The Following S2E8 - "The Messenger" Recap

Ryan and Max attend Mike's father's funeral.

At the new cult base, Emma is still angry about her wrists getting slashed in the crazy ritual. She tells him they need to get out of there. Joe tells her to stay calm and that for now, it's in their best interest to stay put. He thinks that with a bit of manoeuvring, the place could belong to them. Additionally, Mandy becomes smitten with one of the cult members, Eric.

At Mike's father's funeral, Ryan is visited by a tabloid reporter named Carrie Cook. Throughout this episode, we learn about their history. While drunk, Ryan had spilled a significant amount of information to her. She used it to write The Havenport Tragedy, and she's back with a strong suspicion that Joe is still alive. She even questioned the pilot that almost flew him, Emma, and Mandy.

Micah's wife, Julia, brings Joe to visit him. In private, Micha reveals that he wants Joe's help - he wants to be able to use his cult to kill people, the way Joe did.

Ryan is visited by the director of the FBI, Tom Franklin, who believes that Joe is still alive. He sanctions Ryan to allow him to continue his private investigation. Ryan must keep it quiet, with the FBI mole still being unidentified. Ryan and Max follow a lead to a Dr. Strauss, who was once a professor of Joe's. Ryan goes to question him at his place of residence on Long Island. He doesn't get anything but does place a bug at his place. Shortly after leaving, he hears Carrie show up and question Strauss, too. Strauss captures her. Ryan runs back and finds himself captured, too. Ryan wakes up and learns that Strauss mentored Joe in the ways of killing. Strauss tells him that killing was always in Joe's DNA but Strauss simply let him know that it was okay. Mike visits Max and she decides to let him in on what's going on.

Joe continues to mentor Micah. When he asks him if there are any doubters to Micah's killing plan, he says there is only a small group. Julia is not too pleased about Micah's growing closer to Joe. She is (rightly) suspicious of him. It's as if she can see that her husband is being pulled away from her and manipulated but there will be little she can do to stop it, though that won't stop her from trying.

Strauss admits that Joe came to him following the lighthouse accident, injured, and he patched him up. Joe stayed a month before leaving, not revealing where he planned to go. Strauss prepares to operate on  Carrie, along with a new student of his. Mike and Max show up, ready to save the day. They torture Strauss into revealing that he helped to get the body Joe used to fake his death and that the mole in the FBI is a woman, which is all Strauss knows.

Joe manages to manipulate Micah into poisoning his doubters, one of which is Eric, the boy Mandy is smitten with. At first, the followers are distraught at seeing their peers die. But Micah is able to send them into a cheerful chant and it's very creepy. Joe joins the chant, and you can tell he's internally laughing at his handiwork, and Emma claps along, smiling at seeing how Joe has turned things around. Mandy claps along, but it would appear that her faith has possibly been shaken.

Julia arrives when the bodies are being buried and she is horrified at seeing how Joe has "caused" him to become murderous. When she blames Joe, Micah angrily says that it is his own doing, and not Joe's. He has his guards escort Julia away while she screams at him.

Mike decides to crash on Ryan's couch. Max asks if he is okay and he admits that he's not. She asks if he wants to talk and he says that he doesn't. She is find with and tells him they will just sit there. He is visibly thankful for her understanding.

Emma tells Joe she doesn't know how he did it but she is clearly impressed. She asks if he can really control Micah and he says that Micah is a narcissist and he knows a thing or two about that. Joe then reveals that the next step is to reveal to the world that he is alive.

That's right, folks, we're back on track! Ryan is officially (albeit secretly) an FBI agent again and soon, Joe will be unleashing his followers on murderous rampages throughout the country again. The detour was a nice change of pace, but it will be good to return to the formula that made this show so addicting in the first place.

The Following airs on Mondays on FOX at 9PM.