The Strain - S4E5 - Belly of the Beast

Previously, on The Strain, “New Horizons”

The Strain has completely embraced its video game feel this episode, with Eph and Alex embarking on a mission that’s right out of something you’d play from Telltale Games. They find an empty community with not a single person left to tell them about New Horizons or where to find it. That is until Alex finds a cell phone in the street and they view a little girl’s vlog about how she’s not going to New Horizons no matter what her parents say. In the sassy girl’s abandoned house, Eph and Alex are confronted by Francis (Tonya Pinkins), a woman who narrowly escaped going to the new community when the whole sales pitch gave her a bad feeling. Unfortunately, she’s infected, but reluctantly agrees to show Eph and Alex where they can find it.

Deal complete, Eph prepares to “release” Francis, but she begs him not to and Alex agrees. Eph doesn’t kill her to stop her from infecting and killing more humans, and immediately regrets it when Francis returns as a strigoi controlled by the Master. Now, not only does he know where Eph is, The Master is able to twist the knife by informing Eph he’s taking good care of Zach. When Eph and Alex finally get a glimpse of New Horizons, they realize it’s a farm of sorts where humans are the livestock.

Oh, and Alex and Eph are TOTALLY going to do it.

The great missile hunt gets super awkward when the men who were assisting Fet and crew decide they’re no longer willing to risk their lives (and offer up their blood for Quinlan) messing around at missile silos. With the strigoi always one step ahead, Fet decides attacking their convoy is the only way to get what they need. The plan eventually works, but not without one of the men getting drained and a really freaky Quinlan flashback.

In 1888 London, Quinlan is sought out by a young woman, Louisa (Hannah New), whose twin brother is dying. If Quinlan can’t offer him a cure or eternal life, then perhaps he’d at least let the dying man know that his obsession with the occult and supernatural wasn’t in vain. In the time it takes the brother to die, Quinlan becomes close to Louisa and her young daughter, so much so that he engages in some erotic feeding time with the former. After the brother is laid to rest, the Master appears and kills the priest. It probably won’t end well for Louisa when the Master catches up with Quinlan.

One of the season’s biggest mysteries was whether or not Eichorst was aware that both Dutch and Abraham are in his centers. Dutch’s near escape last week finally puts her on Eichorst’s radar. He wants to know where Abraham is, and almost doesn’t believe her when Dutch says that Abraham was taken and probably already drained. When he finally locates Abe, sedated after taking part in one of the Partnership’s experiments, he wastes no time getting petty. He wants Abraham to denounce God before he kills him.

About to find herself on the meat hooks she saw last week, Dutch turns the other prisoners against the medical staff and guards. In the chaos, she locates Abe and Eichorst, sets Eichorst on fire, and wheels out a dazed and confused Abe. Fingers crossed Abe is still high next week because high Abe is everything.

Did I mention that Eph and Alex are totally doing it?