The Strain: Strigoi Strike Back

First Aired September 18th, 2016.

Justine (played by Samantha Mathis) gives an interview with a reporter and is shocked to learn about people being arrested and forced to fight Strigoi. When the reporter raises the point that Justine’s efforts are failing, she angrily throws the camera crew out of her office.

Ephraim (played by Corey Stoll) helps Quinlan (played by Rupert Penry-Jones) after he nearly died beheading Bolivar/The Master (played by Jack Kesy). Vasiliy (played by Kevin Durand) and Abraham (played by David Bradley) celebrate the Master’s demise, but are furious to learn Ephraim helped steal the Lumen and they force him to leave. Zack (played by Max Charles) is nearly attacked by a Strigoi, who are running wild without the Master. Eichhorst (played by Richard Sammel) scolds Kelly (played by Natalie Brown) for not watching Zack and tells her he is planning to strike back against the humans. Quinlan wakes up, and he and Abraham still wonder if the Master is alive and decide they need to be sure. Agustin (played by Miguel Gomez) and Angel (played by Joaquin Cosio) are rounded up with other prisoners for a day of Strigoi hunting. They’re forced into tunnels armed only with sticks and are quickly overwhelmed by Strigoi and forced to run.

That news report wasn’t flattering, but since people are spending their time fighting off Strigoi, I doubt many people would see it. Abraham and the others thought they killed the Master (obviously they didn’t kill the series main antagonist) so you’d think they would have had a major blowout. Now that they’re free of the Master’s control, the Strigoi have been rendered to wild animals without basic survival instincts. Unless you’re one of the chosen few like Eichhorst, there is no glory in being turned; Eldritch (played by Jonathan Hyde) should keep that in mind. But, with the Master out of the way for the time being, Eichhorst is more than capable of picking up the slack as the main villain. The cops clearly don’t want any prisoners retiring from the chain gangs. Sticks against Strigoi: they’re basically just feeding these things. Agustin is a great character, and it’s good to see him have a role in the season.

Eichhorst recruits Strigoi who were employees of Justine, and has them made up to look human before planting C4 into their bodies. Vasiliy informs Justine that without the Master the Strigoi are easier targets and urges her to take advantage of their vulnerability. Ephraim and Dutch (played by Ruta Gedmintas) drink away their problems and Ephraim worries Zack won’t be kept alive anymore. Quinlan and Abraham inform the Ancients of the Master’s death, but they reveal he is still alive as a worm and that if he takes another host body he will regain his full power. Eichhorst puts his plan into action and has two Strigoi blow themselves up inside Justine’s headquarters, spraying worms everywhere and infecting many people. Justine is nearly turned by a worm that crawls into her eye, but Vasiliy burns it with a UV light. Ephraim and Dutch arrive at the scene and learn two other places were similarly attacked with heavy losses.

It’s a good thing Ephraim and Dutch didn’t have a drunken fling; it seemed to be heading that direction, and that’s a tired cliché that wouldn’t have serviced either character. They’ll never find the Master in the city now that he’s the size of a worm, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. The Ancients had a problem with giving Abraham information, yet they let him listen in on everything. If The Ancients give a good picture of what the Master will look like when he reaches vampire old age then frankly death might be a better option. Strigoi suicide bombers was a brilliant idea; it sends a message and spreads the infection on a large scale. If Justine had died, the series would have lost a strong female character—which are in short supply. The emotional vulnerability she showed when things looked grim was a great character-building moment.

After Ephraim ensures Justine isn’t infected, Justine is bolstered to confront the reporter and has her arrested for trying to undermine their efforts with her slanderous broadcasts. Dutch and Ephraim go out that night to get supplies and are attacked by a Strigoi who becomes possessed by the Master. The Master gloats that he still has Zack, and an infuriated Ephraim kills the Strigoi. Justine is back to her badass self, but, clearly, she has embraced abusing her power for personal gain. Excessive drinking must have killed some brain cells, because why else would Ephraim and Dutch go supply hunting at night? The Master doesn’t seem so intimidating now: since we know he’s nothing more than a worm burrowed in the dirt somewhere.

Quotes/Thoughts

“We took out the Strigoi Wi-Fi, these monsters can’t get a signal. They’re too dumb to hide or coordinate like animals.”

The Strigoi Eichhorst recruited believed him when he said they would get a huge feast after blowing themselves up…talk about stupid.

“I risk everything and you three husks just sit here awaiting the end of your days.”

I wonder how long it’ll take the Master to find a new body. It’s probably like house hunting: location, location, location.

If you enjoyed Manny’s review, you can find the rest of his work right HERE on Sci-Fi Bloggers. You can also follow him on Twitter @KN_Manny.

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