*WARNING-CONTAINS SPOILERS!!*
Roderick has Hardy and the FBI fooled as he plays his part well. Weston arrives where he immediately recognizes Roderick who quickly leaves the police station. He rushes back to mansion where he informs Joe about the FBI closing in. Joe tries to calm a now paranoid Roderick who feels that his mentor has failed. Jacob enters the room and tells Joe about Ryan Hardy giving a press conference, much to Donovan’s dismay. Following their falling out, Roderick kidnaps Joey. An angry Carroll orders Jacob and other members to find his son and kill Roderick. Meanwhile, the ex-sheriff returns to Virginia to meet with a friend named Betty. He has her drive him through a police roadblock where kills two state troopers. Soon he takes aim at Betty but police and FBI quickly descend upon him and arrest him. In custody, Roderick tells Ryan that he has Joey Matthews. Ryan calls Joe where Joe confirms Roderick does on fact have Joey. Roderick bargains his freedom for Joey’s safety. However, Donovan refuses to make the deal and tells Ryan to find another way.
Jacob and company arrive at the sheriff office. Inside, Ryan frees Roderick and, after dressing him in another agent’s clothes, escorts him out of the building. Roderick has Ryan discard his weapon and cell phone. As they drive off, they are followed by Jacob. At the mansion, Joe Carroll is slowly falling apart as is his cult. He blames Emma for allowing Joey to be kidnapped, telling her that watching him was her only assignment. At a house, FBI agents have followed Ryan, as part of his plan, and Roderick where they intend to rescue Joey and capture Roderick. Ryan finds Joey tied up in the closet. Roderick pulls out a gun and aims it at them but Weston bursts in with his gun drawn. Before he can fire, someone kills Roderick from outside. Ryan knows its Carroll’s people. He has Weston take Joey to a safe location. After leaving Carroll’s son in a room, Weston and Hardy are attacked by cult members. Jacob finds and leaves with Joey. After killing both men, Hardy and Ryan go after Jacob. Hardy appeals to Jacob about releasing Joey. Ultimately, Jacob has made the right decision as Ryan finds Joey alone without Jacob. With Joey safe, Claire can rest easy; however, she does not want this life for him and strikes a deal with Joe—she stays instead of Joey. The deal seems like it will go well until Claire stabs Joe in an attempt to kill him. Upset, he calls Ryan and tells him that it is time for Claire to die. Back at the sheriff station, a cult member turns herself in after seeing Ryan’s news report only to attack Nick Donovan and stab him in the eye.
After last week, it was only a matter of time before Roderick finally loses it. When he was first introduced, he seemed level headed and completely collective in intense situations. He exhibited this calming yet confident reassurance of himself, as if he was in complete control. In the span of two episodes, we see Roderick disintegrate. He becomes paranoid and irrational. This behavior is displayed when he lashes out at Joe Carroll, telling him that Claire will never love him. Before, Roderick never would’ve said that, for he respects Joe more than anyone else. That respect is discarded out of Roderick’s fear of having everything he has helped maintain in Joe Carroll’s absence crumble around him. Then Roderick gets a shock—Joe was just using him. He never really cared for him as he pretended to be. Desperation sets in and Roderick kidnaps Joey; an act he pays for with his life.
The ranks of Joe Carroll’s cult continue to fall with Jacob. He didn’t seem like he was cut out for this gig from the get-go and that still remains true now even though he killed his friend Paul. Got to give the guy credit, he’s been really kissing Carroll’s ass since then. His latest pucker on Carroll’s posterior is offering to kill Roderick himself. He seemed so sure of himself until Claire pleads with him to keep her son safe. Now, when Jacob came to the safe house with a mean attitude, it looked like he made the transition to the dark side. However, that’s not the case. After seeing the news report about him a couple episodes back followed by the tearful phone call to his father, it is clear that Jacob’s apprehensions would resurface eventually. And they have. After taking Joey from the house where Roderick is killed, Jacob realizes that even he cannot subject a child to the kind of life he’s leading. Out of care for Joey, and Claire and Ryan’s pleas, he leaves Carroll’s son in the care of Ryan Hardy.
When the body begins to fail, it isn’t long before the brain follows. Roderick and Jacob’s lack of success coupled with the FBI’s lawful long arm reaching ever closer has begun to spread doubt and uncertainty throughout the cult. Joe Carroll tries to comfort his flock before they become unruly. Carroll himself, however, is having trouble keeping it together. He slowly sees his plan unravel before him. He becomes confused and panicky like a caged animal. Seems like Ryan’s hunch about Carroll becoming sloppy after he and Parker found the training facility is ringing true. Mistakes have been made under Joe’s watch and now he is desperate to keep all that he has created together along with his sanity, which may be in question as his wife Claire is starting to see. Claire, like all mothers, will do anything to protect their children. She takes advantage of Joe’s moment of weakness and asks him to let Joey go on the grounds that she will stay with her husband. Carroll agrees but to his surprise she stabs him. Now his heart is broken. He has been betrayed by the last person he ever expected. How will Joe be able to retain the remainder of his sanity now that he is forced to kill the woman he loves? From what has been shown, not well I’m afraid.
In fact, this is probably what is going through Joe Carroll’s mind right now:
Can’t you imagine how good going through this will make you feel?
I promise, no one will ever know
There will be no chance of you getting caught
They never loved you anyway
So come on, be a man
And do what you are compelled to do Save Me GodI can hear the voice But I don’t want to listen
Strap me down and tell me I’ll be alright
I can feel the subliminal need To be one with the voice
And make everything alright ~ “Voices” by Disturbed
