10 reasons why you should start follow The Following

There have been a handful of episodes of The Following already, so instead of doing a full review, I'm going to give you ten very good reasons why you should catch up and start following The Following!

Kevin Bacon plays a pretty good Kevin Bacon.

1. Kevin Bacon!
Look, it's not just that Kevin Bacon is in it, (I mean you should watch it for that alone because, Kevin Bacon!) but also that he's really really good in it. His character, Ryan Hardy, is a mess of a man, after he was almost killed by his nemesis, the deranged killer Joe Carroll(James Purefoy), but he's also the only one who can track and get inside the head of Joe. He's complicated, scarred, and kind of a dick. But he's also a badass. He is a man who just does not give two fucks about torturing a killer to get info or messing with captors who think they have the upper hand.

2. That Guy From Animorphs!
Or if you prefer, Ice-Man from the X-Men movies(which, with Kevin Bacon, gives another sub-reason: Quasi X-Men reunion!) but anyone with half a lick of nostalgia will remember Shawn Ashmore as that guy who could turn into a tiger on Animorphs the TV show! You can't tell me you don't remember that and don't want to see people from it in a show about a cult. Stop lying to yourself, man.

It's Ice-Man from Animorphs!

3. It's About a Cult!
Cults are creepy as fuck. And they're really interesting also as fuck! And it's not just about any cult, it's a cult that centers around Edgar Allen Poe! You know you love you some Poe. But seriously, it's fascinating seeing how the cult operates  how the people get pulled in, and what would cause them to be a part fo something like this.

4. It's a Bloody Good Time!
And by that I mean there is a lot of violence around. It's one decapitation and a shitload of nudity away from an episode of Dexter. There's gunshots and stabbings and fingers getting broken and lopped off and eyes gauged-oh what's that? You don't like gratuitous violence at all? Oh welll um...moving on...


5. It's funny!
Hahaha stabbings! No not that kind of funny you sicko. I mean that Ryan gets some generally entertaining quips in. Also it's great to see him being a dick to...pretty much everyone.  The FBI won't let him have a gun or let him do things his way, so it's always entertaining to see him give his fellow teammates the slip to go off adventuring.


6. It Has a Progessive Take on Relationships!
Within the cult, there is a love triangle between it's three prominent members, two guys and a girl.  They fight some, but they all love each other and want to help each other. It's a much healthier look at relationships than you'd expect form a show about a cult. Also there's a three-way sex shower scene. Not to mention all the strong female leads prominently featured in the show.  Way to be progressive evil cult members!

Valorie Curry is a complicated crazy person.

7. It's Super Suspenseful!
They do a steller job of making you wonder what will happen next in the search and capture for these deadly cult members. Someone close to Ryan is always being put in harms way, and it's Ryan who gets pushed to his limits as a person to save the ones he loves. The way it's set up, you learn very quickly that because of the charisma of Joe Carroll, so many have become secret followers that anyone could be one, including people in the police and FBI! It's great fun making bets of who's a secret follower, who's being blackmailed by the followers, and who's just going to die next. With no one to trust, who do you turn to?

8. It's mMade by the Guy Who Wrote Scream!
You like Scream don't you? Of course you do! Who doesn't?  Of course the creator of the show, Kevin Williamson, also did Screams 2, 3 & 4, but the important thing is that he did the first one, which was really good.

9. Plenty of Strong Complex Female Characters!
I may be overstepping my boundaries saying so, but I think there are a number of strong prominent women in major roles, and that's pretty amazing in any show these days. Natalie Zea plays Joe Carrol's Ex and mother to their child, and it's pretty obvious she'll do anything, with or without the help of Ryan and the FBI to get her child back. Valorie Curry plays Emma, one of Joe's most important followers, who has a complex past and is the only one who can keep her fellow followers in line. Annie Parisse plays Debra Parker, who keeps Ryan in line and has a colorful past involving cults herself. There's even Joe Carrol's lawyer who helps him for certain reasons!

10. It's a Very Well-Made Show!
The cast is great, the pacing is perfect, the twists are fun in a sick sort of way, there's tons of action, suspense and drama, and at the end of each episode, you continuously want to find out how this will all play to in the end and what Joe's endgame is. It's a great show, and definitely worth a watch if you're looking for a new suspense thriller to become obsessed with!