Connie Nielsen

The reveal that Claire (Natalie Zea) survived her stabbing changes everything for The Following. That moment at the end of “Unmasked” last week was a great surprise but more importantly, it challenges what we know about our characters.We’re suddenly aware of what Mike (Shawn Ashmore) is willing to do for his job, her survival will undoubtedly alter Joe’s (James Purefoy) “epic plan”, and how exactly it effects Ryan (Kevin Bacon) remains to be seen, though it can’t be good.

For the most part, the second season of The Following has been miles ahead of its first. Between Lily Grey’s (Connie Nielsen) psychotic family, Ryan’s (Kevin Bacon) dark but understandable obsession with killing Joe (James Purefoy), and Purefoy’s continuously enjoyable performance, The Following has been a lot of fun. However, “Fly Away”, the season’s sixth episode, is uneven.

Family seems to be the driving force of The Following this season. There’s Mark and Luke’s (Sam Underwood) unhealthy obsession with a proper family, Emma (Valorie Curry) has always desired a place where she belonged, and Lily (Connie Neilson) has created a family for herself, all of whom seem as transfixed with Joe (James Purefoy) as she is.

The Following has been on a roll this season. It’s been quick, smart, dark, and witty. In a lot of ways (with all the followers split up, Ryan struggling with the loss of Claire, and Joe slowly coming out of hiding), this is a rewrite for the show. So far it’s been working exceptionally well. “Family Affair”, though, is a misstep. It seems like filler, just pushing characters where they need to be to move the story along. That is until the episodes final moments, when we get three great twists: Max (Jessica Stroup) is following Gisele (Camille De Pazzis), Joe and Lily come face to face, and perhaps most shockingly, Agent Mendez’s (Valerie Cruz) relationship with Jana (Leslie Bibb), one of Joe’s supporters.