The Strain - S1E11 - The Third Rail
Previously on The Strain, ‘Loved Ones.’
For a scene-by scene analysis of last night’s The Strain, tune in to our podcast on Tuesday. Here’s our brief recap:
Gus
Gus made it all the way home in that orange jumpsuit without being stopped or shot by the police. Amazing. Unfortunately, he finds his brother has been turned and is standing in front of the TV transfixed by Nascar or something. Gus wastes very little time breaking a bat off in his brother’s face. And I feel like an asshole because it took me this long to realize that his brother is Weevil (Francis Capra) from Veronica Mars.
After calling and learning that his mother wasn’t at work, Gus investigates a bumping noise coming from the hall closet. It ends about as well as you’d expect. His poor mother is infected and nesting on her Samsonite luggage. Gus is devastated. He packs a bag and is about to leave when his mother rises. He doesn’t kill her. And I was like, “Really?” But I let it go because that’s his mama and that has to be rough, but then he drops the bat and turns his back on her and walks away all slow like she doesn’t have a stinger that’s several feet long. I mean shit.
He does use an axe to kill the vampire landlord because fuck that guy. For real.
Eph and ’em
Vasiliy tests a UV light bomb in Abraham’s basement and it fails. Spectacularly. Eph stops being petty long enough to offer up a pretty good suggestion: Set the lights up on a timer, like a strobe light, to keep them from overheating and blowing out. Vasiliy likes the idea and tosses in a fog machine, some glow sticks, and some ecstasy so they can really have a party.
They pack up and prepare to head down into the tunnels to kill The Master. They leave Zach in charge of Nora’s elderly mother who is suffering from dementia because that’s a good idea.
Once in the tunnels, they follow a trail of silver blood and belongings until they find a narrow tunnel. Eph goes first and then immediately abandons everyone when he hears Kelly calling to him. I hate Eph so much at this point. Abraham makes it through next and has to go chasing after Eph’s dumb ass. Nora makes it through, but waits to save Fet who got stuck like Pooh in the honeypot with vampires hot on his ass.
Eph finds The Master’s lair, but he’s not there. He becomes surrounded by vamps as Kelly continues to call his name. Finally, The Master arrives and grips Eph up. He promises to take everything and everyone away from Eph, just like he did to Abraham. The rest of the crew shows up and they only make it out of there because Vasiliy uses the vampire rave light he made.
Abraham is PISSED. He’s getting way too old for this shit. He starts breaking The Master’s coffin like, “I brought you into this world and I’ll take you out!” He wants to head into another area blind because he’s so intent on catching up with The Master, who ran like a little bitch. Thankfully, Vasiliy stops him and tosses a light into the next room. There’s like 34,578 vamps in there. Just chilling.
Does that stop Abraham? Nope. That old playa still tried to get in there and it takes Eph, Nora, and Vasiliy to hold him back. Respect.
Zach is the New Carl
Nora’s mom is not having it. She wants an ashtray. She wants cigarettes. She wants to get the fuck up out of that pawn shop. Zach is like, “If I go out and get you some smokes, do you promise to go sit your ass down somewhere?”
Zach’s checking out a convenience store that’s already been looted when a couple comes in looking for supplies. Zach hides in the basement, but there’s already a vamp down there. When he climbs back up, he’s stopped by the couple but they’re quickly eaten. On his way out Zach bumps into Gus who instructs him to scram before heading to the back to take care of the vamps.
There’s a brief moment where we think Zach returned to find Nora’s mom turned, but she was just ignoring him. Or couldn’t hear him. Or whatever. She’s very happy to get those smokes, though. But then as she lights one up, Zach starts practicing his vampire slaying moves with a knife and she cries.
She probably thinks this crazy little white boy is holding her captive Silence of the Lambs-style.
