After being accepted into Lily's (Connie Neilsen) 'family', Emma (Valorie Curry) is confused, a little worried and suspicious. However, when her phone rings she brims with anticipation while waiting to hear the voice on the other end - and she's excited beyond belief when she realises that it's Joe Carroll (James Purefoy).
"I've missed you" he purrs at his most loyal follower, before asking her if those she's now with are safe for him to be around. Following her confirmation, a meeting is arranged and an over the top, emotional reunion takes place.
Emma isn't the only one who's completely and utterly hypnotised by Joe however - Mandy (Tiffany Boone), after proving her worth and killing her own mother, is doing her best to 'learn' from her new family, and after some wise words from Joe about the 'art of killing', she seems a little confused but willing to go with whatever he says.
Elsewhere, Lily's business partner who survived a previous attack by the scarily charming twins is dealt with by 'new cult' member Gillian (Camille De Pazzis), who runs into some trouble after being tracked by Ryan Hardy's (Kevin Bacon) neice Max Hardy (Jessica Stroup).
Ryan almost catches Gillian / Credit: Sky AtlanticThis leads to one major showdown at the subway with some fantastic fight scenes - Ryan isn't afraid to punch Gillian square in the nose and that's something this show should be praised for - it pushes traditional crime thriller conventions above and beyond anything we've ever seen before.
Not only that, but viewers are starting to identify with psychopaths. It's a little worrying if you look at it from an outsider's point of view, but there are redeeming qualities in a lot of the characters in this show. They may be absolutely crazy, but through that are some great traits we all wish we had a little more of - bravery and determination to name just a couple.
Gillian seemed to escape, but Max was waiting on the train / Credit: Sky AtlanticIf there's one thing this show needs, it's to give Mike some more screen time. He was one of the most loved season one characters and has so far been brushed to the side, by both Ryan and the writers. I want to see more about how he dealt with the week's following Joe's fake death and the struggles he must have gone through after nearly being killed, as well as the death of a close agent who was buried alive.
That being said, this season is still doing a lot of things right. New layers are constantly being added to what may have been seen as a one dimensional, simple concept last year, and strong writing keeps it on form.
A great cliffhanger will keep viewers coming back next week to find out if the Hardy family death curse continues. Here's hoping Max sticks around a little longer, as Jessica Stroup is doing a fantastic job portraying her.
The Following continues next Tuesday, 10pm on Sky Atlantic and Sky Atlantic HD.