luke kalamar begins his siege…
Plot: Thanks to the phone recovered from Maggie Kester (Virginia Kull), the FBI has a general location of where Joey Matthews (Kyle Catlett) is being held. Newly Deputized Agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) and Agent Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore) go to the location and enlist the help of the local Police force. Meanwhile, Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) hires an attorney named Olivia (Renee Goldsberry) to both send a message to his Followers and his ex-wife Claire Matthews (Natalie Zea).
Over the past couple episodes, there has been a pretty regular trend of Paul (Adan Canto), Jacob (Nico Tortorella) and Emma (Valorie Curry) showing that they are not experienced kidnappers. If it’s not keeping a stronger eye on Meghan Leeds (Li Jun Li) in the basement, it’s blatantly walking in front of a store surveillance camera. For the most part, these instances were pretty brief and only happened about once per episode. “The Siege” however completely bucks this trend with three separate situations where the Trio is completed outsmarted by Joey. Despite my enjoyment of this episode, it is these situations that really brought a lot down.
I’m not sure if Joey is incredibly crafty or the kidnappers are just really stupid, but I find it fascinating that a child is breaking apart an extremely intricate plan. In the first five minutes, Joey is able to sneak out of his room, find a cell phone, and call his mother. This allows the FBI to get an even more specific location of his whereabouts. Next Joey is left alone in his room without any supervision. What does he do? Freaking escape and run into a neighboring couple who call the police! As if that’s not enough, Joey is recovered and locked into his room with a single deadbolt. Unsurprisingly, he is able to break the door open using a skateboard. Keep in mind this is a house where doors are clearly locked with an unbreakable padlock.
It’s honestly baffling how much of this episode could have been prevented with simple supervision. If Paul, Jacob, or Emma were able to keep a constant eye on Joey like I’m sure Carroll expects, Ryan and the FBI probably wouldn’t have found the house so fast. Carroll was oddly calm when he found out that the house was discovered, so perhaps he planned for this the entire time. That’s probably a long shot however and I’m sure we can chalk everything up to a child is smarter than three young adults.
On a much more positive note, I really enjoyed the introduction of the follower Hank. The way Carroll signaled to Hank to act and his obvious preparation was incredible. Compared to the extremely ill-prepared Trio, Hank is a one man army with a secret hideout filled with guns. He’s clearly experienced in this field and knows how to get things done. I’m confused as to why he was never brought in to begin with, but I guess Carroll only wanted to use him as a last resort.
The introduction of an attorney for Carroll was a brilliant move as well. Carroll may be a madman, but all criminals have the right to an attorney and it’s a great way for him to connect with the outside world. Carroll has obviously prepared for this moment considering what he had to do to make sure Olivia would do what he wants. I’m glad that reveal was left to near the end too as it kept me questioning the entire time. I expect to see a lot of Olivia in the future and have her connections with the law severely tested.
Lastly, I’m glad the footage from Paul’s fateful trip to the store came back in some capacity. I knew there was a reason for it to exist and it’s perfect that it was used for the FBI to get a positive identity on the Trio’s presence in the town. It was a really nice connection to a previous episode too.
“The Siege” might have been marred with a clever child, but you can’t deny its set up for something more intense. The preview for next week’s episode shows the FBI swarming the farm house and I’m really excited to see that. Plus, now that Claire is in Roderick’s custody, it makes rescuing Joey that much harder. I just wish the Trio would think to keep an eye on the Joey.
Rating: 7/10
all photos CR: Nicole Rivelli/FOX
I honestly didn’t find the lawyer element compelling. Oh she got attacked, so now she is indebted to Carroll? It would have made much more sense if his lawyer was in the cult as well, like as an admirer, but not to the extent of committing murder (hence her not being in jail).
Also, that couple who found Joey…really? Don’t lock your door after you find out that serial killers are freaking nearby and know that they know who they are?
Lastly, I love when the lawyer reads what Carroll told her to, Weston has to point out it’s Poe. I was waiting for Hardy to turn around and say “No Shit.”
I do love the previews for next week’s episode.