The Following
Season 3 Episode 11: “Demons”
Created by Kevin Williamson
Directed by Marcos Siega
Written by Dave Johnson
Starring Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Shawn Ashmore, Sam Underwood, Valerie Cruz, Jessica Stroup, Michael Ealy, Zuleikha Robinson
FOX
Air Date: Monday, May 4th, 2015, 9:00pm

Last week the bell tolled for Joe Carroll. However… this is television, and James Purefoy needs work dammit! So now, Joe is acting as Ryan Hardy’s demon stalker and last week’s episode ended with Ryan (Kevin Bacon) tapping out on sobriety and giving in to shots with his imaginary serial killer friend. Will Joe’s influence help give Ryan what he needs to catch Theo?

Ryan follows his break with sobriety with a break from fidelity, and returning home wreaking of alcohol and sex are too much for Gwen (Zuleikha Robinson). Ryan still doesn’t know she’s pregnant, which I’m sure will come into play later at the absolute worst time.

This episode appears to be the “all villains assemble” show. Mark/Luke (Sam Underwood) and Daisy (Ruth Kearney) are pursuing revenge against Mike (Shawn Ashmore). Theo (Michael Ealy) and sister Penny are pursuing Strauss’s other followers in hopes of a getaway or revenge on Ryan Hardy… whichever comes first. Meanwhile Team Hardy solves Joe’s clue to Ryan about Theo and discovers that Theo may have been the sole survivor of a brutal family murder. 10-year-old Theo thought it was his mom’s boyfriend, but it turns out to be the work of Philadelphia serial killer, The Madman. Ryan, Mike, and Max (Jessica Stroup) devise a plan to find Madman in hopes of coaxing Theo out.

Theo’s Strauss connection is to a wealthy estate hosting an Eyes Wide Shut-style party with a Hostel twist. I have to admit, without Joe to carry the villain load, the writers are grasping at every serial killer cliche they can find – from Dexter to Silence of the Lambs. Penny (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and Theo find the mysterious hostess and offer her Ryan Hardy in exchange for an unknown price. After finding Madman, Ryan and his former FBI partner Lisa Campbell (Diane Neal) are confronted by him in a hotel where Ryan quickly becomes the more dangerous and psychotic of the two (and one thinks he’s the boatman of Hades ferrying people across the river Styx).

There’s a subplot here involving the Mike/Max/Tom (Gbenga Akinnagbe) love triangle, a stolen laptop that is getting too hard to believe even for this show. We can only assume Tom will join the seemingly unending list of bad guys for the season in episodes to come. Last week’s episode was almost poetic. Ryan’s confession paired with Joe’s death made for a phenomenal episode. This week felt like a reset to build for a finale, with new characters, arcs and twists that to be honest were not necessary at this point into the season. Ryan Hardy falling off the wagon and battling his inner demons with Joe as the personification of said demons, is great but there wasn’t enough of it tonight.

The Following returns next week for a 2-hour episode at 9:00 pm EST on Fox. The Anti-Hardy Elimination Crew seem set to dig into Ryan once and for all. Here’s hoping Joe can help him do more than just grab another drink.

Video

The Following 3×11 Promo “Demons” (HD)

The Following 3×11 “Demons” – The investigation leads the team to a dangerous serial killer linked to Theo, while Theo and Penny (guest star Megalyn Echikunwoke, “CSI: Miami,” “The 4400″) seek refuge from an unknown source with the means of helping them disappear. Meanwhile, Ryan struggles with recent events, sending him into a downward spiral, and the search continues into which agent has been accessing Daisy’s laptop from inside the FBI in the all-new “Demons” episode of THE FOLLOWING airing Monday, May 4th on FOX.