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The Strain - S3E5 - Madness

Previously on The Strain, “Gone but Not Forgotten”

The Strain - S3E5 - “Madness” | Starring: David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Corey Stoll, Richard Sammell, Jack Kesy, Miguel GomezRuta Gedmintas, Jonathan Hyde, Natalie Brown, Rupert Penry-Jones

“Not as bad as herpes.” 

Images: FX

Images: FX

I’ve heard of hanging out in questionable places, looking for strange, but this is ridiculous. Dutch and Eph play chess in the park at night, hoping to get some strigoi attention. They do, they fight, they take one home for later.

Cup o’ Noodles

Eph dissects a strigoi and realizes they’re fighting a stinger attached to a spinal column and brain full of worms.; these worms get aggravated when Dutch uses the microwave. I don’t blame them. Microwaved coffee is gross.

Eph make like to drink, but he doesn’t skip the steps of the Scientific Method. It’s not enough to test their microwave theory on strapped down and dissected strigoi; they need a live one with his insides on the inside. Once they’ve obtained one (back to the park, no doubt), they test their microwave gun. It works for a short time, and then it doesn’t. Back the drawing board. But first, a drink or five.

“This is not how we win.” 

Justine Faraldo’s main function this episode is to go around telling everyone what a shitty job they’re doing. They’re losing ground to strigoi and that’s Frank’s fault. Oh, Eph, you think you figured out how they communicate? That’s nice, but shut it down faster.

“Later, my bitches.”

Fet goes spelunking and finds a major nest of munchers and then tells Faraldo. That’s about all I remember.

the-strain-s3e5-fet

“That’s the closest I’ve come to madness. “

While decoding photocopies of the Lumen, Quinlan points out that many strigoi hunters throughout history worked alone and were consumed by madness.

“Good thing that’s not you, Abraham, eh?”

“Nor you, Quinlan.” (Translation: I see you, bitch.)

Amsterdam, 1972

Younger Abe hits up a brothel in Amsterdam, as you do when hunting vampires, and meets with the madame, Saskia. She brokers a deal between Abraham (posing as Roald Pirk) and a Mr. Kruger, a Nazi interested in purchasing the Lumen. Abe asks 101 questions that probably tipped her off that he’s not legit, but the meeting is arranged all the same.

Whose mans is this?

Eichorst drops by Palmer’s for a bit of petty and shade. It takes all of Palmer’s energy just to stand up and he immediately falls on his face. Eichorst doesn’t even raise an eyebrow; just calls for the nurse. Eichorst has a new guy with him, Sanjay Desai. He’s very much interested in a shipment Palmer has arranged and has questions. Palmer is all…

who-mans-is-this

Eichorst cautions Palmer not to worry about it or what they have on a ship sailing from Egypt, the Aurora Cutlass, because both are above his pay grade. Welp.

Egyptians do it better

Through further research, Quinlan discovers an Egyptian may have killed one of the Ancients by entombing it in a sarcophagus lined with silver and lead. He could tell for sure if only Abe would let him study the actual Lumen. Abe has trust issues, but eventually brings out the real deal.

Amsterdam, 1972

Posing at Roald Pirk, Abraham visits Mr. Kruger, who’s really Dr. Dreverhaven. He leaves his cane/sword outside since he stole it from him to begin with. Once inside, Dreverhaven presents Abe with a suitcase full of money. Abe produces the Lumen, but Dreverhaven promptly declares it a fake, but it’s still coated with real silver and Abe uses it to slap the taste of worms out Dreverhaven’s mouth. Then he drops an old-school silver grenade, then straps him to a chair with a Lecter-mask over his face.

Abe finds Dreverhaven’s basement of torture (johns from Siska’s brothel who got a little too rough) and decides what’s good for goosestepper…

He cuts off Herr Doktor’s limbs, puts him in a trunk, and drops it into the ocean.

What’s in the box?

Back in present day, Abe figures out he needs to read through some of the Lumen pages with sunlight. Once he does, he learns they can’t kill the Master, but they can trap him (as the Egyptians did one Ancient).

Now, if they can just find him.

Abe meets with Palmer, at night, and strikes a deal: he’ll give Palmer a taste of the white if Palmer finds out whose body the Master is inhabiting. Little does Abe know, Palmer gonna roll up and the Master will be like, “New body. Who dis?”

The Strain S3E5 = 8.2/10
  • 8/10
    Plot - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Dialogue - 8/10
  • 8.5/10
    Performances - 8.5/10
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About Nina Perez (1391 Articles)
Nina Perez is the founder of Project Fandom. She is also the author of a YA series of books, "The Twin Prophecies," and a collection of essays titled, "Blog It Out, B*tch." Her latest books, a contemporary romance 6-book series titled Sharing Space, are now available on Amazon.com for Kindle download. She has a degree in journalism, works in social media, lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves Idris Elba. When not watching massive amounts of British television or writing, she is sketching plans to build her very own TARDIS. She watches more television than anyone you know and she's totally fine with that.

5 Comments on The Strain - S3E5 - Madness

  1. For the podcast

    An enjoyable but very gross episode.

    1) Nobody does petty like the old dudes on this show. Eichorst & Abe are the kings of petty. Since its been a minute since Palmer has gotten the white, his petty skills are barely there. And it looks like Eichorst is done with Palmer. He’s so far out of the loop he doesn’t even know what the loop is now. And you know that dude Abe chopped up is probably still at the bottom of the sea. The petty is strong in him.

    2) WTF Fet?! Yeah, he found out something important but there’s no way he should have survived his excursion! And you would think he’d learn by now not to address people whose face he can’t see like he did these guys & the turned Navy Seals.

    3) Eph tried to find another way. But this is looking like a losing battle. Even with the interference the captured strigoi still evolved pretty quickly. They way he adjusted is reminiscent of the Borg on ST:TNG. They had to use different frequencies to get thru their shields. They need a magnetron or whatever the hell it is to vary its frequency. Maybe then it would have an affect. Do you think there will ever be a way to stop the strigoi?

    4) so almost getting turned has made Justine into a stone cold bitch. How much longer do you think she’ll be able to stay in charge? I wouldn’t be surprised if her troops start rioting.

    5) who is this young dude hanging with Eichorst? Does he know what he is? I understand why Palmer did what he did but what is this guy getting out of their deal? Just read the recap. So the box on the boat that Eichorst needs Palmer to get thru the docks is that other ancient, right? The one Abe read about in the Lumen? They dug him up and they’re bringing him to the States since their Master is missing.

    6) No Zach or Kelly this week! Yay! No Gus either but I’m hoping he’s not being a dumbass wherever he is.

    That’s it. Sorry for the length. Can’t wIt to hear the podcast!

  2. For The Podcast:

    Just a few thoughts for the episode:

    1) Geraldine’s scar looks dumb af. I have a feeling that they’re trying to turn her character into this hardened, war-torn battle commander, but that scar looks like she accidentally drew biro on her face.
    2) No Zack this week, so Eph suddenly became a good character? What is this madness?! *looks at episode title*
    3) Someone should have told Palmer about the explosions last episode, because you know he would have volunteered as a one-man cleanup crew to slurp down all of that white. 😏😏
    4) What a missed opportunity. WE. 👏 WANTED 👏 DAVID 👏 MOTHERFUCKING 👏 BRADLEY 👏 IN 👏 THAT 👏 WHOREHOUSE 👋
    5) But seriously though, I just imagine Abe’s inner Walder Frey coming out . Before Abe was on the white, we all know he was in the pink. Play on Player. Get your own crimson worm freak on.
    6) I tried going on the subreddit for theories, but I found something much crazier than android Angela and alternate reality future parents - People out there like the show ALL THE TIME. And think it’s a great drama. Like Best of TV Great. Yep. “Madness”.

    Are we at the mid-point already? Damn.

  3. FOR THE PODCAST: We are definitely at the level where turning off your brain is a necessity. Eph just digging into worm brains like it’s chow mein, strigoi are picking locks. But this was also one of the best episodes of the season because NO NEW ZACK! *happy dances* I liked the flashbacks because Young Abe does such a good job even with the horrible make up they have on his face. I know he’s tired of these Nazi vamps though. They are deplorable. My question: do we honestly think Palmer will work with Abe? I think Palmer is playing both sides now that he knows the master is in need of another new body. Can’t wait to hear the podcast.

  4. FOR THE PODCAST:
    Good episode though a tad slow
    I did enjoy the methods they were using to fight the strigoi i.e fet’s trackers & eph/Dutch’s microwave experiment
    Eichoest & Palmer-talk about petty shade Eichorst didn’t lift a finger when Palmer fainted-he had unknown guy do it. Palmer needs some of that white now-he has 1 foot in the crypt
    Eph/Dutch-the new “it” couple in the strigoi apocalypse? They make a good team. It seemed like eph was trying 2 get some nookie when he asked about the status of her relationship w/fet, etc.
    Sertrakian had quite the past. He was the van Helsing of the 70s😄. I recognize the guard from s1 or 2-payback is a bitch per Sertrakian
    Fet the 1 man strigoi fighter-he must be Teflon-got spattered by those worms in the tunnel & no infection present.
    We got some 😍uinlan this week-yay! He’s back in daddy sertrakians good graces again-Dad finally wised up & made copies of the lumen pages 2 translate…..and surprise! didn’t realize they got the lumen back.
    Sertrakian & Palmer made a deal but we all know that they’ll be double & triple crossing each other😄😄
    That’s all I have-looking forward to podcast 🙂

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