"The Strain" Recap: "Intruders"

Written by Scotty

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

What is that thing that my mom used to tell me?  If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything?  I must admit that this is a good quote to live your life by, even though there are still things that cannot be accomplished.  But if you have the drive to be better and keep your focus on your goals, it is not that farfetched to see them coming to life before your very eyes.  Think about it, even for just a few minutes a day and you might find out that your goals might be attainable.

After Eph admits that he wants to kill Palmer for all of the pain he has caused him, he knows that getting into the Stoneheart building might not be his best means of attack.  Talking to Fet, Eph finds out about a gun dealer that may be able to get him a rifle so the act can take place from afar.  Heading out with Zach to make a purchase that will change the fight against the vampires, Eph is called into his doctor role, but not the way he expected.  With the seller being shot, Eph has to think back to his medical training days to save his life and with the help from his son, the two are able to save the man’s life.  After a great bonding experience, Eph and Zach seem to be on the same page again, but when Zach demands that his father try to save Kelly in the same way, the two end up further apart than ever.

Palmer and his assistant Coco have formed their new bond and Coco could not be happier, but she knows that the older man is holding out on her.  Not being able to get an answer to who or what Eichorst really means to him, is giving him as many chances as possible.  When Eichorst interrupts Palmer’s meeting with Cardinal McNamara when they are discussing the Lumen, Coco is sent away once again and takes it very hard.  With the hatred between Palmer and Eichorst growing, the two exchange shots at each other, but Palmer is able to scare the Master’s servant more than Eichorst would like to admit.  Finding out that Bolivar has become the Master’s new vessel, Palmer keeps his verbal attack going and makes sure that Eichorst understands where he stands in all of this.

Abraham and Fet are leaving Red Hook to talk to Cardinal McNamara and quickly find out that they are not the only ones trying to bid on the Lumen.  Knowing that Palmer is involved in this war of dollars as well, the two come up with a plan to steal the book before it falls into the wrong hands.  When arriving to the church after hours, they find that Eichorst has beaten them to the punch and while trying to defeat the Master’s helper, they see that the Cardinal has been stung.  Abraham is able to attain the location of the book and releases the Cardinal to his God, but when the reports about what happened start to surface, the city will be looking for the Cardinal’s killer.

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Gus and Angel are starting to bond while driving to pick up supplies for the restaurant, but when they see that the depot has been hit, they know that the city is no longer safe for the Gupta’s.  Needing to convince the family to leave their business, Gus finds out that he is wanted on their journey.  But this is short lived when Mr. Quinlan comes knocking and wants his help.  Knowing that he has been trained, Quinlan knows that Gus can be a valuable asset to him in his search for the Master.  Gus has to decide what to do as he has been made part of the family he is trying to save and now being called back into service for the Ancient’s prized hunter.

This episode gives us a large focus on Kelly and what she is able to do to find her boy.  Being assisted by Eichorst to look human again, Kelly has to find a way to control her body once again.  Being able to make her way into Red Hook, Kelly has her feelers and they are ready to hunt for Zach.  Finding the apartment building, Kelly stands outside and watches as her boy plays video games.  Seeing that she cannot get in without the door being opened for her, Kelly calls to him and promises him that she is ok.  Eph tries to stop Zach, but it is too late as Kelly and her minions enter the apartment.  Nora tries to gun down Eph’s ex-wife, but Kelly is too fast.  Playing mind games with the boy, Kelly tries to get her son to come with her, but Eph will not allow his son to be taken away from him, at any price.

With so much going on in this episode, it is hard to sum up everything without writing a novel, but these are my main takeaways from the story.  I cannot understand why Eph is trying to keep secrets from Nora about his Washington trip, I know he feels bad about what happened, but she has always been supportive of him and thanks him when he comes clean.  Now that Kelly knows where her family is being held up, there will surely be more attacks and attempts on Zach’s well being.  I will admit that I am getting a little tired of the Carl, I mean Zach storyline as he is a rollercoaster when it comes to his emotions.  I cannot wait to see what happens when Gun joins with Mr. Quinlan and the two try to take out the Master and hopefully Angel gets a role in it as well.  Palmer is not trying to make any friends and this seems to be holding him back from his goals, when taking shots at Eichorst and not telling his secrets to Coco, he will be all alone when he needs people to be watching his back.  Well, we are a little bit past the midway mark on the season and the story is still going strong, I cannot wait to see where we go next!

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