Violet recaps Season 2 Episode 13 of The Following, titled The Reaping, where Ryan infiltrates the Korban Compound and causes chaos, and Lily tries to track down Joe! Following the recap, both Violet and Josh share their thoughts about the episode.
Don’t need the Following episode recap for The Reaping? Click here to jump directly to Violet’s thoughts on the episode!
To see Josh’s thoughts on this week’s The Following episode, titled The Reaping, click here to get directly there!
Episode Recap of The Following, Season 2 Episode 13: The Reaping
- When Ryan is found by a Korban security guard, Ryan knocks him out. Back at Ryan’s apartment, Claire wants Carrie to interview her on the air to lure Joe out, but when Mike walks Carrie out, they agree it’s not a good idea. While Claire wants to find Joe, Max wants to focus on finding Ryan.
- Kingston Tanner gets a personal video message from Joe. The FBI advises Kingston not to go on TV to respond to Joe. At the Korban Compound, Ryan dresses up in a black cloak and white mask to blend in with the nighttime gathering, where Joe wants Kingston’s son Preston to kill Courtney, who has been retrieved from the pit. However, Ryan fires off his gun and shoots someone, causing the crowd to disperse.
- Lily’s people are trying to locate Joe from the phone call. Despite Mark’s protests, Lily insists that Joe must pay for what he’s done. Robert reports to Joe that Ryan Hardy may have been the shooter. Joe tells Robert to find Ryan and bring him to him. Emma wants them to leave, but Joe refuses.
- The FBI finds Lily’s house in New Jersey, and Max and Mike head out. Meanwhile, Ryan attacks one of Joe’s men and tries to get info, but the guy doesn’t know anything, other than they’re going to New York. Robert finds Ryan and brings him to Joe. The FBI raids Lily’s house, but it’s empty, except for Mandy’s body. They ID Lily’s mercenary, and track him through his car rental.
- Talking to Emma, Robert can’t understand why Joe doesn’t just kill Ryan. Joe talks to Ryan, who is tied to a chair, and tells him he’s missed him, and that he knows Ryan has missed him too. They have a little chat. Kingston Tanner holds a press conference at his house. Joe brings Preston and Courtney into the room with Ryan, where he asks Preston to make the decision of being killed or killing Courtney. Preston takes the knife from Joe and stabs Courtney, while everything is recorded on camera.
- The FBI figures out that Lily is going after Joe. Joe welcomes Preston to the family. Joe doubts that Ryan could ever kill him, just like Joe could never kill Ryan. Lily and her men arrive just outside of Korban, and Lily tells her men to bring Joe to her. As Emma, Robert, and others are preparing to leave, they notice vehicles outside of their gate. Meanwhile, Joe and Ryan talk, and Ryan tries to figure out what Joe’s plan is. Joe talks to Ryan about missing Claire.
- Emma comes to get Joe, but Joe refuses to kill Ryan, and instead leaves him tied to the chair. Lily’s guys bust through the front gates of Korban and start shooting everyone in sight. Ryan manages to break the chair and free himself. He runs outside and picks up a rifle, then starts shooting. Mike, Max, and the FBI arrive outside Korban and begin moving in.
- State Troopers come through the front gate, find Ryan, and have him drop his gun. Max is happy to see Ryan, but Mike sneaks off to go after Lily at the Southwest exit. Ryan sends the FBI to the North exit, where Joe and the others went. Joe, Emma, and others have made it to a safe house and watch Carrie broadcast a message to Joe that only he would understand. Joe realizes it’s from Claire.
- Mike finds Lily alone and points a gun at her. Ryan and Max show up and try to stop him from shooting her. However, he shoots her anyway.
Violet’s Thoughts on Season 2 Episode 13 of The Following: The Reaping
Well that was a pretty crazy episode. Looks like things are going to be moving at a fast pace from here on out through these last 2 episodes of the season. I didn’t realize that so much was going to happen this episode! Ryan very quickly infiltrates the Korban Compound, but also very quickly gets caught. Did he even think through what his plan would be, or was he just so excited to get a break as to Joe’s location that he figured he would make it up as he went along? I’m thinking the latter of the two. But we now know that Joe could never kill Ryan, or so he says, because he believes they are a reflection of each other. I wonder how true Joe’s theory is that Ryan could never kill him either.
Well, one person we know that isn’t afraid of killing their enemy is Mike Weston. It looked like he was actually going to listen to Ryan and Max as they tried to talk him down from shooting Lily, but then at the last second, he suddenly decides to go through with it. That took me off guard, because Weston has always been portrayed as such a good guy, and the guy who also does the right thing. What’s going to happen to him now? Are Ryan and Max going to try to cover for him? Say it was self defense? What about Luke and Mark? What’s going to happen with them now? It just seems like Lily’s character should have played a bigger part in the show than it has as of now, so hopefully Luke and Mark will do something significant soon.
Finally, at the end of the episode, Joe realizes that Claire is still alive, in light of the secret message that Carrie broadcast for her. What will Joe’s reaction be to that? How will this discovery affect him? Very curious to see what Joe’s next move is!
Josh’s Thoughts: The Following, Season 2 Episode 13: The Reaping
There was a lot of stuff going on in this episode of The Following! The biggest event was probably Mike Weston’s choice to shoot Lily Gray. During that entire scene, I thought the twins, Luke and Mark, would appear behind Mike since they were out of the scene, intentionally by the writers of the show it would seem. Mike surely has turned a corner, and I am curious to see where that leaves him now, going forward. One thing is for certain though. Luke and Mark are going to be gunning for Mike and Ryan once they find out what happened.
I guess one of the other big revelations this episode, is Joe’s new outlook on life. He has a few things going on, that really are coming to light now. First, there were more than a couple times, where Joe seems to elude to or hint to the fact he will not be alive for much longer. He seems to have put himself on some sort of mission, which he himself is aware will soon be over, at least over himself. He doesn’t seem to have much concern about this either, which is interesting. Perhaps he is hoping to live forever, through his work, and perhaps his plan involves him sacrificing himself in some way to live in infamy.
The other thing, which, maybe not as surprising, but ties loosely back into my last thought, is Joe’s regard for Ryan. In a very Batman versus Joker theme, Joe reveals he doesn’t want to kill Ryan, because, to paraphrase Heath Ledger’s The Dark Knight Joker, “they are just having too much fun”. Joe points out to Ryan that they have become each other’s soul mate, and one without the other would surely kill them both. I am curious to see how this leaves Ryan after Joe is dealt with, but considering there is a Season 3, I have a feeling Ryan will not have much time off to contemplate Joe’s theory.
Kingston Tanner is an interesting fellow, that I haven’t quite figured out. He doesn’t seem particularly worked up about his kid being taken, and possibly murdered by Joe Carroll. This could be because he doesn’t care about his son, or that he is so ingrained with his religion, he can’t believe it won’t work out “the way the Lord intended”.
This brings me to a theory, for the next season of The Following. I have a feeling by the end of this season, Joe Carroll will be dead. Lily Gray is already dead, so The Following needs a villain for Season 3. I believe that either Kingston Tanner or his son will be the villain of The Following Season 3. Joe Carroll will warp one or the other so badly, that they will go off the deep end, creating another cult, and begin religious massacres. At this point in the show, I think that the son will eventually die, which will be the spark that sends Kingston off the edge.
The last part of this episode of The Following I want to discuss, is Claire’s stupid move to make herself known. Now that Lily Gray is dead, we will not have the power play of both Carroll and Lily trying to get to Claire, which is unfortunate. The twins do still have this opportunity however, and could be a way for both of them to get revenge for their mother’s death. Regardless, I still do not understand the reasoning being Claire giving herself up. Joe will certainly attempt to make a move. It could work out for Ryan and Claire in the end, throwing Joe off so that he makes a mistake, but it also could backfire, and Claire could wind up dead.
All in all, the show is certainly getting better as it goes. I really am looking forward to the last few episodes, as Ryan and Joe will likely have their final showdown, and if my theory holds any water, we will be introduced to the new villain for The Following Season 3 before the end of 2. I can’t wait for the next episode!
Scenes from The Following, Season 2 Episode 14: Silence
Here are scenes from the next episode of The Following, titled Silence:
