Welcome to The Strain-ger Talk, where each week we breakdown and discuss this week’s new episode of FX’s The Strain. We will be going over major plot points, the game plan from both sides of the upcoming war, best action moments, new types of vampires, and of course the Tongue-Punch of the Week! If you missed last week’s talk then Click here! Now a lot of drama happened this week that we need to cover, so without further ado, lets talk some Strainge!

*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS EPISODE SPOILED THEN STOP READING*

Breakdown:

If you have been keeping up with The Strain with me over the past few weeks then you know I have some grievances. This week a few of the smaller ones were addressed and a few of my questions answered. The first and foremost is what was up Boulevard? Well this weeks episode answers that question at the very beginning. Apparently Boulevard has become a major foot solider, something that is much clearer looking back even if they hadn’t highlighted it before. We see him transporting The Master’s “hollowed ground” and being stopped by the police in the process. During the encounter we see him call upon some other Strigori, proving he has become a major player in the upcoming war. Where he was transporting the dirt and why is never explained, but what is explained is his fucking wig, sort of. One theory was that his wig melded with his head during his transformation and another was that he doesn’t like being bald (though losing his genitals apparently wasn’t much of an issue). As we saw with the encounter with the police, his wig does come off and he goes back to retrieve it. Probably because Boulevard is holding on to a major part of his previous life much like how Eichorst wears make up and prosthetics to cover up his Strigori self. Or maybe they think he looks more intimidating with the long hair.

This week we see Eph and Nora’s quest for a cure finally hit a high note as they test their new virus. As said before, they are trying to find a way to infect the infected with a virus that would “cure” the Strigori. At first their new virus kills the host, but the second test subject survives  and becomes infected with their “cure.” The episode ends with the promise of field testing in the next episode, which is a major tease. This development is great as we will hopefully see more from Eph and Nora on the ground participating in the upcoming episodes. So far this season they have been separate from the other in their scientific pursuits. This episode seemed a bit distracted by its drama, even if it was revealing for some of the characters. Overall, everyone seems pretty happy about finding a possible cure for Strigori, everyone that is, except for overly emotional Zach.

THAT IS IT! I AM CALLING IT! After three episode of dealing with this kid I am calling it. Zach is officially more annoying than Carl from the early seasons of The Walking Dead! Thats right, Zach is more annoying than “Stay in the House” Carl. This psychotic little ball of hormones is fucking everything up too much. First he tries to take a bus to Queens by himself because he thinks his mother misses him. I swear the amount of time both the characters and the audience has to waste on this child is too much. After trying to run off to see his Strigori mother, who is looking for him anyways, Eph decides to bring him to the lab to hopefully help Zach realize what is happening around him. After explaining what Eph and Nora are trying to do, Eph tries to connect with his son by telling him a story about his own father. Eh has to excuse himself because he is realizing he can’t relate to his own son. I honestly can’t blame the man for being overwhelmed by this task. So how does Zach process all this information? He throws a huge fit and begins smashing everything he can get his little hands on in the lab. Eph reacts furiously shoving Zach’s face into the plastic barrier between them and the tied down Strigori test subject.

Now, this might seem like an extreme measure, but it is totally necessary as Zach still can’t differentiate between Strigori and humans ever since his mother became one. I want to highlight the “ever since his mother” part of that last sentence. Clearly this development at the end of the first season is a lot for a young person to process, but the show, up to this point, is handling it very poorly. I think Eph putting Zach that close to the danger will hoping knock some smarts into his head. Nora quickly stops Eph mid lesson and later states that “when it comes to his mother” Eph can’t win. This is a huge weakness for the group, as we know The Master is already putting his plan to target this weakness into play with Strigori Kelly. Towards the end of the episode, Eph makes a threat to The Master through the test subject saying that he would kill Zach and himself before letting either of them to become monsters. I would be lying is I said I wasn’t hoping for Zach to be killed off right now.

This week we also learn something big about Abraham. After we see him take out a Strigori by himself, collect some worms, then make an eye drop solution, Abraham momentarily dies. Nora quickly saves his life, but much like the rest of us, is super curious as to what in the living fuck Abraham was doing. Apparently, Abraham has been consuming the worms through an eye drop solution in order to prolong his life. This explains many things such as how he is 94 and can still hold his own in a fight, but also explains why he held onto his wife’s heart for all this time. He was probably using the worms from her heart to make his solution. This development is fantastic, as it shows Abraham as a man whose ego is so big that he would rather damn his soul to hell than fade away into old age. He even says himself that he will “kill The Master or die trying” rather than to give in to old age. Once again, Nora is taking on the emotional baggage of everyone else and promises keep this a secret between the two of them.

Last week’s episode introduced Justine Feraldo as a “takes no shit” Congresswoman who is the only high official calling for the execution of all Strigori. I didn’t highlight it last week because the scene felt forced and there was no follow-up to her scene. It felt insignificant which tends to happen with new arrivals this season (the same happens with the reintroduction of  Reggie). Well, this week we see her plan come through as she announces that Staten Island is vampire free and proves this point with a bunch of beheaded Strigori strung up like it is Halloween. Shortly after her rousing speech, the Governor asks her to do the same thing for the rest of New York only asking that it sounds like the both of them came up with the plan. Honestly, I love her character when she isn’t surrounded by bureaucrats trying to silence or manipulate her. I feel that she can be a great addition to the human side of the war as we needed someone with political power on our side. Even if she doesn’t know she is a part of the team, she is a great addition. I hope they do more with her and her mission in the upcoming episodes.

This week, we also see how Gus is being used in the war as we watch his training with the “good” Strigori. During his training he takes out a vampire using two bullets. He quickly realizes those were all he was given as a second one comes out. He is forced to use hand-to-hand combat, bobbing and weaving under its tongue. He quickly gets in close and grabs the Strigori’s tongue and proceeds to rip it out of its body killing it instantly. This is harkens back to the first season’s original autopsy scene where Eph tests how long the tongue is on the turned pilot. I am glad they are showing more ways of killing the Strigori and this has to be one of the more badass ways of killing them. I am also glad Gus and the secret “good” Strigori are being featured more, as they have always been the more interesting aspects of the show. More on Gus in this episode in the Action Sequence of the Week segment.

Tongue-Punch of the Week:

 

As the humans become smarter and the war continues to move on we are seeing less and less tongue-punches. Man I miss the days when it was a struggle to pick the best tongue-punche of the week. Luckily, we are still getting at least one good punch each week. This week’s comes to us from the only cops in New York who still have no clue with what is happening. After Boulevard calls in the other Strigori to back him up, one of the cops is quickly tongue-punched as he is struggling with the worms crawling into his hand. This scene is great as it shows how organized and quick the Strigori are to swarm when called upon. It is also a classic Strigori horror moment and a welcomed inclusion in this weeks episode.

Best Action Sequence of the Week:

The best action sequence of this weeks episode clearly goes to the Palmer Heist. After we see Gus in training, he executes a plan with the “good” Strigori to kidnap Palmer. After successfully making it up the elevator to the penthouse, they find the room empty. The sequence plays out in a classic heist fashion giving us a nice break from the drama. Palmer quickly turns on his Strigori home defense, which fills the room with UV lasers that push the group into the middle of the room. Once they are trapped in the middle, the floor gives away to an under room the bombards the five Strigori soldiers with UV light until the eventually burn to death. Gus is able to escape, but this is another example of badass ways to combat the Strigori. The scene is very intense as the soldiers struggle to escape the light. This scene also shows Gus’s usefulness to their cause as well as Palmer’s paranoia with his Strigori allies.

Final Thoughts:

 

This week’s episode was filled with a lot of drama and little action or horror. From Dutch’s search for her old lover to Eph dealing with his annoying son to Abraham’s rejuvenating eye drops, there was a lot of development with the characters. Usually this is needed in a show that is filled with violence and killer monsters, but this still proves to be the show’s weakest point. The drama aspects are uneven with their quality from great moments of character development (Abraham’s struggling with his ego), relationships (Dutch and Fet), and moments of empowerment (Feraldo’s speech), to the bad moments that feel forced (Zach), to sheer moments of unintentional creepiness (Feraldo and the Governor) to filler scenes that aren’t expanded on in the episode (Reggie visiting his brother). At times it feels like there are too many stories being told in the show and the scope is too big for them to handle, which is hindering what makes the show great. They are spending too much time on characters and relationships that ultimately aren’t interesting, leaving what does work and is interesting out of the episode (Strigori Kelly and her Feelers). There is still a lot that I like about this show, but after three weeks of complaining about the same things over and over, I feel as though these might be issues that are never truly addressed.

What did you think of this episode? Do you think Max Charles will be able to bring Zach back from the annoying zone? Do you agree with me or think I am wrong? Let us know in the comments and we will see you next week with “The Silver Angel”!

More Screen Shots: