A little more place setting.
What They Say:
Quick and Painless – Eph changes his appearance to leave the city; Nora is left as the reluctant parent for Zack; Dutch and Nora make a deal with Justine to secure Fet’s release from jail.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The Strain works in its own kind of weird and silly ways and there’s a charm to it that works for me, especially as it tries to stretch what appears to be its meager budget. There was some real fun in watching Fet the last time around with what he was doing in blowing up the entrance to the tunnel while also trying to not hurt anyone, even if it’ll cause some trouble for him. Fet’s definitely a standout in the show alongside Setrakian and even more so when the two of them are together. The downside to the episode was the focus on the former wrestler character that Gus encountered, but that has greater meaning down the line and is just being seeded here. It at least started in a really fun old school kind of way, but unless you knew that there was something key to him in the future to look forward to, it felt like a really weird detour.
The cold open here is showing some of what’s going on now that the city is attempting to get serious about dealing with the problem plaguing them and that has a number of cops going through buildings as part of a mandatory evacuation. That includes some testing outside to make sure that people are clear and what we get are some interesting situations as you get further into people’s homes. From normal couples to drug dealers and their stash. And, of course, the moment you need to torment the audience with by having kids that are infected as well, including one of those of Kelly’s that’s quite hard to kill as she flits about the apartment in really fun ways. Turning it into a straightforward hunt for her is definitely a lot of fun but the situation goes in some really good ways as another of the children is there adding more dead cops to their ledger. The children are definitely the right level of creepy for the show, especially as the kids are definitely limber in ways that makes them utterly disturbing to watch. Even more so when Kelly comforts them later on while on the roof in some beautifully hued colors.
With a lot of storylines going on, one that continues to burn slowly in the background is that of Setrakian and his search for the book. That takes him to a group that deals in the black market, though they’re surprised that that he’s there for a book when most people are looking for weapons or access outside of the city. Setrakian continues to play well in terms of style and approach with what he’s trying to do here, especially with this group that’s looking to just take what they can when they can. The underbelly of the city, or the lighter side of it when you get down to it, as we also get to see Eph going off to one of Dutch’s associates to help get some new IDs that will get them where they need to be in order to get the cure-virus out there more. It’s got some amusing moments, especially with Eph being told that he should really change his appearance considering he’s fairly well known on the TV these days. That he goes bald? Not too much of a surprise.
Fet’s time in jail is pretty short overall as Nora uses her knowledge and CDC position with Feraldo to get him out in exchange for showing them ways to test people quicker than the 72 hour quarantine they’re doing. What turns into an interesting situation though is that when Dutch goes off on one of the cops in charge that went a bit far it actually turns into Fet and the cop sharing a lot of information, them with their weapons and the cop about the spider-kids. That sets in motion a bit of a team-up since the cop needs more help to finish clearing out the building and the spider-kids might be there, which has certainly piqued Fet’s curiosity to say the least. It’s an unexpected pairing in a sense, but the kind that that feels like it would happen in the real world in such situations rather than the usual blowing other people off we get in shows.
As the trio, along with a few other cops, begin clearing the building there’s some fun little banter to it that you have to have in such a situation. This provides for some of the action component of the episode and there’s enough to like in the whole sweeping the building angle, the tight rooms and the uncertainty of what’s behind every corner to keep it tense and interesting. Particularly as the strigoi can sometimes move in unexpected ways – such as within the ventilation system itself. It does let Fet show off a bit with his violent side as well which makes for some tense moments as he does some stupid stuff here as well.
Eph’s journey under his assumed identity is one that goes poorly, partially because once he’s on the train for a bit he gets three beers and gest to drinking. While there’s enoughr to navigate in terms of the actual inspection side of riding on the rail at this point it gets worse when he realizes Barnes is on there. He does his best to avoid him for a bit but he makes stupid decisions along the way since he’s mildly impaired at times but it gets even worse when Barnes discovers him and the two men get into a fist fight. Eph has to get to DC to take the fight against the Master to the next stage so naturally he does all that he can. But it’s just weirdly stilted. At least he does make it to DC, though it’s hard to imagine he’s going to be able to make a huge impact here easily considering all that’s involved.
In Summary:
The Strain doesn’t have what feels like really big moments here but rather a lot of smaller movements and nudges of the overall storyline. The biggest change is that we get Eph getting out of the city and moving towards Washington DC, though that has its own issues. While I liked the storyline that we get with Nora going off to deal with Feraldo it just feels weird that she’s not recognized in any way. But that it leads to Dutch and Fet going off on a new hunt is worth it since there’s plenty of fun with it. The action there is definitely fun stuff though it’s mostly straightforward and meaningless at the moment, though they’re ostensibly going to find the the spider-kids. For my money, the material at the start with the cold open is the best, especially at the end with Kelly. Though any time with Setrakian is a good thing and this episode plays to that in a fun way. At least it’s not as creepy as Eldritch and Marchand’s storyline is going.
Grade: B
