Distributor: Warner Home Video
Episodes: 15
Duration: 44 min (per episode)
The Following: Season 3 (Blu-ray) – Series Review
The first two seasons of The Following revolves around FBI agent Ryan Hardy and the attempts to re-capture serial killer Joe Carroll, after escaping federal prison twice. Eventually agent Hardy stumbles upon a cult, led by Lily Gray, who claims she is a follower of the famous Joe Carroll. With the help of his niece Max Hardy, agent Hardy has come up with a plan to finally capture the killer that has terrorized hundreds of people.
The third season of The Following takes place a year after the events of season two. In a mere month the famous serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), who found his equal in FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon), will be executed. In the meantime Ryan’s niece Max Hardy (Jessica Stroup) has joined the bureau and moved on with her life when her boyfriend FBI agent Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore) went on a wild goose chase eleven months ago. Now the team is united again as they face a series of staged murders, each carrying a message that the trio lied about previous events. The trust in the FBI is starting to diminish as the trial of Dr. Strauss (Gregg Henry), who is believed to be “the father of serial killers”, is set in motion. When it is clear that several ex-students of Dr. Strauss has reached out to each other, creating a tight network of untrustworthy killers, the hunt begins. It is during these manhunts that agent Hardy stumbles upon Dr. Strauss’ star pupil, who may be the worst serial killer he has ever faced.
As the father of serial killers, Dr. Strauss links directly to Joe Carroll, which allows the latter one to still have an important role in the series. His role amplifies when agent Hardy starts to unravel the series of murders. It is great that the narrative continues to build on the events of previous seasons but it makes it harder to simply jump into the series at any given time. With the help of flashbacks to events of eleven months ago, the viewer can piece the puzzle together but it’ll remain difficult.
To say that the series start off strong is an understatement. In the first episode, the body count was already up to nine. By the end of the season, the body count was over 80 (including four imaginary ones). That number surpasses Quentin Taratino’s Django Unchained, which truly says a lot about the action in the series. Although the series is packed with action and bloody crimes, the plot isn’t overly complicated. This causes plenty of predictable moments and utterly destroys the mystery behind the murders.
The need to kill and the thrill of the hunt is strong in the series, but it doesn’t leave enough room to show the emotional development of the characters or their relationships. Because of this, the viewer cannot truly bond with the protagonists. In fact, it is easier to feel a kinship with the numerous psychopaths in the series than it is with the main characters.
The visual aspect is not something that is often discussed when it comes down to series but I felt obliged to mention part of it. For the most part the camera angles and stabilizations are perfect but there are moments where the image isn’t stabilized, causing a terrible camera shake. These moments are uneasy to watch and it feels like these have been recorded quickly to provide filler. Fortunately there are only a handful of moments that seem to be recorded by hand.
With actors such as Kevin Bacon (X-men: First Class) and Shawn Ashmore (X-men: Days of Future Past), they’ve set the bar of performance quite high. Luckily their colleagues are able to perform just as great, no matter what role they take on. Because of this, the viewer is rewarded with a series of high quality, despite the lack of emotional bonding.
The box set comes with a good amount of extra features, extending the view time by an hour and more. Not only is there a gag reel and unaired scenes, the box set offers more insights on the development of the series such as a character perspective documentary, a personification of evil and the art of crime scene photos. Additionally, the box set offers a glimpse of the NYCC 2014 panel and a real-world parody of The Following, all great additions to an already stunning show.
Conclusion
The Following Season 3 is a gruesome but great successor to the series, with a narrative that continues the previous seasons. With a body count higher than most Quentin Tarantino movies, the series is packed with action and gore, causing a great lack of dramatic and emotional bonding between the characters and the viewer. But even without a complicated plot and many predictable moments, the series is absolutely amazing.
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