# The Following **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980 "2013-01-22T04:40:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/1 "2013-01-22T04:40:23Z")
Anyone watch it? In case there are people still planning to catch on their DVR, I’ll only start by saying that, holy hell that was awesome and Kevin Bacon is still freaking hot! This may be the most exciting series I’ve seen in forever. I cannot wait for next week to get here fast enough. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/2 "2013-01-22T04:53:32Z")
It’s looking good enough for another episode at least. Bacon makes it appealing as does Purefoy. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/3 "2013-01-22T06:49:42Z")
I’ll have to catch it Friday night when they re-run the pilot, but so far it sounds reallly good. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/4 "2013-01-22T06:52:15Z")
Got it DVR’d. Will catch it on Wednesday. Glad it’s getting good reviews. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/5 "2013-01-22T06:58:22Z")
I thought it was an interesting pilot. I’m intrigued enough to continue watching and see where the story goes. Could have done without the dog scene though. What that cop said afterward is exactly how I feel. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/6 "2013-01-22T08:12:52Z")
I was prepared to like it. I _wanted_ to like it. I’ve always liked Bacon, I liked Purefoy in _Rome_, and I am very short of current shows that I like. But I don’t think I’ll watch it any more. [spoiler] It was stupid enough for Bacon to take off by himself, but it was just idiotic when he had driven there and started looking around, making all kinds of noise, and only then realized he didn’t have a gun. I mean, it’s such a cliche that you don’t go into the haunted house alone that spoofs like _Scary Movie_ make fun of people that dumb. And they’ve made it clear that the killer is magic, and that any time he needs something done, there is someone to do it for him, so it wouldn’t be a fair fight even if the hero wasn’t stupid and physically impaired.[/spoiler] Very disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/7 "2013-01-22T09:58:55Z")
It’s been bugging me that Purefoy’s character reminded me of another show, and I couldn’t figure out which one. But it just hit me — it’s not one show, it’s two: [spoiler] **Red John** , from _The Mentalist_, a serial killer enjoys taunting the police, and who has a large “following” of disciples who will literally do anything for him. As a bonus, Purefoy could be the twin brother of [Gerard Butler](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0124930/), who in _Law Abiding Citizen_ played a man who deliberately allowed himself to be incarcerated, and then orchestrated all kinds of mayhem from his jail cell.[/spoiler]And speaking of twin brothers, I was sure that the guy playing the eager young agent was the actor who played Jimmy Olsen in _Smallville_, but it turns out it’s his twin brother. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/8 "2013-01-22T13:44:12Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > I was prepared to like it. I _wanted_ to like it. I’ve always liked Bacon, I liked Purefoy in _Rome_, and I am very short of current shows that I like. But I don’t think I’ll watch it any more. > > [spoiler] > It was stupid enough for Bacon to take off by himself, but it was just idiotic when he had driven there and started looking around, making all kinds of noise, and only then realized he didn’t have a gun. I mean, it’s such a cliche that you don’t go into the haunted house alone that spoofs like _Scary Movie_ make fun of people that dumb. > > And they’ve made it clear that the killer is magic, and that any time he needs something done, there is someone to do it for him, so it wouldn’t be a fair fight even if the hero wasn’t stupid and physically impaired.[/spoiler] > Very disappointed. Pretty much this. So much of it was cop show cliche. I don’t think Bacon is breaking any new ground, and the angry female cop (I don’t know anyone’s name yet) already irritates me. I really wanted to like this show. Will give it a couple more chances but the first episode was a real letdown. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/9 "2013-01-22T13:58:50Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > I was prepared to like it. I _wanted_ to like it. I’ve always liked Bacon, I liked Purefoy in _Rome_, and I am very short of current shows that I like. But I don’t think I’ll watch it any more. Your spoiler says it for me. My wife and I threw up our hands and yelled at the TV. But … the story is just starting to unfold and we will probably be back for more. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/10 "2013-01-22T14:00:20Z")
I’ll give it two more shots but the pilot was pretty thick with cliches and predictability. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/11 "2013-01-22T17:41:20Z")
I’ll give it another episode or two, but eh. It could bloom into something but there’s just too much implausibility right off the bat. It’s funny that they tried to justify the insane random devotion of the cultists by pointing out the insane random devotion of other cultists. The one cop says “2 guys for 3 years pretend to be gay and live these fake lives and live next ot this girl just to serve this guy? I don’t buy it” “Well, there was that woman who was willing to kill herself, and the prison guard who will kill for him” - in other words, we’re going to use other implausible actions to justify this implausible action because hey, at least they’re all implausible and we’re being consistent. I could buy that a charismatic man could figure out the budding serial killer nature of his prison guard that he has extended contact with. The other stuff - random chat rooms on the internet once a week? Come on. I think I’m only giving any credit to the show because it has the aesthetics of a serious drama, but without much to back it up. We’ve been spoiled by shows like Breaking Bad which so carefully set up character motivations for doing everything, who build their worlds and characters with such intricate details, that it’s hard to just accept a wildly devoted cult that’ll do anything for the magic killer without any plausible reason. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/12 "2013-01-22T19:37:42Z")
I liked it and have read enough serial killer fiction to get the “has a huge following and can do whatever” thing as almost a serial killer trope. I’ll also break this ground and say that not only did “bitch cop” annoy me with her personality, but holy shit that mole is distracting as all hell and I am not kidding is literally taking away from the scenes she is in cuz I cannot pay any attention to anything else ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/13 "2013-01-22T19:40:14Z")
I think it tries to throw too much drama at us right from the start. No character build up, no tension build up, no down time… I though the guy was doing a Hugh Jackman impression for awhile there. [spoiler]I cannot get my mind around serial killers with ‘followers’ who will do his bidding. Maybe the occasional disciple…but 2 guys willing to pretend to be a gay couple and friends of the target for 3 years? I cannot believe that an inmate, even with the help of a deranged guard, could kill 4 guards in an enclosed room. Or that the two next door could kill 2 FBI agents and abduct a woman without making a sound. [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/14 "2013-01-23T03:12:46Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > I was prepared to like it. I _wanted_ to like it. I’ve always liked Bacon, I liked Purefoy in _Rome_, and I am very short of current shows that I like. But I don’t think I’ll watch it any more. > > [spoiler] > It was stupid enough for Bacon to take off by himself, but it was just idiotic when he had driven there and started looking around, making all kinds of noise, and only then realized he didn’t have a gun. I mean, it’s such a cliche that you don’t go into the haunted house alone that spoofs like _Scary Movie_ make fun of people that dumb. > > And they’ve made it clear that the killer is magic, and that any time he needs something done, there is someone to do it for him, so it wouldn’t be a fair fight even if the hero wasn’t stupid and physically impaired.[/spoiler] > Very disappointed. I agree with the cliches, but not seeing the magic. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/15 "2013-01-23T03:28:22Z")
I liked it. But one thing that got me was they mentioned how he had all these visitors in prison. Aren’t those visits generally recorded? I imagine talking about killing would raise some major red flags. And where I live they don’t let just anyone come to visit you in prison. Your visitors have to get clearance. I know, they mentioned that one guard who was his protege, but I imagine you would also need higher ups pulling strings for you to make your scheme work. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/16 "2013-01-23T04:11:54Z")
Just finished watching it. Kevin Bacon alone is enough for me to give another couple of gos. I like the premise. I’ll be interested to see exactly how he amassed such a following and got them to do his bidding. I did find it a bit predictable in him going off on his own. I don’t like the bitchy female cop, either. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/17 "2013-01-23T04:13:35Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I agree with the cliches, but not seeing the > > magic. Stuff like being able to sneak a resisting woman out of a house surrounded by 8 cops, or basically the mind control over the internet that makes up the premise of the show I presume. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/18 "2013-01-23T04:28:59Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I thought it was an interesting pilot. I’m intrigued enough to continue watching and see where the story goes. Could have done without the dog scene though. What that cop said afterward is exactly how I feel. Haven’t watched it yet. What happens in the dog scene? Graphic animal abuse would upset the Druidess, so if that’s what it is, I’ll likely just delete the show… ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/19 "2013-01-23T04:33:58Z")
I agree with those who said it was too cliched and implausible. The woman follower with the tattoos - was she in the FBI building or just a police station? Either way, not a chance in hell she’d get past the metal detectors at the front doors with a big-ass icepick. Just dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980/20 "2013-01-23T04:45:37Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Haven’t watched it yet. What happens in the dog scene? Graphic animal abuse would upset the Druidess, so if that’s what it is, I’ll likely just delete the show… Nothing Direct but HEAVILY insinuated. You _might_ get a shot or two of a dead dog (I can’t remember) but you don’t actually see anything happen [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-following/647980.md?page=2)