Execution day has come for Joe Carroll, but he is not the kind of guy to go quietly. Find out if he survived The Following season 3, episode 10 in our recap.
‘The Following’ season 3, episode 10 recap
The crowds are gathering and the machine is being prepped for Joe Carroll’s death by lethal injection. He is woken by the noises of doors opening, and the guard greets him with, “Welcome to the last day of your life.”
A fully dressed SWAT team shows up with Joe’s court-appointed attorney to fetch Joe Carroll from his cell. They strap him into this weird chair-thing and wheel him through the cellblock. He trades barbs with the prisoners, insulting as they go.
Theo, meanwhile, goes to fetch a girl from the bed of a creepy druggie. The guy threatens Theo, and our newest serial killer has no problem putting the man down.
The governor’s chief of staff shows up to witness the execution, and make sure that everything goes smoothly. Just as the guards are telling him about the stun gun they will use if he tries anything, they release Joe’s restraints, and Joe takes the weapon he fashioned out of the sunglasses from his side. He stabs a guard, steals the stun gun, and knocks out all the armed men in the room. He then proceeds to use the stun gun to burn one of the guards’ eyes. Joe Carroll’s going out with a bang alright.
Ryan, Mike, and Max are all present to find out Joe Carroll’s demands. Basically, Joe wants Ryan there in 2 hours, or he will kill all the hostages. If they cut the feed to his security camera or try anything to stop him, he will kill a hostage.
The woman that Theo rescued from the druggie’s bed wakes up in an unfamiliar house. She wanders around and finds a man chained up in a room down the hall. She is unaffected. Clearly she is one of them. When she finds out that Theo killed Josh, the druggie, she is a little perturbed. She hasn’t been paying attention to the news, so when Theo fills her in on his cover being blown and his murder of Strauss, she’s a little shocked.
Ryan is going in unarmed. He takes a moment to call Gwen, who tries to tell him about the pregnancy, but can’t get it out before he hangs up. Mike and Max tell Ryan to kill Joe if he gets the chance, and he counters by telling them to take care of each other if something happens to him.
Ryan enters the block and the locked up inmates go wild. Joe instructs Ryan to take off his jacket and shirt (to prove he’s unarmed). He then tells Ryan to put on a pair of handcuffs and close them behind his back. Ryan refuses to comply until Joe releases the hostages. Joe relents and releases one. He lets the doctor go. Ryan then closes the handcuffs, and Joe enters the room. Joe uses the stun gun on him and Ryan collapses.
Theo shows the girl Strauss’ notebook. He tells her that the book contains a name for a man that can get him his anonymity back after he kills Ryan Hardy. Theo is determined to make Ryan suffer for his actions.
Joe wakes Ryan after stringing him up similarly to how he restrained the hostages. Joe wants Ryan to admit that they are soulmates. Joe has brought Ryan here to prove to him that the most important relationship in his life is with Joe. If Ryan cannot admit it, and believe it in his heart, then no one is getting out of there alive.
Ryan begs Joe to let the hostages go, but Joe tells him that they’re instrumental to this process. Joe tells the governor’s chief of staff to strap the attorney-lady to the examination table. She starts to cry. Joe threatens to cut out her eyes when Ryan doesn’t talk. Ryan then gives him details about the dreams he’s had with Joe in them.
Joe and Ryan have a disturbing discussion about what Ryan gets from killing people on the job. He tells Joe that he gets satisfaction out of it. When Ryan admits that, Joe releases him from the cuffs, and Ryan sucker punches Joe in the gut. Joe then presents his wrists for the cuffs. He is ready to accept his fate now that Ryan has admitted their closeness.
Theo’s lady-friend (aka his sister, Penny) sees that Theo has control over the prison (via his laptop) and she decides to save him from himself. She opens the doors to the cell block, releasing the prisoners on Ryan and the two hostages (and a cuffed Joe), and she locked out anyone that could help. It’s Ryan, an attorney, a guy in a suit, and a stun gun vs. the death row inmates. One inmate stabs the Chief of Staff, one takes the attorney, and another marches Joe back toward his cell.
Ryan goes psycho on the inmates and beats them as they threaten the attorney. He leaves them dead in the snow, as he’s covered in blood.
Ryan arrives just in time to save Joe, and he’s a little conflicted. He pauses, but soon enters the cell and kills the man trying to kill Joe. He helps Joe Carroll to his feet and the SWAT team enters moments later. Ryan is clearly not the same man that entered that cell block.
Theo tells his sister, Penny, that she almost ruined everything. He needs leverage to make the deals he needs to make. Ryan Hardy and his death are that leverage.
Ryan calls Gwen to put her mind at ease, and he tells her that he needs to stay and see this thing out. When she balks at his decision, Ryan reminds her that she said she could handle this, and that he needs her to.
Penny relates this code to Theo’s hacking expertise, and it knocks an idea loose. When he compares the books in Joe and Strauss’ libraries, he discovers a Lovecraft book on both lists. He uses a quote of his to solve his code dilemma. He isn’t given a name, but a pair of coordinates.
Joe’s execution is set to occur on schedule. After Ryan delivers the news, Joe tells Ryan that Theo hails from Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, as a parting gift. They then say goodbye and Ryan leaves.
The last minutes of the episode show Joe being led to the execution chamber, strapped down to the chair, and prepped. The shades are raised to the gallery of those there to witness, and Joe is asked if he has any final words. Joe simply says, “To quote ‘The Raven:’ “Evermore.” After a few moments of struggling, Joe goes limp, and soon after, his heart stops. He is declared dead at 12:11am. The shades are lowered on the gallery, and Ryan is the last to leave.
Ryan goes to a bar for a drink, orders two shots of whiskey, and passes one to Joe, who he sees sitting next to him. Ryan says, “Here’s to you.” Joe replies, “Here’s to us.”
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.