Can't Follow THE FOLLOWING

I had high hopes for this. Kevin Williamson created it. He also created DAWSON’S CREEK and wrote the movies TEACHING MISS TINGLE, SCREAM and THE FACULTY. He has a dark, sinister sensibility combined with a satiric pop culture sense.

THE FOLLOWING involves a brutal serial killer who has a cult that worships him and will do anything for him. The killer (an excellent James Purefoy) was caught by an FBI agent (an equally fine but grim Kevin Bacon) but not before the killer inflicted permanent damage on him causing him to wear a pacemaker. The FBI agent also started sleeping with the serial killer’s wife while he was in jail. So the killer understandably has a serious axe to grind. (I know, but I couldn’t resist!)

The killer breaks out of jail, killing a bunch of guards with gorey percision, kills the only victim of his who escaped his wrath, and is caught and returned to prison. His cult springs in to action and kidnaps his son. The Killer then escapes again and the cat and mouse game between he and the now ex-FBI agent is on. It’s all part of some master plan, which promises to thrill the killer and punish the FBI guy.

The show is incredibly bloody and violent but that’s not the frustrating part. In every episode at this point the killer’s plan is so far beyond the FBI’s pursuit that the whole enterprise is lopsided. Hero and opponent are not evenly matched so the level of suspense is reduced to almost nothing. A lot of slasher movies have this problem so we’re left with a bunch of brutal killings and repetitive story beats that stagnate the forward motion of the yarn. We have internalized the rhythm----killer kills a bunch of people in exploitative disgusting ways, the FBI arrives, the bad guy taunts and laughs at them, and then slips away. The Killer alludes to the fact that he’s writing some epic book and the ex-FBI guy plays a critical role. YAWN! This is long-form television that stretches its 100-minute movie premise way past the breaking point. Williamson should have realized this at the concept stage. This is a film story and not a series. Maybe he does know and was paid so much money that he doesn’t care.

In order to create a long form show that engages there must be a hero and villain who are evenly matched and each faces danger from the other. The audience should question who would actually come out on top. This creates suspense and makes the drama compelling. BREAKING BAD, GAME OF THRONES, and DEXTER do this very well. In some episodes the hero triumphs and in others the villain gets the upper hand. From week to week the audience doesn’t know how the story will turn out. While all this hide-and-seek is going on, the storytellers explore the inner life of the characters and slowly reveal their values that come into question the more they pursue their goals. Long-form television is very effective when the depth of the characters are expanded and allowed to impact the direction of the story.

A great symphony is comprised of many melodies, counter melodies, motifs and complex rhythms. THE FOLLOWING is stuck in one-note hell.