On the outset, The Following has a fairly typical premise. Ageing, semi-retired detective with alcohol problems is brought back in to help re-capture an escaped serial killer he put away the first time. Honestly, that much doesn’t peak my interest a whole lot. However, when you throw in Kevin Bacon as the ageing detective, you have my attention, and the fact that the escaped serial killer has an obsession with Edgar Allen Poe and yeah, now I’m definitely interested.
The episode opens with our serial killer, a Mr. Joe Carroll, just after completing his escape plan from prison. There are no holds barred with this show as it showcases the blood and guts from Joe’s victims, and this only proves to peak your interest in what the hell is going on. Enter Kevin Bacon as Ryan Hardy, our ‘two days away from retirement’ detective who is awoken by a phone call asking him to join the investigation for Carroll full time. Bacon plays the character well, he’s dry, emotionally and physically fatigued and yeah, he likes his alcohol. Hardy is not a welcome face to most of the investigation team, apart from one Mike Weston, played by the Iceman himself, Shawn Ashmore, who idolizes Hardy and his work on Joe Carroll. From their investigation, they find that Carroll had contact with fanatical women while in prison, through mail, and as they are interviewing these women, one of them stands up, dis-robes, revealing her body to be covered by the writings of Edgar Allen Poe, and proceeds to stab herself in the eye with an old shaver.
This very much sets the tone for not only Carroll, but for the rest of the episode. Carroll is a true psychopath, and despite this being the first episode, the makers have made sure we, the audience, know the lengths that he will go to to commit his acts of ‘art’, as he calls them. With an obsession with Poe, Carroll has a fetish for the eyes of his victims, and believes himself to be only finishing what Edgar Allen Poe started. He is charming, exuberant, and undeniably creepy. Perfect antagonist in this sort of show. With a fanatical following gotten over the internet, thanks to some crafty work on Carroll’s part, there is potential for a great social commentary on the darker corners of the internet and how they can be used to spread this kind of psychopathy like a disease.
Bacon’s character, Hardy, is a great counter part, with his scenes echoing Bruce Willis’ John Hartigan in Sin City. Hardy is very much driven to stop Carroll, but unfortunately, has been left with more than just a scar from their first encounter. This becomes all the more evident in the moments leading to Carroll and Hardy’s meeting towards the end of the episode, which proves to set up the rest of series in a very intriguing fashion.
The Following has serious potential. It could be a very clever show, and with Dexter about to reach it’s end, there’s room for a darker, more fantastical detective show to take it’s place. The casting is perfect, at least on the outset, and with the supporting characters all containing some amount of interest in a deeper story, hopefully the series is allowed flourish.
