The Following [WARNING-SPOILERS]

I thought they packed waaaay too much into the first episode. They were running from crime scene to crime scene and putting together clues way too easily. Plus, Kevin Bacon going to the creepy old house all alone and without a gun? If he was a romance heroine he'd be called "too stupid to live."

I'll tune in next week. Purefoy is the draw for me. Hope he gets more screen time.

I meant to watch this and completely forgot it was on last night. Damn it.

I thought it was pretty predictable too. But I had to watch Kevin. I agree I would watch him in anything. I too thought they packed a bit much in. As for the plot, I really don't see this going too far. I think with the cult plot they'll overdo it by everyone being involved. It feels like that will be played out too much. But yes, I will watch the next ep. too.

Yes on the predictable, but it's Kevin Bacon, so I'll watch the next episode.

I first saw Purefoy in A Knight's Tale, and then he blew me away in the very gory Ironclad. Seeing him take on the villain's role in this is a treat.

However ... spoiler:

His prison break seemed waaay yonder too easy. Here is he, one of the most notorious serial killers in America, and he escapes simply by having an accomplice kill a half-dozen guards, and then he just walks out in a stolen uniform?

And I thought the direction Kevin was given when he saw the "Nevermore" written in blood was over the top. "It's Edgar Allan POE!" he yells, as if gobsmacked that he missed it at first viewing.

That said, I didn't see the gay guys as Followers, and I thought the female doctor who ended up hanging from the rope was going to be around for a few more episodes.

Ah well. I'll give it a couple more shots.

I agree Gravity with all your points. I was just in it for the ride since I love Kevin Bacon, so I wasn't looking too hard for faults, but I did find the ending unsatisfactory and annoying.

I'll watch a couple more to see him again, so I hope it gets better.

It was a bit of a let-down after all the hype. But (contrary to those above who love Bacon) I tuned in mainly for the Purefoy and they didn't give us much of that.

I agree also that it is like a dark "Mentalist" and my one complaint about the Mentalist these days is that they have turned Red John into such a God-like creature with absolute control over people in the highest levels of power, how can they ever hope to present him as real? This seems to be tempting the same fate. As said, I'd do pretty much anything within reason James Purefoy asked me to--and I know in RL serial killers have groupies and devotees--but if they make "the following" too large and too insidious, they'll lose me quick.

Also, I suspected one of the gay guys might be either a follower or an FBI plant (or some sort of protector--how cool would that have been?), but I knew right away the nanny was evil. Right there I had some problems with the set-up, as these people who's lives had been touched by evil--you'd think they be a bit hyper-vigilant about whom they allowed close to them...yet the doctor never saw the picture on the gay guys' wall that showed them in front of a creepy lighthouse that looked exactly like the one on the cover of her crazy professor's novel?

And seriously, you see nevermore written in blood on a wall during an investigation into a Poe-inspired serial killer and you don't immediately recognize it?

I haven't seen it, but I have to admit the reason I don't want to is the trailers for it kind of implied that yet again we are going to have a show where young (usually attractive) women are murdered in gruesome ways - by men, and investigated by men. I am getting tired of seeing such continuous gory violence against women in these kinds of shows.

That being said I like Bacon and LOVE Purefoy (ROME, anybody???). But I think I'll still give it a pass. The women as victim thing is really starting to seem almost like a fetish these days and that makes me very uncomfortable.

(Though I'd be happy to be corrected, and if the show turns out to be of an equal opportunity murder victim variety, I might give it a chance)

Yep - I'll watch Kevin Bacon in anything also and he was the primary reason I checked out The Following - that and the fact it looked interesting and was something other than reality TV. I agree with delores haze - what was Kevin thinking going to the creepy house without a gun? He's a trained FBI agent and knew what this guy had done before. James Purefoy was excellent - look forward to seeing more of him. I've never seen The Mentalist, so can't compare, but I'll definitely watch episode 2 of The Following on Monday.

I think they oversold what looks like a pretty conventional show that seriously talks down to the audience.

We're giving it one more shot for Purefoy alone. (Yes, ROME! I bow to Mark Antony!) I can see I'm in the minority. Bacon annoys me. But I like that gal who's stepped in as the Cult Expert. She was in several episodes of Person of Interest.

New shows are always rocky at the beginning. I hope this one smooths out a bit. Otherwise we're down to P of I, Elementary and Walking Dead on the DVR. Slim pickin's.

i dug it, couldnt stop laughing at the cliches at the beginning, but i thought it got a bit better as it went along. Have not watched "Chapter 2" yet tho...

It's another psycho-serial-killer show. I wouldn't watch it if two actors I really liked were in it.

I love procedurals, but at this point the only new show I'd watch would have a title like: 'Law & Order: Fraud Squad'.

At least the new 'Hawaii Five-O' is well-lit. And it's generally a straight-up killing, for an actual reason, every week.

The use of serial killers as a dramatic device amazes me.
"Why does he kill people?" Because he's a serial killer.
"How will we catch him?" By waiting for him to do it again, and again. Because we know he's a serial killer, so he will kill the same kind of people, the same way, over and over, until we eventually catch on. So, it's pointless and repetitive.
The only reason for doing it is gruesome deaths (either by method or victim). The 'OMG' factor.

Whereas a one-time killer usually has a reason, no matter how stupid, and is caught by people asking questions, following leads, forensic exams. Because there's only one shot at it. Something different every week. Which is unrealistic, but so is the constant supply of dramatic serial killers.

The ideal would be a show where they spend a season on the one big crime, with other, unrelated, crimes, popping up along the way. 'The Mentalist' started out that way, with Jane's search for Red John underlying the case of the week. I kind of lost interest when it seemed to become all Red John, all the time.

I've watched both episodes and it's interesting and a bit different with the cult aspect. That's actually what intrigued me in the beginning.

I'm not sure how I feel about it. The violence doesn't bother me (well, as far as gore and stuff is concerned anyway) and I'm enjoying Kevin Bacon and the villain. And the possible Followers. But it also seems so...old hat. Maybe I've been watching too many crime shows.

I'll definitely watch the next few epis, though.

I just got done watching episodes one and two. I agree with most of the sentiments shared above (seems to be a generic serial-killer show, decent acting by Purefoy). Bacon's forced acting at the end of ep 1 was tempered a bit in ep 2, but he still seems to be the weak link in the killer-hero dynamic. Hopefully he picks up in the next few.

I have pretty low expectations coming in to watching this show, and I guess they were exceeded, but not by much. I may continue to watch, but that has as much to do with my love for Poe and Purefoy as it does for this show.

I am loving this show so far, mainly because I love Bacon, Purefoy, the Poe stuff, Kevin Williamson's writing and it's nice seeing Nico Tortorella in something other than Scream 4. Hoping that Nanny bitch gets killed quickly though, already annoying me.

So, wait. Is Kevin Bacon's character supposed to be one of the cult/followers? It seems every episode so far has ended with him wandering off alone to look at some random object, experience a flashback, and thereby enable another murder to take place.

Or maybe the writers are just lazy.

And, in this day and age, no one tackles the fellow in the Poe mask who just set the man on fire? In RL there'd be about 10 guys on top of him.

I'm kind of losing interest, too. Kept glancing over at the book I'm reading as I was watching last night. Never a good sign. I'll give it one more episode.

I watched about 30 minutes then got up and did laundry - and when you find yourself contemplating the merits of fabric softener or dryer sheets rather than watching; nope not a good sign at all.

The cult aspect was somewhat hard to swallow but I was willing to suspend disbelief, but really, how can every second person be part of it? Not even my love for Kevin is enough to make me sit thru the next episode.

I'm going to be in the minority here, but I actually like this show. I LOVE trying to figure out who's in the cult and who isn't. I usually get it right, but not always. I love that aspect of the show.

Also, it's very fast-paced, and I love Poe. The idea of someone inspiring people to kill others, in the name of Poe, is actually pretty fascinating. As long as it remains on screen, not in real life of course.

The acting is good as well. Loved Kevin Bacon. This is my new Wednesday-morning show (I watch all shows a day late).

I like it so far. Not the greatest thing ever, but entertaining.

Though in every episode I can't help but think that if they's just call Jack Bauer in, this would all be wrapped up in less than a day...

I still like it as long as I don't think too hard. But the latest episode was more eye-roll inducing than most. How were that many Followers on one task force??? Using that group as a starting point, there would be millions of them in the US. Can just anyone walk into a maximum security prison and have a lesson with a convicted serial killer?? (I actually don't know the answer to that) I'm still with it because of my love of Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy, but I'm losing hope.