THE FOLLOWING Season 2 Episode 7 'Sacrifice' Recap (SPOILERS) Episode 8 Preview Clips 'The Messenger' [VIDEOS]

Fox's The Following has really found its stride in season two, but how does last week's "Sacrifice" influence this week's episode, "The Messenger"? Joe, Emma and Mandy are in some sort of cult now and Lily is hounding Ryan and the FBI. What can we expect for the rest of the 2014 season? (SPOILERS to follow)

There was plenty of crazy to go around in "Sacrifice," but the episodes title came from one specific scene that could easily have alienated some fans of the series. After ditching Lily and her "family," Joe takes his two gal pals to meet up with a former "follower" named Robert who is part of a cult. To make a long story short, this cult is weird even to Emma (who, as you know, kills people for a guy obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe).

We're introduced to Julia, a sexy, high-ranking cult member that doesn't exactly trust Joe but is definitely flirting with him. Her husband Micha runs the cult and desperately wants Carroll as a member. After Joe passes a lie detector test (most likely tricking it because he's so creepy), Micah accepts him and his girls into the cult ... after "choosing" Emma for a sacrifice (hence the title).

We're told later that Emma is fine, but Joe was very mad at Julia for this and is probably already plotting his revenge!

Meanwhile, Ryan's search for Joe has gone cold but his attention is turned back to Lily who is plotting her revenge for the death of her son Luke. Though Luke is still alive, she doesn't know that and has Max kidnapped. It turns out the guy that has Max is a serial killer that goes by the moniker "The Huntsman." Max manages to run for it, Ryan gets some info from Luke and the Huntsman's kid, and then the episode has somewhat of a happy ending.

Unfortunately, Lily had another "debt" to pay. She targets Mike Weston's father, killing him and leaving Mike in tears.

What does this mean for tonight's episode, "The Messenger"? Check out some new promo and sneak peek clips to get a taste of the action: