"The Strain" Recap: "The Battle for Red Hook"

Written by Scotty

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

It is amazing how some people are able to pull together in a time of need.  You never know what everyone is thinking, or how far they will go, but if you give them a chance, they might surprise you.  Knowing that a stranger may have your back when you are in trouble might be the most reassuring feeling since you never know when you might need some extra help.  There are people out there that are ready to help when called on, you just have to know how to let them know you are in need.

After her failed attempt to capture her son, Kelly is found sulking in her room by Eichorst.  Knowing the feeling of pain, Eichorst wants to make sure that she understands that she did not fail, it is a time of learning and she will accomplish her goal soon enough.  Chartering a boat to take Kelly and eighteen of his minions into Red Hook, Eichorst has a plan in place to take the small portion of the city back and while visiting, he will stop by Fet’s hideout to take care of Abraham once and for all.

Fet needs to know how Dutch is doing while she is not staying with him any longer.  Arriving at Nikki’s apartment, he sees that the powerful woman is picking up right where she left off and is showing no signs of stopping.  When Nikki asks her girlfriend to come clean about her feelings, Dutch does and makes sure she understands how much pain she has been in when thinking that she was dead.  With both women being each other’s vice, they have to find a way to survive the outbreak and continue to live their lives as they intended. 

Council Woman Justine Feraldo is ready to expand the Red Hook walls and move further into the city.  When she is told by the mayor that she should take care of the Upper East Side where all of the money is, Justine comes back into her own.  Needing to be smart about her plan and not catering to anyone else’s political needs, she takes the bull by the horns and makes sure the mayor understands what needs to be done.  When Eph arrives on the scene to tell the group that Red Hook is no longer infected free, they listen briefly, but when Abraham starts to tell his story, they are all thrown out.  Wanting to make sure that everybody knows what they are really up against, Abraham tries to make them understand, but there is very little time as the power goes out.

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Not willing to give up her team, Justine watches as Eph and his crew head to the power station to get the lights back on.  Watching the perimeter, the vampires try out the defenses with minimal numbers, but they will be back in larger numbers.  Eph, Nora, Fet and Zach arrive at the power station to see that it has been over taken, but it is nothing that they cannot handle.  Although it is a race against time, Eph has to leave and catch up with Abraham before he meets Eichorst for the final time.  Nora and Fet have a difficult time figuring out how to turn everything back on, but when they figure it out, the generators come back on and the slab of New York will be saved, but there is someone else rummaging around in the station.  Kelly has seen her son and will continue to try and get him back.  Bullets rip through her body, but it is not enough to kill her as she is able to escape before reinforcements arrive.

Justine Feraldo has nothing to do but wait, but when she sees the hordes of the infected lining up and getting ready to invade the her blockade, she has a momentary lapse.  Getting her head straight she has to devise a plan to get more bodies to fight off the impending attack.  Taking to the streets of Red Hook, Justine tries to light a fire inside of everyone to inspire them to fight for their city and to her surprise, she is able to bring an army to the fight.  As the battle commences, it appears that the officers are about to be overrun, but when the reinforcements show up, the tide slowly starts to turn.  When the power comes back up, the fight is won by the citizens of Red Hook, but this will not be the only attempt to take the city over and they will have to prepare to fight again.

This episode felt more like a season finale than a buildup one and now I am more eager than ever to see what happens next.  The battle between Eichorst and Abraham took a turn that I did not see coming with Eph’s awful aim and there is a guarantee that even after being shot, Eichorst will be back again to find his favorite prison camp survivor.  Nora seems to be back into her survival mode which is great since there is no time to dork around when things need to be done.  There is a touching moment in this episode with Eph and Abraham talking about their vices and how they will never give up on them, at least until the Master is taken out once and for all.  But this story was all about Justine and how powerful of a character she really is.  After a short lapse, admitting that she was afraid, she stands and fights on the front lines with her men and makes it known that she will not back down from anything, not even a massacre.  With the group back together at the end of the episode, it will be interesting to see what happens next, safety in numbers.  There is also a new Comic opening credit sequence to lead you into the story.  Finally!  Well, there will be new episode tonight and I am beyond ecstatic to see where the story takes us next!  Stay Scared!

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