[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK5nq5ibTNI]

The Following: Resurrection (2×01)

Synopsis: Despite appearances, Ryan Hardy continues to obsess over Joe Carroll a year after his death, especially after a string of murders occur on the anniversary of his death.

Rating: ?????

If you have been following Nerdophiles for a while, you know that we really enjoyed The Following last year, and we are excited for it to be back this season!

Can we just talk about how the first 10 minutes of The Following had me rolling in emotion? I was literally acting like a possessed being during the entire episode, screeching and rolling on the floor.

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The episode does a bit of a jump from the last season, and focuses primarily on Ryan’s new position outside of the FBI and some of the new cults. Brought back in on a case on the anniversary of Joe’s death, the case brings to light the reality that there are still a few cultists running around preaching the word of Joe Carroll.

We find out quickly that Ryan has left the FBI after the conclusion of Joe Carroll, and during the new investigation of the murders in the subway car, Ryan dismisses the FBI and tells them he is no longer involved. Flashbacks reveal that while Ryan survived Molly’s stabbing, Claire Matthews died and Joey is now with his grandmother.

Ryan’s death curse is already a heavy burden, it makes sense why he would want to distance himself from his friends, like Mike, who is desperate for Ryan’s return. Under investigation by the FBI for killing the cultist that lead them to Agent Parker’s body, flashbacks show Mike going to Ryan to talk and Ryan rebuffing him.

Despite refusing to help the FBI, Ryan quickly reveals his secret room of conspiracies and the fact that his niece, Max (Jessica Stroup, 90210), is helping him along with his secret investigation on Joe’s cult. While he has this, he also has friends now in his AA group as well as a sponsor. All I can think in my head is, oh, more collateral damage. Because you know when Joe comes back with full force he’s going to kill them all in front of Ryan.

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Meanwhile, Joe’s following is separated between older cult members like Emma and Hannah and the new cult members who are responsible for the killings. The new cult consists of twins Mark and Luke (both Sam Underwood, Dexter), Giselle (Camille de Pazzis, Last Resort), and Carlos (J.D. Williams, The Wire) who was the one to pull Joe from the fire and help him escape in the season finale. Mark and Luke are clearly charismatic psychopaths, not only responsible for massacring the subway car but also of killing and posing their victims for all to see.

The twins are the epitome of The Following creepy tones, with creepy smiles and tendencies, theirs being that they interact with the corpse of their victim. Giselle is delightfully French and I anticipate her and Emma butting heads in the future. Carlos is their connection to everything and quite often seems more their victim than their accomplice. Emma is showing off a new punk look with new hair and piercings. Everyone seems like their are just waiting for Joe to return, even the ones who believe he is dead.

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Of course Joe is not dead. He’s hiding in some backwoods country, sporting a mountain man beard, and going by another name in another family. All this means is that Joe is back, and the killings are about to start up again!

Mike and Ryan have a super rocky relationship that has me facepalming every time either man looks at the other with eyes filled with stormy concern. From Mike visiting Ryan at the bar and seeing him drunk-grinding on some co-eds, to Mike telling Ryan that Claire is dead.

Also can we talk about how Ryan definitely got HIT BY A CAR? This season is going to get really interesting if it ends up being FBI vs Joe Carroll vs Ryan Hardy. I am already missing Mike and Ryan’s bromance, so I don’t think I could actually handle a whole season of them not together, but I am excited to see how Ryan’s secret room of conspiracies works into this especially him working with Max.

Speaking of Max, with Max and Lily Gray (the survivor of the subway car played by Connie Nielsen), and Ryan’s new friends, this season is rife with collateral damage and more people who are potential weak points for Ryan. I’m not saying they’re all going to die, I’m just saying that death curse is real and Max’s boyfriend looks really suspicious to me.

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Also, can we talk about how awesome those Joe Carroll masks are? Hey Fox, wanna start giving those out at WonderCon? I already have the Poe mask. I need another mask to terrify my roommates with.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H05N-jZ1EJ0]

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