Natalie Zea

The venerable genre series’ final episode pays tribute to its literary inspiration in surprisingly bittersweet fashion.

An uncharacteristically intimate episode examines the series’ two main romantic pairings, and uncovers some sad, troubling material in the process.

“Silence” is a very good follow up to “The Reaping”, though it’s a little slower and still presents some issues, mostly with Kingston Tanner (Tom Cavanaugh) and Claire. When Ryan tells her that she’s not thinking clearly it’s as if he’s speaking for the entire audience. Her hatred and desire to kill Joe is completely understandable but her decision to go to Carrie and abandon her protection agents doesn’t really do anything but prompt a deep eye roll. Most of this stems back to the fact that she wasn’t really needed back on the show in the first place. Zea is a fine actress and she was effective as Claire in the first season, but the character served her purpose and her death was much more meaningful to Ryan as a character than anything we’ve gotten since her return.

The Following, Season 1, Episode 15: “The Final Chapter” Written by Kevin Williamson Directed by Marcos Siega Aired Mondays at 9pm (ET) on FOX As just an episode, “The Final Chapter” of The Following is a slight step up from the past many (inevitably, since everything set up in the pilot has been saved for this entry); …