Will The Following have the nerve to kill off its central villain during season 3? We discuss the chances!
This week’s episode of The Following season 3, titled “Reunion,” offered us plenty of questions, plenty of answers, and plenty of shocking twists. However, one plot point that has really stuck out to us is the fate of one Joe Carroll, the series’ central villain.
In episode 6, Ryan Hardy finally visited Joe for the first time since he decided to let the judicial system take care of the serial killer, rather than put a bullet it his head. It wasn’t easy for Ryan, but he needed Joe’s help to catch Dr. Strauss.
Joe agreed to help, with one stipulation — Ryan was to visit him every single day until “D-Day,” the day he is to be executed. Ryan reluctantly agrees, and we find out in next week’s preview that Joe only has seven days left to live.
But will The Following really kill off such an important character? Sure, he’s a villain, and they’re more disposable than the heroes, but Ryan’s life has circled around Joe’s existence for the last few years. Once Joe is gone, will he continue to serve a purpose?
In this week’s episode, even Joe said, “When I die, you die.” That could have a heavier meaning than just metaphorically — there are still Carroll sympathizers out there, after all — but we have to wonder if it is also true about this entire situation. Once Joe is out of the picture, will there be a reason for us to care about Ryan Hardy as much as we do now? Will the show hold the same amount of suspense and immediacy if he’s gone?
Related: The Following season 3, episode 6 recap: Beneath the water
All speculation about the show’s future aside, we do have to wonder if The Following writers will have the guts to make such a bold move. If we’ve learned anything about this show, though, it’s that they aren’t afraid to take risks. They killed Dr. Strauss off in episode 6, after all. He was, in essence, the father figure for an entire group of serial killers, so in a way he was even more of a threat and more integral than Joe Carroll. Perhaps Joe’s days are numbered after all.
Considering we just had a major death and we’re not even halfway through the season yet, we think it’s possible that Joe’s own end will be dragged out. The Following tends to create episodes that bleed from one into the next, with few jumps in time in order to keep up that extremely high level of tension. Even if they do kill Joe, it might not be until the season 3 finale.
In the end, we’re on the fence about what we want concerning Joe’s fate. On the one hand, killing him off will change the entire dynamic of the show, which may actually be a good thing. We’ve had two full seasons of Joe causing problems for Ryan, and it’s been nice to see Ryan dealing with other issues outside of Carroll and his followers. Killing Joe could have its own set of repercussions, and it could be interesting to see how Ryan moves on with his life.
On the other hand, keeping Joe around could toe an interesting line. He is obviously Ryan’s mortal enemy, but he is, in a lot of ways, also Ryan’s best chance at taking down many of the other serial killers that have studied under Dr. Strauss. Joe has already proved he could be just as alluring and elusive in jail as he was in the real world, and we wouldn’t mind it if James Purefoy stuck around for a few more seasons.