‘The Following’ Spoilers: With Joe Dead, Who Stands In Ryan’s Way Of Happiness?
It finally happened. The Following actually killed Joe Carroll, despite his attempt to delay his execution in “Evermore.” However, in the end, Joe did get what he wanted: a certain person present for his death.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, the Following episode “Evermore” was all about Joe’s execution day, and Ryan wasn’t given a choice about attending when Joe killed two guards and took three hostages and said he’d kill them if Ryan didn’t come to the prison. With no choice but to agree to those terms, Ryan joined Joe, even as Gwen asked him not to, and while Joe let one of the hostages go, Joe also quickly took control of the situation once Ryan was in the room.
Ryan admitted that he’s been dreaming about Joe and said everything the other man wanted to hear, and with that, Joe surrendered. However, that was when Theo struck, opening the doors to the cells of the other death row inmates, and so Joe and Ryan had to work together to put them down – and Ryan actually saved Joe. Despite all that, Joe’s execution goes on as scheduled, and with Ryan watching, just like he wanted. After that, Ryan went to a bar, ordered two shots, toasted with “Joe,” and started drinking again.
In fact, the promo for the next new Following episode shows Ryan admitting to Gwen that he screwed up when she realizes he’s been drinking. Even though Joe’s dead, he just can’t let him go, as you can see in the video below.
And yes, Joe is dead, as James Purefoy confirmed to TVLine, so don’t expect another surprise return from the dead.
“For the first time, The Following actually did what they said. They didn’t pull the rug out from underneath you and do something unexpected. They said, ‘He’s dying – and he really is going to die.’ I think a lot of people thought they were lying. No, no; he died.”
That said, Purefoy also teased that he “might be making a little appearance, once or twice,” as Ryan’s visions of Joe continue, which you can also see in the promo above.
So what does life look like for Ryan Hardy in a Joe-less world? Can he have a life? That’s what the season is going to be addressing as it reaches the finale, executive producer Alexi Hawley told Entertainment Weekly.
“We’re driving towards a pretty spectacular resolution on that question of: Am I allowed to be happy?”
There are still other evils out there for Ryan to contend with, other than his own drinking, like Theo and Annet Mehendru’s Eliza, “the face of a new evil,” according to Hawley, “which will challenge Ryan even more.”
The Following Season 3 airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Fox.
[Image via Fox]
