The Following season 3 has made it quite clear that Ryan Hardy is struggling with his mental stability, but how far off the deep end will he go?
The Following has been giving us an interesting, twisty, balanced season so far. Not only are we exploring two more villains in the shape of Max Gray and Theo Noble, but Joe Carroll has not been forgotten. Sure, he’s been locked up in a prison cell this whole time, but that’s not making Ryan’s life any easier.
On the contrary, it might be driving him insane.
For the last several weeks we’ve seen Ryan having strange dreams about Joe Carroll. It’d be one thing if the dreams were about Ryan trying to catch or kill Joe, but these dreams show Ryan breaking him out of prison, playing pool with him, and even planning his girlfriend’s death.
In episode 9, Ryan was two seconds away from ending his sobriety. If the dreams didn’t already tell you how unhinged he was, perhaps Ryan almost taking a drink for the first time in over a year lays it out more clearly.
Related: The Following season 3, episode 9 recap: How much more can Ryan take?
Ryan is not in a good place, and this makes us question his continued role on the show. Will he do something more drastic than taking a sip of alcohol? With Joe having fashioned himself a key for his handcuffs, it’s only a matter of time until the famous serial killer attempts his way out of prison. And if that happens, what will it mean for Ryan?
The past few years of Ryan’s life have been centered around capturing Joe Carroll. He’s spent countless hours tracking him down, getting into his mind, and cleaning up his messes. He’s written a book. He’s lost close friends. He held a gun to Joe’s head and decided not to pull the trigger.
That sort of obsession plays with the subconscious, so it’s no wonder Ryan is struggling as much as he is. For so long all he’s known is Joe and the mission to take the psychopath down. Without that, who is Ryan Hardy?
While we’d hope Ryan Hardy could continue to be the amazing agent he is, there’s no guarantee that will happen. After all, the closer we get to Joe’s trial, the crazier Ryan seems to be getting. He’s getting it on all sides from Mark and Theo, not to mention the drama with Gwen, Max, and Mike, and still Joe continues to be a constant presence in his life, reaching out to him and even inviting him to his execution.
If Joe is executed, perhaps that’ll be one less thing on Ryan’s plate. On the flip side, however, we could see Ryan’s subconscious floating to the surface, forcing him to act on his deeply buried desires. We’ve seen agents go to the dark side before, and if anyone has an excuse for that kind of behavior because of everything they’ve been through, it’s Ryan Hardy.
Related: Will The Following season 3 actually kill off Joe Carroll?
On the other hand, it looks like Joe is attempting an escape. We know he’s strong, quick, and intelligent. It doesn’t matter if it’s a maximum security prison; Joe Carroll will find a way out.
If he does escape, will Ryan’s life go back to normal? Will he fall into the same steps he’s walked before? Will this feel like a relief to him after all the strange thoughts and dreams that have been floating around in his mind?
Perhaps this is true, but something worse could happen. Joe has information about Theo, and right now Theo is Ryan’s number one problem. Joe was a tricky enough assailant in the first two seasons, but Theo has a reach and technical savvy that Joe never had. If Joe escapes, will Ryan track him down in order to find a way to beat Theo in exchange for letting Joe get away? Perhaps Ryan can find sympathy for the devil if it means stopping an even bigger threat.
The Following season 3 has only four episodes left, and if its track record is anything to go by, these final few weeks will be a whirlwind of blood, death, and shocking revelations. Anything could happen on The Following, and perhaps season 4 will bring us our greatest villain yet — Ryan Hardy himself.