A gentler Following
A couple of episodes is not long enough to draw any quick conclusions about a sophomore series’ change of direction. Based on the evidence so far, though, The Following is tighter, leaner and less over-the-top than its first year, when its frequent violence, allusions to Edgar Allan Poe and tiresome story gimmick of stupid people doing stupid things wore on the nerves.
The Following, starring Kevin Bacon as a haunted detective and James Purefoy as a brilliant sociopath and cult leader with a penchant for murder and mayhem, is more of a cat-and-mouse game this season, and less of an exercise in mass hysteria and bloodletting. With the exception of a bloody stabbing aboard a subway in last week’s season opener, The Following seems more interested in getting inside Bacon’s character’s mind, and less in shock for shock’s sake — at least so far.
In this week’s followup episode, Ryan Hardy (Bacon) finds further evidence that his nemesis Joe Carroll (Purefoy) may not have died after all, even as he vows to get to the bottom of the subway killings. He’s getting strange phone calls in the middle of the night, and even though he has finally come to terms with the events of a year earlier, he still has the occasional bad dream.
Richmond, B.C. native Shawn Ashmore has a more prominent role this season as FBI agent Mike Weston, one of the few confidants Hardy can trust. Veteran character actor Keith Carradine has joined the supporting cast, alongside Connie Nielsen as a reluctant witness to the subway killings. (Fox, CTV — 10 p.m.)