Blu-ray TV Review: The Following The Third and Final Season

Release Date: October 13, 2015
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 655 minutes

A year has passed since the hit thriller’s season finale found rogue ex-FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) finally capturing his nemesis Joe Carroll (James Purefoy). With Carroll locked up on Death Row and Hardy back with the FBI – and in a stable relationship with an ER doctor (Zuleikha Robinson) – new threats emerge that have Hardy, Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore) and Hardy’s newly agented niece Max (Jessica Stroup) on edge and off balance. Unlike the known threat of Joe Carroll, each new danger is potentially more lethal because the FBI isn’t exactly sure where it’s coming from. But with psycho twin Mark Gray (Sam Underwood) still at large, Joe Carroll still haunting Ryan from behind bars, Carroll’s murderous mentor Dr. Arthur Strauss (Gregg Henry) in the background, and a new, meticulous chameleon-like killer (Michael Ealy) circling, Hardy soon realizes that Joe Carroll was only the beginning.

The Following returns for its third and final season, another wildly disturbing season from the mind of Kevin Williamson. I mean it, this show is the definition of disturbing. The kills this season will continue to turn your stomach. If you thought you saw it all, you haven’t seen anything yet. The traitors working from within will blow your mind. Whose orders do you follow when you can’t trust anyone? The fight for good and the fight for what’s right makes everyone a hero and everyone a villain. Watching those lines blur more and more in each episode makes for one twisty, unforgettable ride.

We also see the aftermath of Mike and Max’s relationship, which is not entirely what I expected. But when is this show ever what I expect it to be? Max’s new boyfriend has some insecurities to work with and let’s just say he doesn’t handle it well. Mike is still strung on vengeance. Oh, Mike.

Mark goes off the deep end and that’s saying a lot considering how disturbed he already was. With the death of his twin brother, the crazy kicks into high gear and if watching Mark all season doesn’t give you chills, I don’t know what will. But he’s not the worst villain this season. Cue Theo played by Michael Ealy who plays creepy so well I forget he was ever charming in his past roles. All I see is Theo now. Amazing. It was great seeing Megalyn Echikunwoke (The 4400) play his sister for the short time that she did. If you thought these were the only threats to Ryan and his team, oh man, there’s so much more. Not even including Joe Carroll’s followers still straggling along. Death becomes them, physically, emotionally, mentally. Following the strained paths there will leave you speechless.

Standout episodes for me were “Boxed In” and “Dead or Alive” which aired before the season premiere and before the series finale respectively. If you watch “Boxed In” and think you can handle what comes next after that….tread carefully. But if you’ve made it to season three, you know what you’re getting yourself into. So prepare yourself for a fascinating psychological look into the minds of killers and those who chase them and the bloodbath that follows. And though this series was cut short with a cancellation, this was a fantastic ending to an edge of your seat thriller that I won’t ever forget.

Bonus Features:

When Heroes Lie (9:33 minutes) – This is a quick great feature about the cast and crew talking about our heroes dealing with the consequences this season of the decisions made last season…Mike and Ryan in particular. And the ripple effects. Great recaps of their incredible arcs this season!

Appearing in this Feature:
Executive Producer/Director, Marcos Siega
Cast Members, Kevin Bacon, Shawn Ashmore, Jessica Stroup, Zuleikha Robinson

Evil Has Many Faces (10:44 minutes) – This is a great feature that compares the two evils of Joe Carroll and Theo…one killer who basks in the attention he is given and is behind bars with a following and another killer who relishes in being under the radar and getting away with so many kills as well as other many evils on the show. I didn’t know that Sam Underwood was playing twins! I thought there were actually twins playing the role! So watching this feature and hearing him talk about playing these roles was quite fascinating. What a talent!

Appearing in this Feature:
Executive Producer/Director, Marcos Siega
Cast Members, Michael Ealy, Kevin Bacon, Shawn Ashmore, Gregg Henry, Ruth Kearney, Sam Underwood

The Art of the Crime Scene Photo (4:15 minutes) – This feature comes with a warning before it begins, a caution that gruesome photos are ahead and may not be suitable for all viewers. So. If this applies to you, quit while you’re ahead. Otherwise, sit back and watch Executive Producer/Director, Marcos Siega excitedly chat about documenting every single kill the show has ever done and the fun challenges that come with that.

Ryan and Romance (2:02 minutes) – In this very short feature, Kevin Bacon discusses Ryan’s unfortunate romance history and the beginning of the struggle to let love in when he finally finds someone who could be the one. If you watch the Comic Con panel feature, he says the same thing there so there’s no need to watch this feature.

The Following Funny AND Die (8:04 minutes) – Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Sam Underwood, Dean Winters, Michael C. Hall, and Kyra Sedgwick star in this oh so funny parody of The Following which on a fan could truly appreciate. Also, how awesome was it to see Kevin and Kyra on screen! Adorable!

New York Comic Con Panel 2014 (28:34 minutes) – Well this was quite a treat! Usually it’s San Diego Comic Con that gets all of the love on Blu-rays/DVDs but in a refreshing twist, this Blu-ray includes NYCC instead. While I was indeed at NYCC in 2014, I did not make this panel so it was great to see what went down and heartwarming to see how cool of a cast we’ve got here. It’s always great to see a cast with great chemistry off screen and humble personalities that really truly love their work and the characters they’re playing. This is that.

Appearing in this Feature:
Moderator, Damian Holbrook (TV Guide Magazine)
Executive Producer, Marcos Siega
Cast Members, Kevin Bacon, Shawn Ashmore

Gag Reel (4:21 minutes)

Unaired Scenes (Approx. 10:30 minutes total) – “Exposed” and “Home” each have one deleted scene, the former feels more like an alternate version of the scene that did make the final edit. “Reunion” has three scenes, the last of which was terrifying but still also felt like an alternate scene than footage we haven’t seen at all before that was cut. “Kill the Messenger” and “Evermore” both have one deleted scene. At this point, still waiting for a completely unrecognizable scene… “The Edge” has one deleted scene which almost made me laugh. Loved the tone to that whole episode by the way. “A Simple Trade” has one solemn deleted scene and finally, “The Reckoning” has one deleted scene which is just as captivating as the scene the show went with for the final air version. All of these are great scenes but I can definitely see why these versions were cut.

Finally, listen to my favorite song from the series finale below!

Own The Following: The Third and Final Season on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD today.