The Strain: The Prodigal Son’s Revenge

First Aired September 11th, 2016.

Kelly (played by Natalie Brown) recounts the story of her difficult delivery with Zack (played by Max Charles). Zack is still somewhat wary of Kelly after seeing her feed and she tells him Bolivar/The Master (played by Jack Kesy) has big plans for him.

Abraham (played by David Bradley) and Vasiliy (played by Kevin Durand) discover the Lumen is missing, but Vasiliy reveals he put a tracker inside the book. While Ephraim (played by Corey Stoll) and Quinlan (played by Rupert Penry-Jones) prepare to use the Lumen as bait, Quinlan recalls his life during 58 AD where he was used as an attraction. An old woman named Ancharia (played by Deanna Dunagan) buys his freedom knowing he is half Strigoi, as she believes he can rid the world of the Master. They evade the Master for a few years until he finds and traps them in a cave, intending for Quinlan to drink Ancharia and prove he is more Strigoi than human. Ephraim asks Quinlan about his origins, and he reveals that his pregnant mother was infected when The Master tried unsuccessfully to kill her: because a half-human Strigoi is said to be his downfall. Agustin (played by Miguel Gomez) is weakened from constantly feeding his turned mother and is found by Angel (played by Joaquin Cosio).

With all the special interest the Master is taking in Zach, he’s like a stepfather from hell. There’s a lot of talk of “big plans” and I’m starting to share Zack’s frustration with not knowing what they are. The flashbacks worked well in the main narrative of the episode and gave great insight to just how personal Quinlan’s vendetta against the Master is. Ancharia was basically Quinlan’s Yoda, guiding him on his journey to confront his evil father. I’m glad we learned the details of Quinlan’s conception, since before now we were all probably picturing disturbing Strigoi mating habits. Angel is a major character in the novels, but was inconsequential in season two due to the show’s tendency to have too many characters. Maybe now that he’s been added to the main cast he’ll be more than just a waste of screen time.

Angel tries to convince Agustin that his mother is gone, and they fight when Angel attempts to kill her. Police arrive inspecting buildings for Strigoi and they’re both arrested while trying to move her. She attacks the officers. Ephraim and Quinlan communicate with the Master using a Strigoi and negotiate the Master into showing up alone with Zack in exchange for the Lumen. And, unknown to them, Abraham and Vasiliy are close behind. Flashbacks show Quinlan attempting to keep Ancharia alive, but she convinces him to drink her and regain his strength. The Master appears and offers Quinlan a place at his side, but he refuses and—though not strong enough to fight—Quinlan escapes. Agustin and Angel are taken to a converted high school where, instead of being arrested, they are coerced into clearing buildings of Strigoi. Ephraim goes to Coney Island and is met by Kelly and the Master, but, instead of Zack, they bring a Feeler who attacks Ephraim while Kelly grabs the Lumen.

Now that his mother is finally gone, Agustin is free from his twisted Norman Bates side story of bleeding himself dry for her. He belongs where the action is. Although, the police forcing prisoners to fight their battles isn’t right. It’s cowardly and now looters can end up on suicide missions. We finally got to see the human side of Quinlan, who normally just has a very sullen and almost wooden demeanor. The pain in his eyes as he was forced to kill the woman he considered a mother showed a vulnerability that made the character seem less one-dimensional. It was painfully obvious Ephraim was being setup, but he didn’t see it until it was way too late. Aren’t doctors supposed to be smart? Sometimes characters making stupid decisions is necessary to move things along, but that was ridiculous.

Quinlan arrives, but the Master has armed Strigoi navy seals who severely wound him, but Abraham and Vasiliy use silver bombs to incapacitate the seals and the Master. Quinlan decapitates the Master and seemingly kills him, but a single worm crawls from the corpse and escapes down a sewer drain. Sunlight, silver, and decapitation have all failed to kill the Master; there isn’t much else these guys can try. Although, now that he’s been reduced to a single worm, all it might take is a boot or a can of bug spray to do the trick.

Quotes/Thoughts

“Three weeks ago you believed nothing, do not presume to know what you’ll believe three weeks from now–if you’re still alive.”

It turns out the Master is really just a little worm, now it makes sense why the Master always has big and imposing host bodies.

“Am I a fool?” “Well, you’re human.”

Quinlan may or may not be dead. It would suck if he did, especially after the character just got so much more interesting.

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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