The Following - Season 3 Recap "Dead or Alive"

We pick up from last week's shocking ending in the emergency room where Mike is being treated after his brutal stabbing by Mark.  Max is - of course - an absolute mess and Ryan arrives on scene to comfort.  The injuries to Mike are bad, really bad, and it doesn't look good for Agent Weston.

Meanwhile, Theo - after witnessing the death of his sister, Penny - we find in the woods contemplating suicide.  It would make sense given she was the only person he ever truly loved, but Theo has a moment and realizes what he has to do.  From this point forward, we're along for the ride.

The first thing he does is go to Ms. Annoyance - Eliza - to set the record straight on their deal.  If he kills Ryan Hardy, her and whomever the people she works for, have to make him disappear.

Back at the hosptial though, we find Ryan and Gwen starting to reconcile, discussing the baby and his plan to leave the bureau once Theo is caught.  First though, that needs to actually happen.

Believing Theo will come after someone Ryan cares about, he puts protective detail on everyone he can think of including his sister.  Who he forgets about though is Agent Mendez, his ex boss.  Turns out she's heading to a safe house herself with a couple bodyguards, but it's not enough as Theo soon gets to her and her wife.  Fortunately, their kids are able to get to the panic room, but Mendez and her partner are left to be tied up and held at gunpoint.

Theo's plan is to have Mendez call Ryan and request he come out to see her, which she does, though Ryan is to clever and smart to realize something is up.  He sets up an offlline team to assist him in rescuing Mendez and taking down Theo.  Ryan knows this is his last chance to get him, and he needs it to finally end.

Once at the safe house, Ryan decides to go in alone and tells everyone to give him 10 minutes to get Theo and the guards away from the house.  Once there, Ryan is able to do this, but ends up getting tricked by Theo and ends up trapped himself.  Daisy meanwhile (who I'm sorry I haven't mentioned) is put in charge of taking out Mendez and her partner, though they're able to escape (despite a gunshot wound) into the panic room with the kids.  Daisy is left to run away herself.

As Ryan is being brought out of the house, he's able to break free from Theo as the calvery shows up.  Theo takes off running and Ryan heads straight after him with Max not far behind.

Long story short, to set up the finale, Max takes out Daisy who was about to shoot her, and Ryan - thinking Theo has gotten away after shooting a fellow agent - is knocked out and taken by Theo as Gwen leaves a heartfelt voicemail on his cellphone.

Grade: B+

Notes/Questions:

• Mike is still in critical but stable condition and we still don't know if he'll make it.
• I actually felt a bit sorry for Theo having lost the only person he loved.
• I'm curious to know what organization this annoying Eliza works for.
• Did anyone else really want to see what that panic room looked like inside?