The Strain Season 4 Episode 2
Last week, as we began to experience the final season of The Strain, the series introduced a horrific dystopian world and featured Eph and Fet trying to navigate that world. With Eph trying to survive in Philadelphia and Fet trying to find a missile silo in North Dakota, fans learned about this new propaganda driven strigoi world, but the narrative didn’t really allow us to go inside the inner workings of the new strigoi monarchy. Through Fet and Eph, we got to exist on the fringes of this bloodsucker run America, but we never really got a ground zero view of what tortures and atrocities truly exist within the strigoi states of America. Dutch and Setrakian are still together using the all-purpose mystical tome known as the Occido Lumen to find a way to eradicate the strigoi, but this status quo is quickly tossed out the window when Dutch and Setrakian are both arrested. There is an awesome action set piece of Dutch saving the Lumen and fighting vamps during a high rise fire, but even the tough as nails Dutch can’t hold off the strigoi for long. Don’t worry though, kids, Dutch does indeed hide the Lumen even if it won’t do too much good for our heroes with Dutch and Setrakian tossed into Strigoi prison. Dutch has long been at the center of some of the best episodes of The Strain. Who can forget when Eichhorst imprisoned Dutch and force fed her pineapple while threatening her with all sorts of Nazi vampire sexual depravity? This week was a call back to that episode (which still makes me squirm- heck, Dutch even references the pineapple this week causing my sphincter to pucker) as Dutch is taken to a strigoi baby factory and forced to become pregnant in order to maintain the strigoi’s herd of humans. Shit man, that’s some messed up stuff right there- a human run breeding facility designed to keep the strigoi’s food supply running strong for generations? Yikes, I say. When fans see the insides of this facility, the consequences of this strigoi world really hits home. Women herded and forced to become incubator for future strigoi meals. This is some grade A horror right here. In addition to Dutch, Gus is also involved in a pretty fascinating story arc as he now runs a black market. Gus recruits his cousin, the newly introduced young Raul, to help steal from the strogoi. The theme of family has long followed Gus through his many adventures and now Gus has young Raul to protect. Raul returns the favor by helping Gus steal a stockpile of strigoi supplies but once again, the crew is caught in the act forcing Raul into making a choice between joining Gus and becoming a killer or embracing strigoi rule. Having Raul around should make for some interesting conflicts as Gus’s storyline continues to unfold. But man, I really missed Angel De Plata because anytime a TV series features a vampire killing ex-luchador, I’m all over it! We also get a little Eph this week as he becomes something of a leader to his rag tag band of human insurgents. Eph steps up and shows his new allies his vampire slaying mojo and teaches his new pals how to really hit the strigoi where it hurts. These scenes were actually pretty breezy and funny and serve as a great counterpoint to the knife in the gut scenes with Dutch. Overall, an impactful week as the Setrakian, Gus, and Dutch arcs are way more engaging than watching Zach scowl and shoot tigers.
