In The Strain recap for the season two finale, Eph runs into trouble getting Zack out of town and Setrakian goes up against Eichorst for the Occido Lumen…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
Season one of The Strain spent most of its time doing two things — uncovering the strigoi invasion of New York and bringing together a group of heroes all taxed with eliminating a common enemy. From a pair of CDC doctors to an exterminator to a computer hacker to an old man with life long vengeance on his mind, this rag-tag group of vampire hunters wasn’t conventional but they sure did work well together.
So if season one was about building a team, season two was about tearing them apart again.
Most of this season was spent with the members all separating out into different sects while all attacking the strigoi problem at varying angles. Fet opted to blow things up to stop more strigoi from invading his section of Brooklyn. Eph and Nora worked on a biological weapon to wipe out the strigoi entirely. And Setrakian sought an ancient book that could help not only explain the Master’s origins but a way to kill him.
The season finale was really the final piece of the puzzle coming apart as Eph, Nora and Zack headed to Georgia to see his grandparents and give the boy a safer place to live. Fet and Setrakian headed off to bid on the ancient vampire text and Dutch — well, she was no where to be found actually.
It was kind of heart breaking to see all the different members of the team saying their goodbyes almost as if they already know the chances they’ll see each other again are somewhere divided between slim and none. Eph even takes a photo of Zack and Nora with Setrakian, who almost cracks a smile for the occasion.
As it turns out by the end of the episode, that photo might be the best memory Eph will have left of both his son and his former lover.
With that said, let’s recap The Strain season two finale titled ‘Night Train’….
Bidding Farewell
CR: Michael Gibson/FX
Following a few heartfelt goodbyes, Fet and Setrakian fortify the bread truck and head over to bid on the Occido Lumen courtesy of Alonso Creem, who is auctioning the text off between the old pawnbroker and Eldritch Palmer.
When they arrive and their funds are verified, Setrakian and Fet get a nasty surprise when Palmer doesn’t show up but instead Eichorst is there acting in his place. The smug strigoi is there to bid on the book and assure that his Master has every weapon nullified as he continues his assault on the human race.
Once the bidding begins, both parties escalate well past $100 million and rather than hear them shout back and forth, Alonso has a better idea — they will verify the funds in gold and who ever has the higher amount will win plus one dollar of the other person’s bid. The calls are made and while Setrakian as the Ancients backing him to the tune of $323 million, Palmer’s money runs deeper with $351 million. Eichorst wins the book and Setrakian is crushed.
Meanwhile back at Palmer’s pad, he’s still living the life with his lady Coco but she’s acting a bit more like Yoko these days because she’s whispering in his ear that he’s being disrespected and needs to stand up to the Master and his lapdog Eichorst. So what does he do to prove a point?
Just after the funds are verified by the banks, Alonso’s men tell him that Eichorst’s account has been shut off and he no longer has access to the gold. Eichorst pleads to allow him to check with the bank, but Alonso has made up his mind — the book belongs to Setrakian!
Across town while this is happening, Quinlan is going over final preparations with his new human army provided to him by Gus. The former gang bangers turned vampire killers aren’t all on board at first but after Quinlan snaps on guy’s neck for threatening him, everybody else falls in line.
Quinlan then gives a rousing speech to pump up the troops as they arm up for an all out assault later that night.
Last Train to Nowhere
Eph, Nora and Zack make it to the last train out of New York so they can get out of town and proceed with their plans. The first stop is Washington D.C. where they will continue to develop the biological weapon against the strigoi before continuing to Georgia where they will drop Zack off with his grandparents, who can keep him safe while New York is under siege.
The trip is going well enough — they even sit with Rudyard (the guy who had the Occido Lumen) on the train and Eph’s ready to relax by having a few drinks. He heads off to the cocktail car, but disaster soon strikes when the train lights spot an army of strigoi blocking the tracks ahead of them.
The train doesn’t stop at first, but as the strigoi sacrifice themselves one by one, the wheels eventually come off the rails and the cars start to jack knife. A moment later the train is stopped completely, Eph is rushing back to Nora and his son and with good reason….
Kelly is the one behind the train massacre and she’s going to make one last play for her son.
The Born
Fet is curious while driving Setrakian back to the hideout why the Ancients didn’t provide the some security considering how valuable this book is to them and to the Master. Setrakian finally reveals that he has no plans of turning the Occido Lumen over to the Ancients so he basically just ripped them off for $323 million and they might be a little pissed at him.
Before they can discuss it any further, a semi comes barreling towards them and smashes into the bread truck. From behind the tractor-trailer emerges Eichorst and an army of strigoi, who he commands to go get the book from Setrakian. Eichorst loves his little tortures of Setrakian, just like he said back at the auction when he told the life-long vampire hunter that he wasn’t going to die — the Master wanted him turned instead so he could see through his eyes for the rest of eternity.
The vampires are making a dent into the fortified vehicle, but thankfully Quinlan and his group of soldiers show up and eradicate the strigoi threat. Eichorst isn’t backing down until he runs face to face into a creature that’s even more fearful than him — the Born aka Quinlan. The Master quickly takes over in Eichorst’s eyes and he holds a conversation with his ‘son’ and Quinlan calls him a coward for not showing his face here tonight but sending his pet instead.
Quinlan tries to kill Eichorst, but the always slippery former Nazi escapes while the rest of his strigoi are put down. When Gus makes it into the truck to look for Setrakian and Fet, they have gone out an escape hatch and down into the sewer to get away.
A few blocks away, Setrakian and Fet are headed for a boat they intend to steal to get away with the Occido Lumen. But Gus was smart enough to follow them and he’s caught in a standoff with Fet when Quinlan finally shows up threatening to take the Occido Lumen away from them.
Setrakian finally plays his strongest card when he reveals that he knows exactly who this half-breed really is and that Quinlan has no desire to see the Occido Lumen end up in the Ancients’ hands anymore than does. Quinlan agrees and he goes along with Setrakian’s plan to board the boat along with Fet, Gus and the new human army as they set sail while the old man begins to decipher the text inside the book.
His hope is that the Occido Lumen will give them some indication on how the Master was created and even more importantly how he can be destroyed. The fate of the world is resting on their shoulders after all.
I Hate That Kid
My disdain for Zack Goodweather knows no bounds and it was only strengthened by his actions that led to the death of Dr. Nora Martinez.
Following the train crash, Eph went searching for Nora and Zack but instead ran into a few of the feelers, which let him know right away that his former wife turned strigoi Kelly was the one behind this entire ordeal. As much as he wanted to get to Nora and Zack, Eph was forced to deal with the kid creatures trying to kill him.
Eph was able to fend off three of them before he finally broke free to go find his son.
But it was already too late — Kelly found them first but Nora put up a hell of a fight. She used her sword to slice and dice the former Mrs. Goodweather and just when it looked like she was about to land the finishing blow, Zack screamed to stop when he once again felt like he was watching his mother about to die. The momentary pause allowed Kelly to whip out her tentacle and wrap it around Nora’s arm while biting her. Zack once again freaked, but only for a moment because he finally came face to creepy face with his mother who embraced him and the two left the subway tunnel hand in hand. Good riddance you little shit.
Eph shows up and finds Nora down on the ground and writhing with white worms digging through her veins. Eph wants to save her — he’s desperate to save her but she’s taking matters into her own hands. Nora slams her sword against the electrified portion of the train tracks and she’s fried to death.
Dr. Nora Martinez — we will miss you.
Equals No More
Following the debacle over the bidding for the Occido Lumen and getting his ass kicked earlier in the night, Eichorst needed to blow off some steam so he heads over to Palmer’s estate to have it out with the business man about his retraction of the funds that cost them the book that could ultimately kill the Master.
When he arrives, Coco is spouting off which only enrages Eichorst even further. Palmer tells Eichorst that he pulled back the money as a sign of the power he still wields over the strigoi — including the Master — who is his partner in this entire endeavor.
It’s a nice speech until the Master finally shows up and tells Palmer that their deal remains as is and there’s a price to pay for his insolence today that cost them the Lumen. So the Master unfurls his protracted stinger and lashes it out at Coco and drinks her dry. Palmer freaks as he watches his lady love crumble to the floor while the Master zaps away in a split second.
As the final montage played with Setrakian explaining the gravity of this situation and how the ultimate goal is to kill these creatures without actually becoming something even worse, we see Palmer separate out Coco’s heart, which means he’s finished her off and won’t allow her to be a pawn of the Master. It looks like he’s going to keep a heart (felt) keepsake for his desk just as Setrakian did with his beloved Miriam when Eichorst turned her all those years ago.
The Strain season 3 will debut on FX in the summer of 2016
