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The Following

16K views 182 replies 50 participants last post by  MysteryMan 
#1 ·
Wow.

A keeper.
 
#28 ·
My wife and I really liked it. It offers some of the feel of "The Killing."

Gruesome? Many "Criminal Minds" episodes and episodes of other shows are just as or more so. Many people are just queasy about getting stabbed in the eye - hence, the focus on Poe's take on the eye. But getting stabbed in the gut is not less gruesome.

Ironically, the LA Times' Carolyn Kellogg writes about this show incorrectly interpreting Poe. Of course, she is equally wrong about it when she says: "The show's core idea of a serial killer came long after Poe himself. Poe died in 1849, and the term serial killer took hold more than 100 years later, after midcentury murder sprees by the likes of John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy.'

The term "serial killer" may be newer but it's definition describes criminal activity that has been recorded in the Western World at least since the 16th Century. We just didn't classify criminal activity using that term until after the science of psychology developed and became accepted in the early 20th Century.

But I digress. Returning to Poe, and the eye, let me quote someone else:
The human eye has long been seen as the window to the soul, reflecting truths and secrets the body attempts to hide. Poe was not blind to the this view of the eye and widely used this belief in his tales such as "The Black Cat" and "Ligeia," emphasizing the eyes powers to reflect unspeakable emotions. Perhaps Poe's most haunting use of the mysterious eye is in his most famous short story "The Tell-Tale Heart." It is the the pale blue, vulture eye of the old man that drives the narrator to insanity and causes the narrator to gruesomely murder the old man.
This was a well-written, well-directed, and well-acted pilot. Without becoming heavy-handed we were given a lot of knowledge about the primary characters.

I'm looking forward to future episodes.
 
#29 ·
hdtvfan0001 said:
I haven't watched the recorded show, but heard from 3 other people who did and another co-worker who saw it too. All 4 people said the very same thing - what the heck was FOX thinking putting this show on the air, not to mention before 11pm?

There's enough crazies out there without adding this kind of insane violence.

If they're insisting on broadcasting it....do it late at night.
I watched it last night and will continue doing so, very good story so far.. And as far as broadcasting it late at night, we live in a BIG BROTHER America and here are their TV rating rules http://www.tvguidelines.org/

Just saying :)
 
#32 ·
phrelin said:
...This was a ... well-directed, ...pilot. Without becoming heavy-handed we were given a lot of knowledge about the primary characters...
This is where we part ways. The directing was amateurish, and used every heavy-handed slasher-film cliche in the toolkit, including startling for shock value and jacking up the volume at that point to try to knock the viewer out of their chair. At least 3 times. That is only a pale imitation of good directing or true entertainment. The "M" episode of Elementary last week is a good example of how much better this sort of story can be handled.

But it is also well known that FOX and others force the creators to shoehorn that sort of stuff in, so maybe now that the pilot did mildly better than Alcatraz or Terra Nova, and significantly better than Mob Doctor, they will lay off that. If they don't, and if this doesn't get a lot better quickly, those ratings will go down at least by one viewer.

But hey, other than that, I agreed with most of your post, which was the best post here so far.
 
#33 ·
Interesting discourse as a result of what I thought was captivating escapism which is after all what a good show is to me.

A bit gruesome I would say, likely never get my wife to watch it for sure but seriously "grabbing the pitchforks" is a GREAT way to create interest in the many who missed it. Publicity that is controversial will generate more interest in the show than the network could ever buy.

I would suspect the gruesome "hook" will dissipate as the show finds its pulse (if allowed). Yeah it had some of the genre cliche stuff but really what new is there anymore? (Rocky 97 (the Rest Home Chronicles))? :nono:

Don "Right now it remains on my series record" Bolton
 
#35 ·
I have little to contribute except that it was WAY too over-the-top graphic and gruesome for me. I didn't make it through the pilot, and I deleted the SP for it.
 
#36 ·
I gotta say I watched the whole Pilot with my wife and not only did we love it, it never even really occurred to either one of us that it was too graphic or violent or anything of that nature. Maybe that's because some of our other favorites are Walking Dead, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, Criminal Minds and CSI (and yes, I know some of those are on Premium channels). I didn't see anything in The Following that I haven't seen before and to be honest, the language in shows like 2 Broke Girls and The B**** bother me much more than anything I saw in The Following.
 
#39 ·
spartanstew said:
I gotta say I watched the whole Pilot with my wife and not only did we love it, it never even really occurred to either one of us that it was too graphic or violent or anything of that nature. Maybe that's because some of our other favorites are Walking Dead, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, Criminal Minds and CSI (and yes, I know some of those are on Premium channels). I didn't see anything in The Following that I haven't seen before and to be honest, the language in shows like 2 Broke Girls and The B**** bother me much more than anything I saw in The Following.
Same here, not more graphic then what's been on TV the past 10+ years
 
#42 ·
spartanstew said:
I gotta say I watched the whole Pilot with my wife and not only did we love it, it never even really occurred to either one of us that it was too graphic or violent or anything of that nature. Maybe that's because some of our other favorites are Walking Dead, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, Criminal Minds and CSI (and yes, I know some of those are on Premium channels). I didn't see anything in The Following that I haven't seen before and to be honest, the language in shows like 2 Broke Girls and The B**** bother me much more than anything I saw in The Following.
I just watched a Criminal Minds and I agree, they are both similar for the gruesome stuff.

I like programs like Castle, Suits, White Collar, etc. a lot better.
 
#43 ·
And.............. (this symbolizes an awkward pause while we wait for the next commen)
 
#44 ·
spartanstew said:
I gotta say I watched the whole Pilot with my wife and not only did we love it, it never even really occurred to either one of us that it was too graphic or violent or anything of that nature. Maybe that's because some of our other favorites are Walking Dead, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, Criminal Minds and CSI (and yes, I know some of those are on Premium channels). I didn't see anything in The Following that I haven't seen before and to be honest, the language in shows like 2 Broke Girls and The B**** bother me much more than anything I saw in The Following.
Makes one wonder about society when people find language offensive but not graphic violence.
 
#46 ·
RunnerFL said:
Ever visit Europe? You'll find over there that language and nudity are no big deal but violence is a big no-no.
Tell that to the team responsible for "Ripper Street."
 
#48 ·
Drucifer said:
This one goes into my Who Cares category. as I'll probably spend more time on the Internet then watching it.
Nick said:
oldschoolecw said:
Same here, not more graphic then what's been on TV the past 10+ years
Nick said:
"I'd rather cuddle than have sex."

or

"I'd rather cuddle then have sex."

One word does make a difference.
 
#49 ·
Did anyone watch this week's episode of "Criminal Minds" running from 9-10 pm and, as I did, think about the criticism of Fox here for "The Following" being too gruesome? And about the eye issue....;)
 
#50 ·
Sixto said:
Wow.

A keeper.
I am trying not to get to interested in it because of FOX's recent track record with the new shows they push hard prior to starting (Alcatraz & Chicago Code).

I loved both Chicago Code and Alcatraz and then they were just gone as soon as they began. The Following started great but we will see if they plan a 2nd season. The last thing I want is it to turn into a Prison Break type show that stayed way to long. Hopefully FOX will get it right this time.
 
#51 ·
joshjr said:
I am trying not to get to interested in it because of FOX's recent track record with the new shows they push hard prior to starting (Alcatraz & Chicago Code).

I loved both Chicago Code and Alcatraz and then they were just gone as soon as they began. The Following started great but we will see if they plan a 2nd season. The last thing I want is it to turn into a Prison Break type show that stayed way to long. Hopefully FOX will get it right this time.
Yep, I do miss Alcatraz.
 
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