The Following - Season 3 Recap "Kill the Messenger"

I would say of all the episodes I've watched for The Following over its nearly three year run, this one was certainly one of the most well laid out, well constructed episodes.

We start off with Ryan being terrorized by Theo via cyber attacks.  He's screwed with his credit cards, listed his car as stolen and even put Gwen's medical career in jeopardy.  Ryan knows Theo is coming for him and must find him and stop him before it's too late.

We also learn Mike is still onto finding Mark and has a search going on for a missing laptop that wasn't found at his safe house.  You know, the laptop that Max's S.W.A.T. boyfriend has been holding onto and using to spy on her?  Well both Mike and Max track it down in the FBI building, only to lose the signal right as Mr. S.W.A.T. boyfriend destroys it.  This is going to end well...

Theo meanwhile is up to something as he breaks into Straus' former (now deceased) attorney aide's office to find a code book his teacher left behind with the location of all his students.  While this is certainly a head scratcher, Theo then makes it a point to befriend a former military member who he takes on a trip to both hurt (and kill) the man responsible for ending his career in the service.  We're not really sure where any of this is going until we learn what this former military guy does for a living...he's a security guard at Joe's prison.

Poor Joe's been feeling shunned and broken hearted about Ryan not coming to see him.  His attention peaks up though when this military member/security guard reveals himself to be working with Theo who begins to communicate with Joe through the guard.  Theo wants to know what the code is to locate all of Straus' students and believes Joe is the one who has it.  Joe's not falling for the mind games, and gets amusingly protective of Ryan Hardy when Theo says he'll kill him for Joe.  Joe also wants to know details about Ryan's new love, Gwen, which he does in-fact get.  Long story short, Joe refuses to help Theo, seamlessly kills the guard and sets up Ryan to pay him a visit.

Ryan has no interest in speaking to Joe other than to find Theo but proceeds to freak out when Joe mentions Gwen's name.  Ryan leaves in terror but is comforted to know Joe is to be executed the next night.

He gets back home (and almost takes a drink) but stops when he hears Gwen in the bathroom.  He tells her he had to go talk to Joe, but that everything will be alright.  Little does he know though, Gwen just found out she's pregnant.

Finally, back at the prison, we find Joe seemingly sleeping before his last night alive.  But turns out, that guard he killed?  He had a pair of sunglasses in his pocket...and Joe got a hold of them.  A perfect object to turn into a weapon.

Grade: A-

Notes/Questions:

• I forgot to point out that we catch up with Daisy in this episode now working in Atlantic City.  Mark tracks her down though, and is about to kill her, but she tells him she knows how to get to Mike Weston.  And yeah, Mark is still crazy.
• So Max is no longer mad at Mike?  Does she even interact with her real boyfriend anymore?
• You have to love how Joe treats Ryan like he's his soul mate.  It's amusingly funny.
• Next week, everything hits the fan as Joe is to be executed, but he's not going quietly.