The Strain - S3E2 - Bad White

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Previously on The Strain, “New York Strong”

The Strain S3E2 - Bad White | Starring: David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Corey Stoll, Richard Sammell, Jack Kesy, Miguel Gomez, Ruta Gedmintas, Jonathan Hyde, Natalie Brown, Rupert Penry-Jones

Bad Medicine

Since the last time he defied the Master it ended with his boo-thang dead, Palmer has decided to play along as the obedient servant, all the while paying for secret research that will turn the Master’s essence into medicine to prolong his life. His medical team’s test subjects are people using Palmer’s Freedom Centers, and it’s not going well. Everyone injected with the White so far has died and Palmer’s head physician walks from the project.

Eichorst isn’t forthcoming with the essence since he still holds a grudge from that time Palmer cut off his funds in the middle of the auction for the Lumen and made him look like a punk in front of Marlo from The Wire and his boys. And he’s not too happy with the low number of people giving their blood at the Freedom Centers. He suggests Palmer work harder to influence Faraldo to make the medical exams mandatory.

Palmer promises to get right on that, after he meets with Abraham and Fet to strike a secret deal: He’ll withdraw his support, vital to the Master’s success, if Abraham will tell him how he uses the White to stay so young and spry.

Abraham tells him to kick rocks in flip-flops.

Eph-society

Dutch is back doing hoodrat things with her hoodrat friends. The group’s leader, Braden, an old hacker friend of Dutch’s, seems to think the vampire apocalypse is a fresh start. Now, nothing separate the Haves from the Have-Nots. This guy is an idiot.

As such, he totally gets infected when they raid an empty high-rise for supplies. Dutch does everyone a solid by cutting off his head.

Stay in the House, Carl!

New Zack is still cooped up in the Master’s evil underground lair, but his vampire mommy brings him books to read so… there’s that. She’s still walking around in that blue sweater and that pink coat, and she has to smell like hot garbage by now. This is even hinted at when New Zack asks if he can get out for some fresh air, but Kelly says no. He has to be patient. The Master has a plan. In the meantime, she offers to read him a story, but New Zack passes because he doesn’t like his bedtime stories told with autotune.

Later, he sneaks out of his room and finds Kelly chowing down on a little boy. Okay. This is weird, right? I mean, weirder. It’s like when someone cheats on their spouse with someone who looks very much like their spouse. What’s up with that? Zack, you in danger, boy. But you already knew that when you took your happy ass off to parts unknown with your vampire mommy. Ugh. This kid.

He has an asthma attack, but Kelly doesn’t have his inhaler because she’s the worst.strigoi.mom.ever. The Master appears and gives Zack a few drops of his high in demand essence. Zack doesn’t even say thank you.

Strange Bedfellows

The military has had just about enough of getting their ass kicked in NYC, so they’re retreating to D.C. This doesn’t sit well with Fet, who believes they’re close to capturing the Master. To make matters shittier, several of Faraldo’s “safe zones” have been breached by strigoi and many are just now questioning putting a councilwoman in charge of New York City’s defenses.

Luckily for Fet, a one-night stand helps ease his woes.

Eph reunites with the gang and breaks the news about Nora and New Zack. I was surprised Abraham and Fet didn’t sniff out that New Zack still being alive means that Eph could be compromised, but they were pretty broken up over Nora’s death since they really liked her for some reason.

Thankfully, Quinlan did not come to play around with these heauxs. He IMMEDIATELY calls out Eph as shady, suspect, and downright sketchy. While Abraham meets with Palmer, Quinlan catches Eph with the Lumen. Eph finally admits he’s being offered his son in exchange for the book, and Quinlan convinces Eph they should work together instead.