The Following “Let Me Go”

What happened to the FBI’s helicopter?  That’s the question I can’t help but ask from this episode.  I liked it in general, the escape plot was pretty cool and Joey’s storyline wasn’t too bad, but that one flaw hangs me up, which is a shame.

“Let Me Go” starts with Dr. Carroll’s lawyer, Olivia Warren, requesting a transfer due to his harsh treatment from Ryan Hardy in the first episode.  The warden agrees to the transfer and the wheels are set in motion for Carroll to leave immediately.  Hardy doesn’t trust the warden so they peek into his records and discover his daughter hasn’t attended class in two days, which doesn’t seem like a big clue but they use it to assume his daughter has been kidnapped.  Luckily, their hunch is right and they uncover a plot put in motion by the warden to allow Carroll to escape.  This leads to a tense sequence when they stop the prison van and the warden’s car simultaneously thinking that Carroll is in one of the vehicles.   Now is a good time to mention that Agent Parker was following the transfer caravan in a helicopter so the FBI had eyes in the sky while this whole plot unfolds.  That will become important later.  In a twist that was semi-surprising we learn that Joe Carroll has actually stowed away in Olivia’s trunk, because apparently she has the spine of a worm.  Hardy and Parker have Olivia’s car traced, upon finding her location Hardy and Warren drive off to catch Carroll and we don’t hear from Agent Parker or her helicopter again, which bugs me.  Olivia couldn’t have driven too far in the time that it took the FBI to find out it was her so why not send the chopper after her?  It can go faster AND in a straight line, without having to zig-zag because of roadways.  While on their way, Hardy receives a call from Olivia.  Carroll strangles her while Hardy listens just to make Hardy squirm.  The agents find the car and chase Carroll through a large building leading to the climax.  Carroll has the chance to kill Hardy, but this is only the beginning of their story together.  Carroll leaves to get in a helicopter to escape, Hardy just misses him as it lifts off from the roof.

After this Agent Parker shows back up sans helicopter and the denouement proceeds with a rather chilling scene where Carroll meets up with his cult and has a reunion with his son, which was actually my favorite scene.  The music and pacing was perfect in Carroll’s return, and it was actually kind of touching in a weird way.

But back to the helicopter.  I think the FBI missed an obvious chance to catch Carroll and get him back in prison.  As I said before, when the FBI learned where Olivia’s car was they should have sent the chopper to the location too, they could have probably gotten there in time to save her life, but let’s assume they are even too late to save her.  If they had the helicopter in the general area when Carroll’s chopper lifted off of the rooftop they could have followed the chopper until they landed.  Obviously Carroll would have noticed he was being followed by another helicopter and would have changed his plans accordingly, BUT if the FBI would’ve had a bird in the air at least Parker would have been able to be there when he landed and possibly stop him. 

While all of this is going on Joey is taken to a garage where he finds the warden’s daughter being held in cage and saves her.  The man running the garage isn’t part of the cult, but they use him.  After the his usefulness is over, and after some drama and a chase through the garage, the man is killed and the killers move on.  There were some problems I had with this part of the story, mainly because Joey still treats Emma with a sense of trust even though he’s talked to his mom and he knows that she is lying.  I know he’s a kid, but damn.  Get your act together.

I still harbor frustrated feelings against this show.  Mainly because the premise and characters are actually pretty good, but they are used in lazy ways.  I sincerely hope this show gets better.