers, when he killed the Marshalls.
With Gina Valdez on suspension from the Bureau, Hardy’s old nemesis Nick Donovan’s now in charge of the office. He says he’s not there to fight with Ryan, just to restore order to an office that lacks it completely. They got a lead on the guy that Theo used to make passports and other ID for Strauss, unfortunately, Theo and Duncan are heading there as well.
The suspect Louis Cera’s (played by Manny Montana, Johnny on Graceland) beating his bud’s behinds in cards, he exits while he’s still hot. He pushes the elevator button, but it’s slow so he takes the stairs. Theo and Duncan enter the apartment and ask where Louis’ at? One of the guys says at your Mama’s and Theo cuts the guy’s hand off, then he repeats the question.
Per usual, Weston and Hardy arrive too late, as all three roommates got sliced to death, Theo and Duncan are already back in their car looking for Cera. Somehow, this pair never seems to take any responsibility for not being as sharp as the bad guys that they’re chasing.
Max is back with the Task-Force, on restricted duty, another female agent tells her that her sleuthing on the web paid off, they found the company that all the e-mails emanate from, a firm called Nanitech, nearby. Max and the other Agent, Habib are told to go their and check the companies records.
Theo’s spotted Louis on the street, but suddenly receives a text message. He tells Duncan a side-projects come up and he needs Duncan to catch Louis. He says he’s trusting Duncan, because Banks’ knows what will happen to him if he messes up.
Max and Agent Habib, arrive at Nanotech and the company’s CEO Tucker Myers, assures them he will give them everything they need. Suddenly one of the intern’s Kent, feels a tap on his shoulder, from another intern Sam who wasn’t supposed to be there that week, but explains a project needed his attention. Sam’s in reality Theo, this was the side project he needed to take care of, pin all the blame on one of the company’s executives, Peter Collins.
Duncan follows Louis to his girlfriend’s house, Louis brings flowers, she embraces him and shuts the door. We then see that Ryan and Mike just got the girlfriend’s address, we know what happens next. Suddenly the girlfriend looks up from kissing Cera, sees the TV and says that’s your building, it’s a news report on the murders of his friends and saying authorities are looking for him.
He tells his girlfriend they have to leave immediately, when he hears a noise downstairs. He grabs his pistol and searches the house for an intruder, but returns to the room finding nobody. He then sees his girlfriend’s sliced to death on her bed, Duncan then knocks Cera out. Mike and Ryan show up while the body’s still warm.
Theo’s planted all the evidence on Collin’s computer-terminal, Agent Habib takes him back to the bureau. Max tells Myers to send everybody home, the office’s a crime scene. Kent however stays behind, saying that he and Collins are lovers and they spent the day before at a bed-and-breakfast. He then helps Max search for who put the info on Collins terminal.
Duncan takes Cera to the warehouse where Louis produces his phony documents, he beats on him until Cera reveals where his backup discs are hidden. Banks burns them and is about to shoot Louis, when he gets a call from Theo, saying he needs Cera to do one more thing before Banks kills him.
Kent’s discovered that someone hacked into Collins’ hard-drive two weeks earlier, he’s about to get the person’s identity, when the server goes down. He heads to the server room to fix the problem and Theo stabs him to death. Max after a while realizes something’s wrong, she goes to the server room looking for the intern. Just when she finds his dead body, all the power goes out, she grabs her flashlight, weapon and cellphone and calls for backup. Theo’s just about to stab Max when the other agents enter the building, Theo escapes.
Ryan and Mike find out where Cera’s being held, the FBI SWAT Team join them, raid the warehouse and get Cera. Hardy goes after Banks, but Duncan surprises Ryan and fires a shotgun shell at Hardy’s chest, Ryan falls on his back. Banks goes to check out his condition, his vest took the brunt of the shot, he kicks Banks then fires two point-blank shots killing him. They find a passport that Duncan was having Cera produce, it’s got Hunter Myers photo on it. Coincidentally Theo’s sitting in Myer’s home with a pistol in his hand when Myers gets home.
Hardy’s told by Nick to investigate Myers, Ryan says his gut tells him, the CEO’s not behind this. His supervisor says the FBI uses hard evidence not gut-feels, as their parameters. He tells Hardy to check into Myers or he’ll assign another agent the case.
The final scene’s Hardy at a pool table, ripping Nick about how he’s handling the case. Joe Carroll’s at his side at the table wearing civilian clothes and they share a bottle of whiskey. Carroll tells Hardy, they don’t appreciate him or his skills, he says Hardy’s the best agent on the Bureau. Then he says however when all others desert you, who’ll have your back, Hardy smiles and says you. Hardy says that’s right, you and me against the world. Hardy wakes up in bed next to Gwen.
The Story Continues Next Monday Night at 9:00 pm on FOX.
