The Following Recap: “Welcome Home”

The Following Recap: “Welcome Home”
Original Air Date (Fox): Monday March 11, 2013
Season 1 Episode 8

by Julianne Snow:

“Welcome Home”, the eighth episode of The Following begins with Joey in his new bedroom at the house of Followers. He is talking to Carroll, who can tell he is afraid. As Carroll tries to connect with the son he’s never met, viewers can really see that Joey isn’t buying into the idea of the ‘happy reunion’ just yet. Emma comes into the room and sees that Joey is giving Carroll the silent treatment and pulls Carroll aside. She tells him that everyone is waiting for him downstairs.

Meanwhile at the prison, Ryan and Parker are meeting with Nick Donovan who has been assigned to oversee the case. They tell him that Claire has been moved into protective custody and Donovan instructs Ryan to go back to just consulting on the case. When they exit the room, Ryan pulls Weston aside and asks him to keep tabs on Donovan.

At the house full of Carroll’s Followers, Emma and Carroll are still talking. There has been no word from Jacob or Paul. They go downstairs to meet with the rest of the Followers when a police car with sirens and flashing lights pulls up outside. In walks the town Sheriff, who is also the elusive Roderick. As Roderick shows Carroll around the compound, viewers are treated to a flashback: Roderick is sitting across the glass from Carroll asking why he took blame for two of the women that Roderick killed.

Back at the prison, David says he will only talk to Ryan and Donovan asks that Ryan sit in on the interrogation with him. David asks Ryan how he liked the plot twist: Carroll escaping a second time. David tries to intimidate and scare Ryan by telling him “you don’t find us, we find you” which Ryan just brushes off. David bites the webbing between his thumb and forefinger and as his mouth starts to bleed and foam, they know he has taken something. In moments, David is dead.

At the compound, Carroll is talking to Charlie who is expressing his regret in not being able to bring Claire to him. As they continue the tour, Roderick brings Carroll to the inspiration room and Carroll tells them he wants Claire brought to the house. Roderick has a plan and tells Carroll that they will let the FBI tell them where she is being hidden.

At the prison, the FBI are being briefed that David had a suicide pill sewn into his hand that was missed. New intelligence on him reveals that his is ex-military. Donovan comes and reveals that his email has been hacked. Suspicion falls on Weston and he told to go back to the motel. Ryan tells Donovan not to punish Weston as he was the one who asked him to infiltrate the email. At the motel, Weston begins to get wary when he sees a group of men standing in the parking lot talking. On his way to the elevator he continually looks down the hall behind him. At the elevator, he presses the call button and as he waits, a woman approaches. Displaying nervousness and mistrust he opts for the stairs and rushes to his room. At his door, he fumbles with the key card and he can see the woman and the group of men coming down the hallway toward him. Finally getting into his room, Weston thinks he is safe until he comes face to face to Roderick, Louise, and Charlie.

Back at the prison, Ryan is trying to get in touch with Weston and asks the other Tech to locate his phone. When she tells him that he’s at the hotel, Ryan realizes it’s not like him to not answer his phone. Ryan rushes into the motel and finds that Weston has been taken.

Perspective shifts to Emma and Carroll at the compound: both are drunk and there is a high level of sexual tension between them. Roderick calls and tells them they should be back soon. Emma asks about Roderick and she learns that Carroll taught him how to kill and that he was an accomplice to Carroll during many of his kills. As Emma leans into Carroll, he rejects her advances telling her that he loves Claire.

At the motel, Ryan is met by Parker who confirms that Weston was taken. Donovan inserts himself in the investigation and the Tech tells them a number of licence plates matching the partial they have from surveillance tapes have been located – they opt to investigate the closest of them and rush to find the car that is currently parked in the parking lot at Newport Harbour.

In the warehouse at Newport Harbour, Roderick is talking to Weston and telling him to not to lie or else: they want to know where Claire is. Weston laughs and tells them he doesn’t know where Claire is. In retaliation for lying, Charlie hits him and they fight. Roderick tells Weston that each time he lies to them, he will have to pass a round of torturous fighting or die. As he’s talking, Roderick reveals much of Weston’s background in the FBI, insinuating that if anyone knows where Claire is, it would be him. When they ask him again where Claire is, he answers he doesn’t know and the second round with metal pipes begins.

Parker and Ryan descend on the shipyard and Ryan goes straight for the building as Parker secures the perimeter. Inside, Weston is hurting and Roderick tells him that it’s not over until he stops breathing. He asks him one more time where Claire is and Weston answers the same way – he doesn’t know. Roderick believes him but they still move to the third and final round.

Ryan is getting closer to the action in the warehouse and he sees one of the kidnappers and follows him right back to the ring of Followers and Weston. Roderick lifts Weston from the ground as Charlie grabs a sword. Another sword is placing into Weston’s weak hand. Charlie advances and plunges the tip of the sword into Weston’s abdomen. As Weston drops to his knees, Louise holds a knife to his throat, her intention to slit it open. At that moment, Ryan starts shooting, scattering all of the Followers. As they run, they exit the building and Parker tells them to stop and shoots as they disobey her command. Three of the Followers manage to get away while the rest were killed by Ryan.

Weston is alive and is transported to hospital where we will undergo surgery. Donovan makes an appearance at the scene and Parker asks Ryan is he’s okay to which he answers “No”. Ryan decides to go to the hospital; he wants to be there when Weston wakes up. Parker leaves him with a last parting shot, telling him that he “can’t own everything that goes wrong”.

At the compound, Roderick, Louise and Charlie return to apologize to Carroll. They tell him they lost 5 men and Carroll plays the part of the accepting and forgiving father. Charlie steps forward to apologize for letting him down again and states that he wants his life to mean something. He offers his knife to Carroll after Louise spreads a plastic drop cloth on the floor. Carroll tells Charlie that he has always mattered before driving the knife into his stomach, killing him. (Note: I have to say this is one of the oddest things I have seen on television to date, but I understand the weird rationale behind it – their devotion is complete in all manners)

Ryan is at the hospital sitting by Weston’s bed when Parker comes in. The surgery went well and Weston is expected to make a full recovery. Weston awake for a moment, long enough to tell Ryan that he never told them where Claire was. Parker reveals that Weston did know where Claire was being held as he was one of a few that had clearance to the information.

Back at the compound, Louise is trying to seduce Roderick in order to take his mind off of Charlie’s death. They struggle for a moment, Roderick taking the seat of power which seems to be something that Louise is not used to. Upstairs, Emma is trying to seduce Carroll again, helping him to wipe Charlie’s blood from his skin. Emma infers that she understands he loves his wife, but she’s not there. Carroll gladly takes her up on the offer.

This is where the episode ends and I will admit it sat a little heavy in my stomach. I like Weston as a character and I was certainly saddened to see him get hurt. I also find the power struggles of the Followers to be a little unnerving. Each of them wants to be second to Carroll and there does appear to be some jockeying for position. I have to wonder how long that’s going to last…

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.