The Following Recap: “The Fall”

The Following Recap: “The Fall”
Original Air Date (Fox): Monday February 25, 2013
Season 1 Episode 6

by Julianne Snow:

In this episode of The Following titled “The Fall”, viewers are whisked right back into the confrontation between Ryan and Paul on the stairs of the farmhouse. With Joey being sent to his room, Paul directs Ryan to a chair. When Emma and Jacob come in, Paul learns that Hank is dead. Jacob freaks out and wants to leave immediately while Emma asks Ryan who know that they are at the farmhouse. Ryan, playing coy for a moment, tells them that everyone knows where they are and it’s only a matter of time before the house is surrounded.

The scene switches to that of Claire and Charlie as they drive into a warehouse. Charlie exits the car and leads Claire to an underground and locked enclosure full of different equipment. As Claire tried to question Charlie, he clams up not revealing too much at this time. When Claire asks to see Joey, Charlie tells her that she will soon. Trying to bide her time, Claire finds a file filled with images and reports centered on her. When she questions Charlie, he tells her that he is “her Follower”. Anyone else creeped out a bit yet?

When Agent Weston arrives at the periphery of the farm with the local police, he works with them to set up a perimeter. In the house, Jacob comes back into the room with some rope to tie up Ryan, but he’s afraid to go anywhere near him. As the power struggle between the kidnappers and Ryan, his phone rings but none of them are brave enough to answer it. Ryan continues to play each of them off the other, letting them know that he doesn’t care what happens to himself. He reveals that he knows they will not hurt Joey because of their devotion to Carroll. Showing some anger and vindictiveness, Emma places the prongs of a Taser gun over his heart and zaps him. Emma tells Ryan to make a phone call to tell the police to pull back and uses a bound and scared Megan as leverage.

Outside the farmhouse, the FBI are trying to get their ducks in a row for an assault and are monitoring any Wi-Fi activity from their mobile command. They see that an email is being sent, but Weston fails to catch it. As Parker gets updated, she knows that Carroll’s lawyer knows more than she’s letting on. When the phone rings, it’s Ryan on speakerphone. Soon the phone gets passed to Emma as Parker delves into Emma’s head and the drawings that were found at her house. Each one had born a striking resemblance to Emma’s mother and Parker tries to use that against Emma. Emma doesn’t fall for it and hangs the phone up instead.

Meanwhile, Carroll is meeting with his lawyer who gives him a status update; Ryan is at the farmhouse and Claire is missing. When the lawyer tells Carroll that she wants to know what she’s a part of, Carroll responds by telling her that “I don’t think you do”.

Viewers are treated with a montage into Parker’s background of growing up in a cult. As a young woman, she had been promised to the leader and when she broke away from him, her mother forces her back into the room. When she goes back one day to see them, they tell her how her transgression affected them. When she tells them she came for forgiveness, they tell her that they don’t forgive her. Parker responds by telling them she didn’t come for their forgiveness but that she forgives them. It’s a powerful set of scenes (because no part of the story on The Following is given to you in any large chunk) and gives you great insight into why she knows what she does and how her own experiences help her to understand what is going on a different level.

Emma comes back into the room to tell them to wait and that the Wi-Fi should be shut down because it’s not safe with the police so close. When they see that the police are backing off, they relax somewhat and Paul takes that moment to make sure that Jacob is okay with him and Emma sleeping together. The information, while given during a tense situation, opens them up to Ryan who is willing to exploit whatever he can to widen the cracks between them. Emma calls Parker back and they talk about Emma’s mother: how Emma thought she was slutty and how she killed her to be free. Parker responds by telling her that she traded one controlling relationship for another.

Once Weston is able to unscramble the email that was sent by Roderick, the SWAT team have arrived and are getting into position. Emma gets a call inside the house which she takes into the other room. When she comes back, she tells them that everything is going to be okay and goes upstairs to wake Joey. When Paul gets antsy, he tells Jacob to go upstairs and find out what’s taking them so long. When Jacob comes down to tell them Emma and Joey are gone, the truth that they were left behind begins to sink in. in the confusion, Ryan stabs Paul in the stomach with a letter opener he was able to get a hold of earlier in his captivity. Ryan quickly frees Megan and tells her to run and Ryan himself escapes outside to go in search of Emma and Joey.

When Charlie calls Roderick, Claire takes the opportunity to grab the keys and attempt to escape. She doesn’t get very far and when he brings her back, she asks what it’s all about. Charlie’s answer is somewhat cryptic when he tells her that “Joe is teaching me to feel my life”. Feeling close to her, Charlie leans into to kiss her. When she recoils, he freaks out. And I mean absolutely freaks out!

As two armed men overtake two Swat team members, Emma and Joey are making their way through the woods. When they come across Weston and one of the local police, it looks like it might be over. The local cop shoots Weston, telling Emma that she’s with Roderick.

As the FBI are storming the lair where Charlie was holding Claire, Parker tells the SWAT team to take the house down. Charlie is gone, but Claire is still in the lair and the SWAT team shoots up the house and enters it from different points, Jacob surrenders for both Paul and himself. One set of SWAT shoot the other, telling Paul and Jacob that Roderick sent them and they have to go.

In the woods, Ryan finds Weston who will be okay and goes after the Emma, the cop and Joey. He also finds the dead SWAT members before coming upon the local cop leading Emma and Joey to a stashed car. The local cop is shot dead by Ryan but both Joey and Emma get away, much to Ryan’s consternation

On another road somewhere close to the house, Jacob pops up on the road and flags down a passing car. Killing (?) the driver, Jacob steals the car for Paul and himself and they drive away.

Parker, Weston and Ryan are discussing what Carroll had been able to do once they regroup to decide what to do next. Since he placed Followers within the police force, they realize that anyone can be involved. Ryan is also visibly upset that he could not return Joey to Claire and when he goes to meet Claire, she’s upset.

Before the end of the episode Olivia, Carroll’s lawyer gives another media conference to report the allegations of abuse against him.

As Emma and Joey make their escape, Emma receives a telephone call from Jacob. He asks her “why did you leave us” and Emma plays it off, saying at least they all got out safely. Paul is hurt very badly, but thankful that Jacob did not leave him.

The next episode looks to follow suit in pace and tension – here’s hoping it’s a good one!

DarkMedia contributor Julianne Snow was first lulled into the horror genre by her parents during an ill-advised viewing of Alien when she was only 4 years old. Since that date, it’s been a given that Julianne will watch and read anything that is horror related. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies from Sirens Call Publications and Open Casket Press, as well as The Sirens Call and various other websites showcasing short fiction. She is the author of the Days with the Undead series, which can be found on her website dayswiththeundead.com. Her first novel, Days with the Undead: Book One was published in early 2012 and is based on her popular web serial. Find her on Twitter @CdnZmbiRytr.