Will 'The Following' Overthrow Joe?
With only three episodes left in The Following's harrowing first season, you can expect all of Kevin Williamson's expertly laid dominoes to begin falling with tonight's all-new installment, titled Havenport.
The hour not only features a shocking confrontation for Mike Weston and Rodderick, but Joe Hardy will also be stunned when his number two abducts Joey! What could possibly have driven the sadistic sheriff to this point? To answer that question, and many others, ETonline caught up with The Following's Warren Kole!
ETonline: I know the show tackles very serious subject matter, but having interviewed a lot of your co-stars, I get the sense that everyone is having a very good time making this show.
Warren Kole: Yeah, I showed up as a tourist halfway through the season, but once I was part of the family, it was very clear that everybody -- the cast and the crew -- was going to do everything they could to make this show as interesting and dramatic as possible. It's a little taxing to be crazy 10 hours a day, but it's also fun to take the lid off and let it go.
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ETonline: Judging from the trailer for tonight's episode, Rodderick is seriously about to take the lid off.
Kole: Well, I don't think Rodderick has shown himself to be very well so far [laughs]. All the great set-up of the previous episodes is starting to payoff in big ways now. Rodderick has to take some action. He can't just be a spectator reacting. He's an active member in this story now and a totally unpredictable guy, so his pure self is going to be more exposed in the coming weeks.
ETonline: Is it fair to say that Rodderick is disappointed in how Joe has acted since Claire arrived at the mansion?
Kole: Maybe disillusionment is a better word. If I was going to be psychoanalytic here, it's like any child with an absent father that's been gone for a long time. You build him up in your mind -- maybe beyond who he really is -- and then you get the real person in front of you and see the flaws and that they're not a superhero. I think it's more like a son's disillusionment. Now Joe isn't as much a motivator as he is a hindrance and an obstacle for Rodderick.
ETonline: We know from the trailer that Rodderick kidnaps Joey tonight. What drives him to that point?
Kole: Rodderick is obviously leveraging what he can. He's a desperate man who is doing what he has to do. He's breaking and not thinking very clearly. I think the best thing to take from it, without getting in trouble for spoiling anything, is to say that this is a man on the run. He's desperate and will do what has to be done in order to survive.
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ETonline: It also strikes me that Rodderick has spent more time with Joe's followers than Joe has. Might he turn them against their former idol?
Kole: If you look at how the story of this mansion has been told, Rodderick is the operator. He's the hands-on guy. He's got his charms, he's got leadership abilities and he's in a very crucial place as the sheriff to make things happen. The question is where loyalties will lie if there is a war between Joe and Rodderick. Who will people side with?
ETonline: Given the show's flashback-friendly structure, might we see some of Rodderick's past this season?
Kole: You'll get a little insight. Sure. You're slippery, I can't tell you too much [laughs].
ETonline: Looking at the final three episodes of the season, what are you excited for fans to see?
Kole: I think everyone has their fantasies about what they think will happen, but I think they'll be excited to see what actions these characters actually take with all this amazing set-up from our writers. It's all about how things play out and we're about to unleash that great whirling dervish.
The Following airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Fox.