'The Following' Season 1, Episode 12: 'The Curse' Recap

“The Following”, season 1, episode 12, “The Curse”

Claire wakes up early and grabs Joey, ushering him out of their bedroom. She shushes him as they sneak out of the mansion and run towards freedom. They reach the gate at the end of the driveway and find it chained. Roderick appears behind her with dozens of other followers, asking her what she’s doing. She backs down, and Roderick leads them back to the mansion.

In his apartment, Hardy has Molly check his vitals and asks about his heart. He thanks her for looking out for him, and bids her farewell with a kiss.

In the mansion, Jacob tells Claire she should know better. Roderick attaches a anklet to her that will alert them if she steps within 50 feet of the house. Carroll pays her a visit and tells her that trust must be earned.

In Warner County, New Jersey, the FBI continues to process the training camp. Hardy arrives and is reunited with Weston, who produces a sketch of Roderick. Hardy asks who owns the property, and Parker and Donovan inform him that it’s a government property. They show him footage they found of the training, and he asks how any of it relates to Carroll. Parker brings him to some graffiti they found, all based on Poe’s works, used to indoctrinate his followers. She points out that Carroll us borrowing from various religions to give his followers meaning and hope. She dubs his new religion Carrollianism.

In the mansion, Carroll feverishly types out pieces of his new book. He gets stumped and demands a phone from one of his followers. He uses it to call Hardy and ask for his help on the writing. He says can’t determine the hero’s through line, and wants to give the hero an interesting twist. He asks him what defines him, and wants his back story. He asks about Hardy’s father. Hardy asks what’s bothering Carroll, and figures that Carroll is upset because they found the armory. He tells Carroll that they’re getting closer, and Carroll hangs up.

Flashback to 1983, a teen Hardy watches his father walk into a store.

Back to now, the FBI runs facial recognition on some of the people from the armory, and find that they were all members of Freedom 13, a militia run by Daniel Monroe. They believe that Carroll might have used Monroe to find people and weapons. The FBI goes to locate him.

In the mansion, Vince tells Carroll that the FBI has essentially found everything when they found the armory, and they might be able to locate the mansion. Roderick says that he’s been monitoring the police radio, and no one is even close. Vince says that Daniel might be a problem, since he helped them find the house. Roderick says they can trust him, and Vince says he knows how to find him, and that the FBI will never be able to find him. Jacob volunteers to kill Daniel, but Carroll says he’ll do it himself, no longer trusting Roderick.

In the armory, the FBI traces Daniel to an address in Maryland. Weston snatches the address, eager to prove he’s ready to work again.

In the mansion, Emma spies on Claire. Roderick asks if she’s scared of her, and Emma says she’s waiting for the perfect moment to speak to her. Roderick tells her he knows that she slept with Carroll. She storms off. Roderick goes to talk to Claire and Joey, who were discussing ways to escape. Claire sends Joey away, and she begins to ask Roderick what the point is of The Following. He says that it’s about belonging, and not feeling ashamed of his basic human nature. He tells Claire that she should ask Carroll herself, since all he does is sit and write his book. She asks if Roderick knows that Carroll can’t be trusted.

In Maryland, Parker, Weston, and Hardy arrive at the suspect’s house. They knock and get no answer. Weston, in a hurry, breaks into the house. They find it empty, except for clothes covering all the windows. They find a kettle on the stove that’s still warm, and hear movement in the distance. They go to investigate, and a man tackles Hardy to the floor. Weston knocks him out, leaving Parker stunned by his actions.

In the mansion, Claire and Joey play a game. She has him act as a sentry while she goes on Carroll’s computer. She finds the novel he’s been writing, and finds it’s a novel about Ryan Hardy.

In Maryland, they have Brian Fowler chained up, and ask him where Daniel Monroe is. He says he hasn’t seen him in months, but Weston knows he’s lying. When Brian gets lippy, Weston punches him in the face. Parker tells him to stand in the corner. Hardy and Weston go to look around, intrigued by all the alarms in the house. They go into the basement find Daniel Monroe, who draws a weapon on Hardy. Weston draws his gone, and Daniel agrees to talk.

Upstairs, Parker tries to call backup, but finds that Brian Fowler set up a cell jammer. He tells her to go to the street if she needs to make a call. They hear a noise, and she goes to find the source. She goes into the kitchen and walks back to find Brian’s throat slit. Jacob appears and knocks Parker out.

In the mansion, Emma pays Claire a visit and says she wants to apologize for doing what she did. Claire is upset and tells Emma to shut her mouth and leave them alone. Emma leaves, and Claire followers her out. She tells Emma that she’s no longer to have any contact with Joey. Emma says that it’s not Claire’s choice. Claire attacks her, and Emma strikes back, calling her a stupid bitch. Roderick comes and breaks up the fight.

In Maryland, Hardy and Weston grill Monroe on his involvement with Carroll. He declines any involvement, but slips out a vital piece of information; that they’re in a house. He says he won’t say anymore until he talks to his lawyer. An alarm goes off, signaling that someone else is in the basement. Thinking it’s Parker, Hardy goes to check on her, and finds Vince. Vince goes to grab his weapon, and Hardy shoots him. He heads back to Weston and Monroe, and finds Monroe dead, and Weston tied up, being taunted by Joe Carroll in a separate room, separated by bulletproof glass.

Carroll holds a knife to Weston, and Weston begs Hardy to shoot Carroll. He holds his knife to Weston’s throat, but Hardy says that Carroll won’t kill him because he needs him. Hardy tells Carroll to come out and talk to him. Carroll refuses, and focuses on Hardy’s character, trying to learn more about his father. Hardy says that the FBI is on their way to the house, and Carroll says that if he won’t talk, then there’s no reason to keep Weston alive. He begins to strangle him, and Hardy agrees to tell him about his father.

Upstairs, Parker comes to, tied to a chair, with Jacob watching over her. She says she’s glad to finally meet him, and asks him about Paul. He says he’s dead, and says that he’s going to kill her, rather than chit chat. She tries reasoning with him, asking him why he’s doing what he’s doing. He says if she keeps talking, that he’ll stab her.

In the basement, Carroll asks Hardy to recount his father’s death to him, despite already knowing the story.

Flashback to 1983, Hardy waits outside of the store in the car for his father. He hears gunshots and gets out of the car and runs into the shooter. The man draws a gun on him and lets Hardy go. He goes into the store and sees his dad laying a puddle of blood, still alive and struggling to breathe. He kneels by his side and watched his father die.

Back to now, Hardy tells Carroll that the man who killed his dad was found dead three days later from a drug overdose. Drugs her bought with the stolen money. Carroll asks Hardy why he thinks he’s surrounded by death, and if his father’s death motivated him to do good. Hardy asks what drives Carroll, and he simply answers ‘death’. Hardy says it fuels him, too. Carroll asks what Hardy did to deserve his place in life. He answers he did nothing.

Jacob comes downstairs with Parker in tow, gun to her head. Carroll tells Jacob to kill her if Hardy makes a move. Hardy puts down his gun, and Carroll and Jacob throw Parker at him and make a run for it. He chases them, but they’re gone by the time he gets outside.

The FBI and ambulance arrive, and Parker tells them that Carroll is likely staying at a house in the area.

At the mansion, Carroll visits Claire, informing her that he’s back. She tells him she’s done pretending, and that his new plan is not going to work. She says she read his book, and insults it. He gets offended and raises a hand to her. She flinches, but he stops and walks out.

Elsewhere in the mansion, Jacob watches a news report explaining his blessed life of wealth and happiness. Jacob decides to call his father, but isn’t able to say anything. He breaks into tears and hangs up.

In the kitchen, Carroll finds Emma drinking some wine. He says he knows she’s upset with him, and she says he’s been ignoring her. He admits to it, and begins to kiss her neck. They get hot and heavy right on the kitchen counter.

Hardy talks to Weston in the back of the ambulance. He says he’s been worried about him, and Weston says that almost dying has changed him. Hardy says he has to be careful to not do something he’ll regret for the rest of his life. Like with his father.

Flashback to 1983, and young Hardy cooks up some drugs and forces the man who killed his father to inject them into his arm at gunpoint. It causes him to die from an overdose.

Back to now, Parker introduces Hardy to Sheriff Nelson… AKA Roderick. He asks if they believe Carroll and his followers are in the area, and they say yes. He says he’ll be happy to help them out.