The world continues to fall apart but glimmers of hope are out there.
What They Say:
Collaborators – Setrakian creates a new plan to trap the Master as Eph and Dutch search for the Master’s “voice.”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The Strain failed to deliver well with its episode last week for something called The Battle of Central Park as it was more about the slow bughunt angle than anything else. It had its moments to be sure and the characters are moving through the motions as one might expect, but little really resonate for the most part when you expected something bigger with the action. With just four episodes to go, including this one, there’s not a lot of momentum going into the back half and I’ll easily admit that with time being tight I was feeling like it was time to just drop this. But there’s not much left and we’ll soldier on, which isn’t the kind of mentality you want going into a show that you’re writing about.
We at least get a little bit of action, or at least implied action, with the flashback aspect of this episode that puts us in the Ukraine in 1941 as we see the fight against the Germans there. Trench warfare is certainly a hellish part of war with the psychological strain and watching two soldiers going through it is compelling enough. It’s well shot and the reveal of it involving Fet’s grandfather and what he survived here by being taken prisoner by the Germans works well as you get ready for the connections in the present. Fet’s been one of the more engaging characters here, the right kind of charisma, so bringing in some family history and connection here definitely expands him in the right if creative way. Fet himself is certainly struggling after the Central Park fight and while Setrakian has an idea on how to isolate the Master, he’s losing his faith in all of this.
In contrast, I like the way things are coming together for Eph and Dutch as they reveal to Quinlan what they’re working on. Quinlan’s not exactly interested in it but as they pull back the layers on what they can do in tracking him down with it he becomes a lot more interested – and useful, since they have to get to JFK in order to get the black box from the original flight they need to capture a sample of the Master’s voice. Quinlan’s quick shift is definitely fun to watch because he’s certainly professional in that sense of doing what’s necessary to further his goals. The bit with Dutch is amusing as well as she’s a little uncertain about him while he seems to view her in a curious light as though he sees something more about her than others might see.
Both stories have a straightforward path of progress where Fet and Setrakian advance on acquiring what they need while Fet answers his questions about the relationship struggles with his father. Eph and his group is interesting to watch as they leave the safe zone and we see just how far down the line of chaos everything has gone in the no-man’s land out there. Quinlan wants nothing to do with it as it’s just a distraction to him but it plays well for some action that showcases the kind of fear that exists in those that are trying to survive. It also provides Quinlan with a good sequence with his sword, both in plunging it into someone and for licking it clean afterward. He’s definitely one of the better characters of the series that really needed more time to be explored.
The show spends a good bit of time in the final act dealing with Fet’s grandfather and how things went down after being captured and how he ended up collaborating in order to save his comrade and his own life. It touches into why the names changed and how Fet’s father struggled with it as well, taking it out on Fet. It’s a well played sequence overall to showcase more of Eichhorst and his nature but it’s the time with Fet and Setrakian that works the best. With Setrakian having survived hard things himself and knowing that period in time as personally as he does, he’s not trying to absolve anyone of anything but to provide some understanding for Fet and redirect him in the right way to handle it all. Setrakian has the usual bit of wise words from the old man thing here about forgiveness, but it’s something that actually hits the right emotional notes as the story plays out because these two men have connected well since nearly the beginning of their working together.
In Summary:
The Strain works through a bit more of the stage setting material here with the two main arcs and they’re definitely well handled overall. The flashback sequence is pretty strong for its own reasons and it’s another piece that I liked that the show spends time with. We also get a subplot with Eldritch trying to find out what it is that Eichhorst is up to with the ship and the contents that have arrived. Eldritch has his moments and you know he’s going to be useful in some form here by the end of it all and I want to know what it is. His arc has been complicated to be sure and this episode just further pushes him down in a few ways, though he at least has a decent dig or two that he gets in with Eichhorst, which is delightful.
Grade: B-
