The infected are on the move in this week’s episode of “The Strain.” Abraham is stuck in jail. Captain Redfern is suffering from something much worse than jetlag and Eldritch Palmer finally met the master. Right now, Vasiliy Fet is wondering what’s spooking the sewer rats. Follow me, my little blood banks, as we climb down those metal rungs into the sewers of New York.
Illusions
Herr Eichorst is busy dressing for a meeting… shirt, pants, tie, cuff links, nose… nose? Yes, my little blood banks, Herr Eichorst has lost most of his humanity and needs all the stage show props he can get his hands on to appear human, but it’s all an illusion. Eichorst is way past resembling a human being even with the makeup.
After Ephraim questions Jim Kent about the missing dead passengers and the missing pathologist, Jim goes looking for his friend Greg. Jim is under the mistaken theory that he only answers to the CDC, but after his short visit with Herr Eichorst, he learns that even his wife’s illness is up for grabs. If he keeps his mouth shut about the box and the missing bodies, maybe just maybe, Eichorst will allow Jim’s wife to receive the needed cancer treatment. How many of you feel that Jim just signed his death sentence? He probably has, but his wife has been accepted into the experimental cancer treatment.
Ephraim and Nora think they can save Captain Redfern, but we know different. The changes are taking place. The parasites are moving right under the Captain’s skin and he can hear the voice of the Master calling him. Surgery is scheduled but first Ephraim visits the home of Mr. Arnot. There is blood in the tub, but Ephraim doesn’t hang around long enough to see why. He has a custody case going on between him and his wife and Ephraim is under the illusion that Zach will pick him.
Children don’t want to pick sides when it comes to their parents, but that doesn’t stop the adults from forcing their offspring to do so. If Ephraim expected his son to pick him, he was dead wrong. Kelly (Natalie Brown) tries to reason with Ephraim, but Ephraim shows that he is every bit of a control freak that Kelly claims he is.
Vasiliy Fet is under the illusion that it’s a routine rat problem at the Mayor’s high rise and high priced condominium, but when he arrives at the Mayor’s home, Fet realizes the problem is much bigger than expected. The rats know when to leave a sinking ship and they know there is something nasty living in the sewers. They scurry to safety by the thousands.
Ansel and Gabriel
Two men, both infected and both reacting differently. Ansel Barbour (Nikolai Witschl) is a good man who thinks he’s just suffering from the flu. Ansel tries to calm his wife Annmarie (Alex Paxton-Beesley) into thinking this sickness will pass, but then she catches him drinking the blood from the uncooked steak. Ansel might fool his wife, but he can’t fool his dog. Dogs know a vampire when they spot one.
Gabriel (Jack Kesy) is more cavalier about his disease. He might be going bald and his skin color might be the shade of puke, but the video of him biting a chunk out of his little groupie has gone viral. His fan base just got larger. He refuses to go to the hospital, but his doctor prescribes the normal Hollywood drugs to tide Gabriel over until the next big show. Gabriel hears the Master’s voice and then loses an important body part; his penis.
Setrakian
The old man is standing before a judge. He plays dumb and convinces the judge that he is harmless and that the sword is just a loved antique. The judge falls for the lie and releases Setrakian. When Nora asks him to explain what he knows about the plane and the bodies, Setrakian (David Bradley) is frustrated with her ignorance of how serious the problem is.
Conclusion
Captain Redfern is missing from his hospital bed and Jim, Ephraim and Nora go searching for him, but… it’s no longer Captain Redfern (Jonathan Potts) who they find sipping from the blood bank’s supply. Finally, our clueless doctors realize that this is not your everyday pandemic. Luckily for them, Setrakian has the passenger list and Fet has his exterminating kit.
I’m not sure why it was important for Herr Eichorst to kill Regis, but he did and I’m wondering what little Emma did with her papa. We never learned what happened to Palmer after his meeting with the Master; too bad. I hope we find out next week. Watching this show, it’s not the vampires that scare me, but the way the Government agencies cover up their mistakes; just like real life. See you next week, my little blood banks, and stay away from Gabriel. He just flushed away the best part of him.
