De-Following, The Following

I have been following the career of Kevin Bacon since I first saw him in Footloose when I was just a kid. I respect Bacon's choice of roles, his skill as an actor, his ability to weave between leading man and character parts and of course, his penchant for on-screen exhibitionism. I stated to watch The Following, Bacon's new show on FOX, but will not be following the show when it returns in the fall.

Below: Nico Tortorella, Adan Canto & Valorie Curry

The show started off great, A rich and complex connection between Bacon's character and psychotic serial killer Joe Carroll, played by the equally great James Purfoy. Initially the show dove into rich character driven plots highlighted by unique and interesting dynamics. My favorite relationship from the series, the triangle of followers Emma, Jacob and Paul, I wrote about in February. (HERE:) As the season went on however, violence once used to move and enhance story, became the story, and I knew it was time for me to move on.

Friday the 13th (1980)

I tend to avoid most shows that I feel glorify and exploit cruelty and violence. It has nothing to do with what happened in Boston, or even 911. Ever since I was a child I simply knew there was enough real horror on the planet without dwelling and watching more. I always love good storytelling however and when horror and violence are used properly, I will watch. Movies such as Silence Of The Lambs and Hunger Games used violence, without overly exploiting, in order to tell story and dive into rich, well written characters. I have come to have a good eye and keen sense of when violence is there to enhance, or simply to glorify and shock.

Hollow Man (2000)

You know it too when you see it. Criminal Minds uses it simply to titillate and shock. Law and Order SVU started off using it to move story but now simply embraces and exploits it for ratings. American Horror Story is filled with grizzly scenes, but in the end, it is still usually the characters that remain the focus. This season, the two new drama's I began watching were The Following and Bates Motel. Both shows started off well, but as the season went on, Bates Motel, thankfully kept its focus on story and character, The Following, did not.

Where The Truth Lies (2008)

By the end of the season, there was not one main character on the show who had not been kidnapped, stabbed, buried alive, shanked or tortured. Half of the main cast, most of my favorite characters in fact, did not even make to the season finale alive. It makes you wonder whats left be done to any of them next season? If a show can justify violent acts storyline wise, I can roll with violence, but by the time The Following came to a close, people were having their heads hacked with axes, with no real apparent reason except to shock. I then decided I had enough. I will have to restrict my following of Kevin Bacon to movies and DVD's. With Bacon's long and rich history on film, that ain't so bad!

Wild Things (1998)