The Strain - S4E1 - The Worm Turns

Previously on The Strain

The Last of Us: Philly Edition

It’s nine months post nuclear winter or the Day That Little Shit New Zack Set Off a Nuclear Bomb, and The Master has turned it into an opportunity to integrate the strigoi into society. Human volunteer to donate blood in exchange for assistance (medicine, food, etc.) from the Freedom Centers. They have evolved into creatures capable of holding open doors for humans and walking other strigoi on leashes.

Eph is in Philly, picking up small jobs where he does thing like provide medical exams in exchange for alcohol. He accepts several jobs via his contact Neil, but goes to the alcohol one first because this is Eph we’re talking about. Eph and Neil are rounded up by strigoi, but saved from being taken to a detention center thanks to a bomb by some freedom fighters. Eph decides to stay with them for a day to nurse a wounded man back to health in exchange for food and gear… because this is Eph we’re talking about.

My Two Dads

Eph spends zero time looking for his son in this episode, and no one can blame him for that. New Zach is doing just fine hanging out with his new father figures Eichorst and The Master (in Palmer’s body). Although, Eichorst behaves very much like an older sibling who can’t wait for Mommy and Daddy to take the new baby back to the hospital. His hate only intensifies when the Master reveals his plan to use New Zach as his next vessel. You can tell this is the final season because Eichorst doesn’t even bother to hide his complete disgust for the Master’s life choices.

Oh, I missed that old strigoi pettiness.

The Master decides New Zach deserves a reward for shooting a tiger in an abandoned zoo, and it’s most likely the pretty young girl tasked with cleaning New Zach’s stank-ass room. He did admit to The Master (who appeared to New Zach as his dead mother, Kelly) that he’s lonely. The appeal of his spider strigoi has worn off and he’s taken to treating her like crap… because this is New Zack we’re talking about.

Side Quest

Fet and Quinlan have left Abraham (and presumably Dutch) in New York while they travel across the country in search of a nuclear silo. After taking out a group of Trump supporters who would rather kill Fet and take his new girlfriend, Charlotte (Rhona Mitra), Fet and Charlotte are kidnapped with a group of women whose motives are never really made clear. This is a fortunate turn of events since another captor knows exactly where the silo is, and they’re all promptly rescued by Quinlan because that’s apparently what he does now: save their asses twice in one episode.