The Following (TV-14)

      Disclaimer: the Following is a television show that may cause you to awake screaming in the middle of the night. All jokes aside, the Following is, in my book, a new favorite. This television show stars Kevin Bacon as the unflappable Ryan Hardy. Hardy is an ex-FBI agent who left the Bureau after being critically wounded while investigating the murders of young women. Hardy discovers that a professor named Joe Caroll (played by James Purefoy) has committed the murders believing, due to reading of Edgar Allen Poe, that murder is the true way to live. Years after his arrest, followers of Caroll's continue his maniacal ways. When Hardy is called back to help the FBI, he discovers that Caroll is masterminding all the murders from his jail cell.

One of Caroll's followers reciting Edgar Allen Poe

       Although graphic and terrifying, the Following is certainly a show you shouldn't pass up watching. The show's writers will keep you on the edge of your seat as the plot takes twists and unexpected turns. Kevin Bacon's acting is truly excellent. However my favorite character in the Following is Joe Caroll, mastermind murderer. James Purefoy gives us the stunning performance of a murderer who is not only twisted, but clever and witty. As strange as it sounds, it is refreshing to have a criminal in a television series who is not just a punk or a rich man who is tired of his wife.
      The Following is certainly a show that will make you jump but it is also one with substance. If you are ever in a mood for a unpredictable thriller, I highly recommend this show to you. In my opinion the Following scores a 3 out of 4 stars. Thanks for reading!


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