1.14 "The End Is Near"- The Following

[AntiArbitrator]

The End Is Near
NEW
S01, E14 Mon 4/22/13, 9:00pm-10:00pm FOX

Weston, Parker and Ryan plan to storm the mansion, but Joe has already orchestrated his escape; followers create a diversion at the town evacuation center, causing panic and leading to the abduction of an FBI official.

[darwin]

Okay, was going to comment on this one much sooner, but didn't get back until today...then I logged on...and logged off as I had to go do something else.

I am giving this episode a five!

I actually called "the cult at the gym poised to kill and wreak havoc as a distraction" by the whole red mist of death excerpt from Poe.

Oh! AND that Emma would be killing Jacob in that car when he asked her to escape with him and he kissed her.

But...

I think EVERYONE saw that one coming.

I liked the whole finding the mansion from the description Joey gave Ryan by noting the exact mansion in the satellite shots that was not in the property records.

I don't get how so many members of the cult made it to the gym...coming from the same direction...through the roadblocks?

No red flags there?

The guy hanging in the house...showing Joe was still firmly in control of his people in spite of the recent setbacks.

Claire is redeeming herself by saving those two people...helping them to escape.

But...

Does Joe not have ANY internal organs?

I mean, this time Claire takes a fork...sticks it into his wound and scrambles things about...and yet Joe still just gets up...sends Jacob and Emma on their way while he saunters out of the room to meet/get picked up by someone else... and THEN has enough strength and energy to manhandle Claire once she is in his grasp again.

And Claire getting recaptured by Emma and Jacob...because evidently INSTEAD of heading to the people's neighbors...and they would know the way...Claire instead led them to the road and flagged down a car coming from the direction of the house they just left.

I thought Ryan would catch the guy who signalled the beginning of the slaughter at the gym.

And I SO did not want Parker to go off on her own!!!!!!

Captured and Buried Alive!!!!

The upside is that it looks pretty shallow.

The bad guys said "Take small breaths!" But she was screaming because it was freaking terrifying and psychological torture!

I hope Ryan and Weston save both Parker and Claire.

[AntiArbitrator]

The episode deserves a 5 for drama, suspense and an apparently invincible villain.

I must admit I was gritting my teeth just a little while the FBI agents were pondering the clue in the poem.

Because the Red Death spares no one.
No pestilence has ever been so fatal or so hideous.
Blood was its avatar and its seal.
Darkness and decay and the Red Death
Held dominion over all.

Then, I was happy they arrived at the gym before anything happened. It was much more difficult to prevent mayhem when the cult members were willing to die rather than focus on escape.

The only reasonable explanation I can think of for that many cult members to get past the roadblocks is that some of the police must have been friends of the cult. The scene in the gym held me in suspense while I waited to see what the cult planned. I wondered if there would be a mass suicide or would they show a video of Claire being tortured. My imagination was quite active with gruesome anticipation. I liked the hand gesture that initiated the flash mob killing spree.

When Jacob told Emma he would leave with or without her, I knew he would not survive. There were several incidents that led to his defection, one of which was Emma leaving him at the farmhouse; he then had to kill his friend; and one of the agents planted the idea that Joe would not care if he lived or died. So I was not surprised that Jacob had had enough.

Claire running to the road was groan worthy, but she does get points for helping the couple to escape. I wondered if she would stab Joe with the corkscrew, but that might have been too gory. At least we know there is a limit to Joe’s love and obsession with Claire.

I hope the team rescues Parker before she goes insane. Hopefully, Claire will escape before Ryan goes insane.

Really enjoyed the episode.

[darwin]

Yes. VERY enjoyable episode.

I also found it...okay...at first I found it...icky...that Joe was watching Ryan and Claire having sex....and that Joe had someone place the camera so Joe could watch Ryan and Claire having sex.

Then...Joe heard Ryan say..."I can't be killed..I'm dead already." Or something to that effect.

We have seen that Ryan cares nothing for himself. FREQUENTLY asks to be killed in the place of others.

Joe already knew that Ryans pain comes from NOT being able to stop the death of others.

But Joe latches onto the fact that Ryan is dead inside. (Expressed even after sex with Claire).

So yes...either Ryan will go insane from Claires death...

...or be alive with passion and a desire for revenge and NEVER stop hunting Joe.

Which is what Joe wants.

[AntiArbitrator]

Apr 25, 2013 11:20:59 GMT -5 darwin said:

Yes. VERY enjoyable episode.

I also found it...okay...at first I found it...icky...that Joe was watching Ryan and Claire having sex....and that Joe had someone place the camera so Joe could watch Ryan and Claire having sex.

Then...Joe heard Ryan say..."I can't be killed..I'm dead already." Or something to that effect.

We have seen that Ryan cares nothing for himself. FREQUENTLY asks to be killed in the place of others.

Joe already knew that Ryans pain comes from NOT being able to stop the death of others.

But Joe latches onto the fact that Ryan is dead inside. (Expressed even after sex with Claire).

Which is what Joe wants.

After reading this, I viewed the scene again. Ryan was with Molly (9/15/11) and she made a comment about break-up sex being good and she should come over [to his apartment] more often. I found it icky also and had averted my eyes during that scene but I remembered the comment about break-up sex.

Your proposed options "So yes...either Ryan will go insane from Claires death...

...or be alive with passion and a desire for revenge and NEVER stop hunting Joe." would lead to a very interesting 2^nd season.

[darwin]

OH!

That was Molly and NOT Claire!

Thank-you for pointing out that out! I missed that entirely.

Still icky though.

I mean, Joe watching his wife having sex...icky...

Joe watching watching...what? The equivilent of an employee? Congregation member? Having sex...

...also icky.

BUT then Ryan's comment makes sense...as he was NOT with Claire! Dead inside not even with the woman he loves nor able to tell her.

Personally, I like the option where Claire lives the best!

But...

I somehow feel I will be disappointed in this.

[AntiArbitrator]

We saw Claire's handler watch video feed from the cameras installed in her bedroom so Joe probably saw a lot of private moments.

Are you hoping Joe Carroll will be included in season 2?

[darwin]

Right...just do not see the upside of Joe watching the private moments...

I guess that's one of the things that "seats him in the crazy [as an example of crazy] but not stupid section"...

*smiles*

And to answer your question...

YES!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM hoping Joe Carroll will be included in season 2!

James Purefoy is an amazing actor...I first recall seeing him in A KNIGHT'S TALE...and was sad that his OWN series was cancelled...THE PHILANTHOPIST.....

And Joe Carroll is the only one equal to Ryan...the rest would be almost too easy.

And Ryan would really have no reason to be back deputized/consulting with the FBI if Joe were not around.

[AntiArbitrator]

Me too! I want Joe Carroll to survive and continue to torment Ryan. This is the best role I have seen Kevin Bacon play. I was not familiar with Purefoy, but I became an instant fan of his talent during the first episode of this series.