What They Say:
Occultation – It’s the beginning of the end as Setrakian realizes that the upcoming eclipse is the apex for viral infection. Meanwhile, Eph is arrested after warning Kelly to leave with Zack before the plague spreads.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Though the mentions of the eclipse have been here since the start, it got a bit more out front for the viewers in the previous episode, which is timed with the way those infected are becoming more outgoing in what they’re doing. There’s a lot of things going on in the series with a lot of characters going through their own arcs, arcs which will intersect at times, and that makes for some engaging storytelling. Seeing these elements come into play is what works well because knowing that they’ll cross over at some point, or make an impact in some other way with the other characters, keeps you wondering what that impact will be. But the addition of an eclipse, which has its own kind of scare that gets some people riled up, provides an opportunity for those that are infected and the other thralls to really go all out and take events to the next level.
Preparing for such an event is something that can be pretty scary in general, but that can also be said about any scene that Eichorst is in, either with his mask on or his true self visible. With his little torture chamber that he has here where he has a victim that he’s definitely enjoying putting through his paces, it’s all about the feeding. Eichorst is looking forward to the change that the new world will bring, but he’s also smart enough to make sure he has some meals for the next few days as well. Eichorst is also continuing to work his jobs in advance of what’s coming, which includes dragging Gus back into it with a few nudges about what happened with the coffin. Gus is intent on staying out, but Eichorst of course has the upper hand in a couple of ways, first threatening him with deportation of his mother and then showing Gus that physical attacks on him won’t work. Eichorst looks like a small, older man, but he shows a kind of strength and intensity here that unnerves Gus in a way that it should.
With Eph, he’s looking to make contact with Kelly in order to warn her out of the area to make sure she and Zack are safe. The FBI is checking in on her as well to see if he’s been there, but they realize that he probably hasn’t been since Kelly’s boyfriend is there as well and that just wouldn’t happen. Seeing Eph stalking the place makes sense since his whole thing is going to be about making sure his family safe first and foremost. The downside is that when Eph does sneak into the house and tries to warn her, she’s very resistant to it even when all her red flags should be saying listen to him. To make matters worse, Matt ends up calling the FBI to alert them that he’s there, which ends up putting him in their custody. It’s a messy situation, one that should have played out different if Kelly had really remembered that even though she’s upset with him in regards to how their family turned out, he’s excellent at his job and takes that more seriously than anything else.
Setrakian is continuing his hunt of those whose names he has from the passenger list and that leads him to another home in Ozone Park in Queens of all places. The house is normal but once he gets in and down to the basement, it’s filled with lots of blood and a full on family feast in action. He’s certainly skilled, though it winds him easily because of his age and he’s also struggling with his heart problems that ends up putting him in real danger. That there are so many is surprising, but once they can start infecting others as we’ve seen, it spirals out of control from there. Still, working at it during the day is the best thing since a chance to expose them to light keeps them at bay. Setrakian’s approach in the face of this many is almost amusing when you get down to it, but it achieves the larger goal of eliminating the problem, or at least this particular outbreak of it.
Amusingly, when we get to the point where Gus goes to retrieve the body with help from another of Eichorst’s men, it turns out that the guy helping him is Jim. which ties us back to the first episode when Jim waved him past, giving Gus a recognition that he certainly didn’t expect. As that gets into motion, Eph is being interrogated by the FBI, Setrakian’s trying to get home before dark, Nora is doing her best to get away a bit with her mother as the FBI is looking to question her as well and we get Fet returning to the office to find it completely empty, which is a bit unnerving all on its own. What’s surprising though is that the infected have snuck their way into “enemy headquarters” here and are looking to eliminate those that could “rat” them out before its time. Fet’s obviously freaked out by finding his boss as one of them, but a quick bit of motion saves him when he exposes him to sunlight. That gives us a really good look at the brutal way the sunlight gets to them and it’s also showing us clearly what Fet will do in this situation, since he has to “clean the office” of what’s there. And these are people who, while not really friends, are those that he’s worked with for years and knows. There’s emotion from him with all of it, but also that kind of innate understanding of what needs to be done.
Fet also plays things personal as he heads back to his parents down at Brighton Beach to warn them to get out of the city fast. We actually get some decent things about his father first, which in turn reveals things about Fet and what path his life took and why and that makes him an even more interesting character than he already was. He does his best to warn them off, but father and son relationships are never easy and there’s a lifetime of issues between the two that’s involved with it. Everything is leading up to the eclipse though, and seeing that playing out across the continent is really nicely done as we’ve gotten a few scenes from space to remind us of the scale of that event. As darkness starts to hit New York City though, it all starts to change as the violence becomes public, starting with Bennett resurfacing in the streets and killing randomly to infect others. It’s quick and brutal and just the start of what’s to come.
In Summary:
While the eclipse itself is short overall, it’s a sign and portent of things to come. Those that operate under the control of The Master are making their way out there more, infecting more and causing more problems that will push it past the point where it can be quarantined. There’s a lot of danger with what’s going on across the city and we’re exposed to a variety of instances of it. There’s a lot to like and it is once again a show where the hour goes by so fast that I’m surprise its over. Few shows feel that way, but when they do, you just completely get into it. There are, sadly, stupid moments to be had here – especially with Kelly, but for the most part a lot of the characters act well within the structure of their situations and we’re seeing the crossing of a few orbits for some of them, which will be even more fun as events ramp up as more darkness takes over.
Grade: B+
Thanks for the review!