The Strain - S2E3 - Fort Defiance
Previously on The Strain, ‘By Any Means’
Stop and Frisk
A woman pulls a large bag through an alley at night. Wait. That’s not a woman; it’s Bolivar. Two cops pull a stop and frisk and put him in cuffs for no damn reason. The bag contains the Master’s dirt as one of the cops finds out after sticking is hand in it and letting the dirt run though his fingers, giving him a raging case of worms. Bolivar laughs and kicks the other cop. His wig comes off in the cop’s hand as he tries to get away. Bolivar is shot, but lets out of a scream which summons more strigoi. They all have their faces painted white. As they eat the two cops, Bolivar breaks out of his cuffs and makes off with the bag of dirt.
It’s a Miracle!
Eph and Nora’s wonder cure works a little too well. The worms are dying quickly, which means they won’t live long enough to transmit it to others. Nora tells Eph to get some sleep while she works on fixing that.
Meanwhile, Abe is taking a late-night stroll, as you do during the vampire apocalypse, and beheads a vamp who tries to run up on him. He scoops up some of the vampire goo and worms and puts them in a glass jar, also as you do.
Elsewhere, Gus is going through Vampire Hit Squad training. After killing one vamp and running out of bullets, he’s forced to go hand-to-hand with another, ripping its stinger out of its throat with his gloved hands. Vaughn watches, pleased. He tells Gus they’re going to kidnap Palmer and I was so here for that shit.
Have a KiKi
While Abraham boils his worms and examines the liquid under a microscope, Eph pours a drink in the next room and asks Ke$ha about New Zach. She’s like, “It’s always about the kid with you, isn’t it?” Uh, that’s called being a dad. She thought they were going to have a KiKi, but poor white Eph doesn’t know what that means. Someone knocks on the door. Maybe it’s someone she can have a KiKi with!
It’s Fet, who has returned from posting 300 fliers around the neighborhood. They warn of what to do when you come into contact with a strigoi. Eph is impressed by Fet’s sketch of the vampire on the fliers. Ke$ha is just impressed with Fet in general. He hand-feeds her chips as he explains his plan to blow up the entrance to the subway tunnel at the end of the line in Red Hook. Eph, who has been calling out for New Zach this whole time, takes a moment to be properly grossed out by Fet and Ke$ha’s KiKi’ing. Me too, Eph. Me too.
They quickly figure out he’s been gone an hour, at the most, and his coat and boots are gone. Eph, Fet, and Ke$ha make it to the bus stop just in time to see a bus pulling off with New Zach. Eph stops the bus and grips up his kid, who wanted to go KiKi with his mom. Ke$ha finds a missing persons poster with her ex-girlfriend on it. She wonders who could be looking for Nikki - especially since SHE’S not looking for Nikki and her stolen money.
Back at the hideout, Fet knocks to check on Abraham, who says he’s reading and doesn’t want to be bothered. Guess they can’t smell that worm juice brewing. Abraham is done with his concoction and puts drops of it in his eye. Hey, it’s for his cataracts!
The next morning, Nora finds him on the floor, unresponsive with blood dripping from that eye. She performs CPR and he coughs awake. He refuses to tell her what he did, and denies putting anything in his eye.
Staten Island, Don’t Mess
Fitzwilliams is byke! He takes the ferry to Staten Island where he’s subjected to a search and throat exam before he can enter. He also tolerates a racist question from a white cop, but I’m gonna let that one go.
He arrives at his brother’s, Reggie’s, house and tells him he was right about Palmer and that he quit his job.
At a press conference at the Station Island Ferry St. George Terminal, Feraldo announces that Staten Island is officially plague-free. And as a message to anyone wishing to enter, she unveils the decapitated corpses of infected people, which hang as a message that Staten Island is not here for any of your bullshit. People are appalled, but mostly they’re cool with it.
So cool, in fact, the mayor asks Feraldo to do what she did for Staten Island for the rest of the city. At first she refuses, but he puffs up her ego and says she’ll be a hero. She agrees, but wants to call the shots. He consents, but says it has to look like everything comes from them both, as a team.
Palmer Gets Punked in His Own Place
Eichorst makes an unexpected visit to Palmer’s office, bringing Bolivar with him. Because Abraham got way too close and got away to boot, the Master has insisted that Bolivar act as Palmer’s bodyguard. Palmer asks CoCo to leave the room so he can get punked with some privacy, and that’s exactly what happens: He says he doesn’t want Bolivar there, and Eichorst explains this isn’t a request. Welp.
Later, Palmer asks Bolivar if the Master can see through him. Bolivar says he can, but he isn’t watching now. Palmer asks that Bolivar chill in the other room or he won’t do any further work. CoCo walks in and Bolivar agrees. When he’s gone, she tells Palmer she suspects he’s making a big mistake getting involved with Eichorst and Bolivar, who she senses are bad men. They are, he agrees, but important things need to be done (things good men won’t do) and he’s sure he can handle himself. He’ll keep her out of it, but she says she doesn’t need to be kept out of it.
Clearly her gut ain’t shit or she’d run in the opposite direction.
Carroll Street
At the Carroll Street train station, Fet explains to Ke$ha that they’ll be taking out certain pillars nea the tunnel entrance. She’s distracted by two women canoodling on the platform. When Fet notices, he says he’ll help her find her friend, but for right now he needs her head in the game. Fet is the coolest fuck buddy ever.
Abraham is doing much better and tells Nora she doesn’t need to get all up in his business. She refuses to be treated like he treats… well, everyone. She’s his friend. He confesses to absorbing the worms via a solution in his eyes so he can maintain his health and live longer. Abraham is actually 94 years old! He will not wither away and die like a little old man. He will win or die confronting the Master. You know what? I respect that. Whether Nora does or not is unclear as all she does is thank him for telling her the truth.
New Zach is The Worst
At the lab, Eph explains to New Zach what they’re doing in creating their own plague. He then starts to tell a story about his own father, who was a doctor in a small town. He leaves the room and Nora follows. Eph’s not sure where he was going with that story, but I am. He was trying to connect to his asshole son. They hear glass breaking in the lab and rush in to find New Zach wrecking shit. Eph grips him up and drags him to see Mr. McGeever, who hisses and jerks against his restraints and muzzle. This, Eph explains, is what Kelly is like. Nora says it’s enough and pulls New Zach away from Eph.
No, that wasn’t nearly enough! New Zach needs a foot up his ass.
What Goes Around…
Fet takes Ke$ha to Nikki’s mother’s house to see if she’s looking for her. Her mother blames Ke$ha for Nikki’s troubles and apparent death. She tells Ke$ha the universe will pay her back for destroying Nikki’s life. Back in the bread truck, Fet loves the news about Staten Island, but his celebration is cut short when Ke$ha returns crying. He tells her Nikki’s mom ain’t shit. Then she gives him a blow job for saying nice things.
Eph is drinking at the lab and speaks to the Master through Mr. McGeever: he will not let the Master take his son. He’ll kill New Zach himself before he lets him be turned. Can you just do that anyway, Eph?
At the hideout, Fet and Ke$ha find Abraham in good spirits, eating a plate of pasta, and drinking wine. Ke$ha swipes a piece of bread from his plate and he didn’t even bite her head off.
To Catch a Predator
Posing as an elevator repairman, Gus is let into Palmer’s building. This is a ruse to get Vaughn and the others inside as well. After Gus knocks out the guard escorting him, he spray paints the camera and takes the elevator where they want to go. Vaughn and crew ride the bottom of the elevator up.
Unfortunately for them, Palmer’s security realize something is up and put him and CoCo in a panic room where they watch from monitors as Gus and crew enter Palmer’s office. The vampires are incapacitated when Palmer activates UV lights. Gus tries to save Vaughn, but he orders him to leave. So Gus leaves.
Satisfied that their virus is now working, Eph and Nora decide they’ll test it immediately by setting Mr. McGeever free.
