, the season three premiere of The Following (2015), effectively resets the board for Ryan Hardy while proving that some cycles of violence are impossible to break. Plot Overview
: The episode explores the familiar theme of Ryan’s inability to stay away from the darkness. Even as he claims to have moved on, the "new blood" on his hands pulls him right back into his old obsessions. "The Following" New Blood(2015)
: While praised for being "gritty and intense," some reviewers felt the show hadn't truly reinvented itself, relying on the same "dumb fun" tropes of dimly lit basements and FBI incompetence that polarized fans in previous years. Verdict , the season three premiere of The Following
: Critics noted that the episode leans heavily into artistic, gruesome tableaus, reminiscent of shows like Hannibal , moving away from the mass-cult vibes of earlier seasons toward more intimate, psychological horror. : While praised for being "gritty and intense,"
"New Blood" is a solid, high-stakes entry that satisfies fans of the show's signature mayhem. It manages to keep Joe Carroll relevant as a looming shadow while introducing fresh, younger villains to keep the cat-and-mouse game energized.