The Following Episode 8: Welcome Home Promo Teases Joe's Next Step

As the trailer for next week's episode reminds us, there are only eight new episodes left of The Following's first season. On the bright side, Fox has assured us that those eight episodes won't be the series' last when they announced the renewal of the suspenseful thriller yesterday. The Following will be back for Season 2. In the meantime, last night's episode marked another game changer, leaving the remainder of Season 1 full of potential for dark and disturbing things.

Read no further if you're not caught up through last night's episode of The Following!

You've been warned! Joe Carroll is out! And as I suspected might come to pass, he killed his attorney. Who didn't die? Ryan Hardy. Because even Joe Carroll knows Ryan deserves a better death than one in a parking garage. He was also spared the indignity of being gutted by a razor, which is more than can be said for another guy in last night's episode. Now that Joe is out and reunited with his son, what's next? Watch the preview for "Welcome Home" below.

Joe's home and seems kind of surprised by all of his creepy followers. Maybe it's the sight of them joined together like that which has him looking so surprised. Joe has his son back, and now he wants his wife. I'm wondering if he thinks he can get into her head? He'll presumably be able to influence his son, at least for a little while. That kid was barely (if at all) aware that he was kidnapped the whole time he was separated from his parents. And I'm not really judging him for that. He's a little kid, and one of his kidnappers was his nanny, so it's not especially shocking that he'd be willing to listen to the grown-ups, even if he misses his mother. Still, if he wasn't especially suspicious of the situation then, what are the odds he's going to try to make a run for it now that his actual father is in the picture?

Meanwhile, it looks like in order to get to his wife, Joe's targeting the FBI, which may or may not directly involve Ryan.

The Following airs Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox.