The Following Recap: Couples Night!

It was couples night on The Following, as a number of duos were introduced, pulled together, or ripped apart—and in one case, set us up for the best twist ending of the series so far. Since the plot didn’t move ahead by much, let’s take a look some of the odd couples that made for another solid episode.

The Tea Party Bros
Vincent and Brock are the newest followers—self-described “Constitutional extremists” and psycho brothers-from-other-mothers who met in foster care and were raised by a militia group. Somehow that means they know the FBI’s safehouse procedures. Despite their fondness for micro-Uzis, ski masks and Kevlar vests, Brock still ends up on the wrong end of a shotgun blast. (In other news at the Nuthouse, we learn someone named “Lizzie” is in charge of grocery shopping. Good to know.)

Carroll and Joey
What’s a serial-killer dad to do when his son won’t bond? Make s’mores, of course. Psychological manipulation is Carroll’s thing, so toying with little Joey’s love of sweets is especially devious. And how many times can the kid hear “You’ll see your mom soon” before he starts acting like dad and stabs someone?

Carroll and Roderick
More tension develops between the old boss and the new one, as Roderick bristles when Carroll gives him a direct order and reminds him he’s failed twice. Roderick seemed rather comfortable running the show at the Nuthouse while Carroll was behind bars. Now that daddy’s home, these two alpha males aren’t playing very nice.

Jacob and Emma
I was sure that Jacob’s hallucination of seeing Emma bloody in the bathtub would end up a reality. When Jacob imagined stabbing Paul—complete with those nasty knife sounds—in the closing moments, it seemed like Emma would go into the bathroom and end up on the wrong side of a blade. Instead, it looks like all it took to get Jacob to grow a pair was the suffocation death of his pal (I think it was Thomas Jefferson who once said, “There is no greater measure of a man than his willingness to squeeze the life-breath from a friend with a couch pillow.”) Knowing Emma, the fact that Jacob might kill her is probably a major turn-on.

Jacob and Paul
For a guy who says he isn’t gay, Jacob sure does like to imagine Paul wearing nothing but a towel.

Ryan and Tyson
With Mike presumably still recovering from Follower Fight Club, Ryan gets a new sidekick who should know a few things about serial killers—Sgt. Angel Batista from Dexter. Tyson is Ryan’s best friend from the FBI academy who’s handy with a shotgun and comfortable dishing with Claire about Ryan’s feelings. He’s also familiar with the Ryan Hardy Death Curse and one of the very few people who can make Ryan smile. Chances for survival (or not being sent back into hiding, far away from Ryan’s lethal touch) are slim.

Ryan and Claire
Considering all of the bonehead moves Claire makes, it’s a mystery that Ryan cares so much about her. Maybe it’s her romantic side, as she shows by telling him they’re probably meant for each other because they’re both so hopelessly screwed up. Or maybe it’s when she decides to stop applying pressure to Tyson’s critical wound and goes running outside, into the darkness, alone. Or when she gives herself up to Roderick and then mouths the words “I love you” to Ryan, whose best friend might die after he tried to save her for no apparent reason. Or maybe it’s when Claire asks Ryan “What if you’re my forward?,” which suggests she’s been watching Grey’s Anatomy marathons in the safehouse. If Ryan really wants to quit Carroll’s game, he should let him have her.

Ryan and Molly
In the flashback scenes with Tyson, he mentions the last girl Ryan dated—a redheaded lass named Molly who wanted to get serious. PDA sessions seemed to indicate Ryan felt the same. What could have driven her away, we wonder. Was it the curse? Ryan’s drinking? His obsession with Carroll? It seems a minor puzzle, until Carroll gives Ryan a call to delight in his pain. As Carroll sips wine by the fireplace and Ryan watches over his bullet-riddled friend, a woman arrives at the Nuthouse. We’re expecting a reunion between Claire and her ex-husband. Instead, it’s Molly, who’s apparently a cult member. Carroll seems overjoyed, as are we. Having seduced Ryan with one of his acolytes helps explain why Carroll is so deep in Ryan’s head—and suggests that with both Claire and Joey gone, Ryan’s bad luck streak is about to get even worse.