Elena Butler
Staff Writer
On this week’s episode of The Following, Carroll continued his quest to form another family of killers by convincing his new cult that murder is not only okay, but also a special gift. Ryan is still hot on his trail, when he’s not busy bedding the shady news reporter. We also get an explanation for Claire’s choice to go off the grid and by the end of the hour, she makes a choice that will probably turn everyone’s world upside down. Also, a kitty died and it made me very sad. Read on to see what else happened on “Teacher’s Pet.”
We start the episode with a flashback to the day Claire was taken to the hospital. Mike is there with her and another agent, Scott, who convinces them that the best thing to do is to go under witness protection. Everyone has to think she’s dead, even Ryan. Claire refuses at first, but Mike convinces her it’s the best thing to do. Back in the present, Mike fills Claire in on the latest on Carroll and Lily. She expresses her desire to find Joe Carroll and kill him.
Meanwhile in Ryan’s apartment, after another hookup with Carrie Cooke, he continues his obsession with finding Carroll by studying his video. Carrie continues to be her nosy self by asking about his investigation and insisting that he can trust her. We shoot over to the cult camp where Carroll and Emma are enjoying some post-sex cuddling. Later, he meets up with Robert who introduces him to a new group of psychos—and hey! There’s Emily Kinney from The Walking Dead—who according to him, are devoted to murder but need guidance.
Ryan receives good news about Mendez, confirming that she wasn’t involved with Carroll and it was all Jana’s doing. He goes in to interrogate Dr. Strauss and in flashbacks, we see when he helped Carroll after the lighthouse. Strauss compares Ryan to a psychopath, informing him that they usually mirror other psychopaths, which is what he’s been doing by obsessing over Carroll. Later, Ryan calls Carrie and asks for a slight favor.
At the camp, Carroll continues his preaching, making Mandy increasingly uncomfortable. Later, after Carroll strangles a poor fluffy kitty, just for fun, Mandy leaves the room along with others who don’t agree with his teachings. Those who aren’t willing to follow him blindly are thrown in the pit and locked up, except for her. We get another flashback of a young Joe Carroll getting introduced to his first corpse and being convinced by Strauss that they are the few chosen ones to gift death to others—it’s morbid nonetheless.
photo courtesy of FOXThe FBI arrives at Max’s apartment and they hook up Jana’s cell phone to a tracking device. Carrie goes on the news to announce that Strauss has been taken into custody, prompting Carroll to make contact with Jana even against Emma’s advice. At Max’s apartment, the cell phone rings and Ryan picks up, keeping Carroll on the line as long as possible. As expected, the team is unable to track the call. Somewhere in the city, Carroll’s new group of initiates takes turns picking random victims to attack. A passerby is stabbed and left for dead as they continue their murder spree, killing an innocent family in their own home.
Max, Ryan, and Mike continue tracking down Joe’s followers and get a lead when they identify Lance’s girlfriend, Mallory (Emily Kinney). In a cute little moment, Max asks Mike not to lie about his whereabouts even if he doesn’t say exactly where he is going—I think she’s a little jealous. I love those two. Ryan and the team get called to the home of the slain family and Max calls them to say that Mallory was caught in a security camera. They figure out the next place they’ll attack is a restaurant that used to be her old workplace. Mallory’s attempt to kill another victim fails and Ryan and the team arrive to try to talk her into surrendering and revealing Carroll’s whereabouts. Her partner sees that she’s about to divulge information and he ends up slitting her throat before getting shot himself.
Ryan tells Mike to make cults that believe in blood sacrifice a priority in their investigation. Meanwhile back at the camp, Carroll introduces the only two remaining members who returned after the killing spree. He anoints them with his own blood and then asks the rest of his congregation to embrace their destiny. Back in Ryan’s apartment, Carrie swings by for another hookup. I don’t trust this lady one bit. The episode ends with Claire making the decision to go to New York against the Witness Protection’s wishes.
Say your goodbyes Carrie Cooke because Claire is coming back and it’s not just to kill Carroll. I’m so excited to finally see the moment when Ryan and Claire reunite. It’s going to be bad for Mike and I’m sure it will cause a huge rift in their friendship but I’m confident they’ll get through it—eventually. What did you guys think of this episode? How creepy was seeing a young Carroll being introduced to murder? Do you trust Carrie Cooke? What’s Claire and Ryan’s ship name? Leave us a comment below with your thoughts and theories.
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