This episode is worth it just for the final scene, where a broken Eichorst (in flashback) is finally made a vampire after all of his service to the Master. The best moments in this show have an almost terrified awe of the vampires, and this was definitely one of those. The hushed reverence Eichorst had for the Master did far more to make him an interesting villain than any discussion of his secret backstory could.
The biggest problem with “The Disappeared.” Everything just felt like it was stalling to carry us into next week. Everything really chugged along this week and barely held my attention. I wanted new developments, I wanted more conflict, and I wanted that insane action from last week.
Where is your God now?
Last week on The Strain, Eph and his small crew of vampire killers finally met up with Vasiliy Fet, exterminator par excellence and Dutch, a beautiful computer hacker hired by the vamps to shutdown the Internet during the infestation. There were a lot of big revelations this week, perhaps none bigger than the much-awaited first glimpses of the Master’s face. But first, before we get into that scene between Eichorst and the head vampire in a dank, medieval-looking cellar, let’s address what happened with our not-so-merry band of vampire hunters. With our gang finally in place, Eph journeys home to check on his ex-wife and son. Remember Matt? The Sears manager who took over Eph’s home, turned Eph’s home office into a rumpus room, is banging Eph’s ex-wife, and narced on Eph to the cops? The Sears manager Kelly Goodweather thought would be more attentive than her workaholic, CDC all-star husband? Yeah, he’s dead and that’s not the only bit of goodness from this week’s episode of The Strain. Let’s discuss shall we…
Everyone Has Daddy Issues.
The idea was to stage a reunion between Eph and Zach so that Eph could play Hero Dad while mom was missing (setting up another mystery that you’d have to be completely soulless to not have any interest in), all I really wanted to do was shout, “Stay in the house, Carl!” because I can’t get The Walking Dead comparisons out of my head. Since Zach is a much more well-behaved and attentive kid than Carl, there is less actual yelling at the tv! Although that actually might be better for The Strain, as we don’t need another rebellious strong headed kid whining about not being able to join the fight against the undead while stuffing his face full of canned pudding. Ben Hyland really stepped up this week and is starting to show that he can handle this role among adults that deliver strong lines. This was especially apparent in his scenes with David Bradley. The most endearing moments this week were definitely between Abraham and Zach. They have a heart-to-heart talk, almost like a grandfather/grandson type of conversation. The old hunter explains there is a power in naming the infected as vampires. The plague is like rabies being passed from human to human. Zach must move on from this and never fail in life.
This episode focused primarily on the dynamic between father’s and sons. So, now let’s cut to the chase: THE sex scene. When I first saw the Eph and Nora (Maestro) sex scene, I was totally like WTF? You’ve got to be kidding me! You just killed Matt (Drew Nelson) in the living room, your ex-wife is missing, your son may be in danger and *now* you decide to bang your girlfriend — and in Kelly’s house!!After blurting a whole bunch more of curse words, it finally dawned on me. This really isn’t shocking. And why? Because this is exactly who Ephraim Goodweather is and it’s exactly what the character would do. Aside from Zach, the only person who Eph cares about is himself. And this point is made perfectly clear with his comments when Kelly’s friend Diane barges in on them:
I love my wife. She’s the mother of my son. I will do anything to find her — Dr. Goodweather to Diane
Oh. My. God. Did you catch the look on Nora’s face? Ouch. I definitely think that was a wake-up call for her, you know the moment when she realized she’s nothing more than a piece of ass. Hopefully, she’ll move on and find someone who is deserving. Nora can be dingy and annoying sometimes, but she has a good heart and she needs to find someone who can appreciate that.
A la carte…dinner is served
We also learned more about Abraham Setrakian’s past in the German prison camp under Thomas Eichhorst. We got to see the prison camp freed and young Setrakian come face to face with the Master. It was creepy the first time when The Strain showed the Master using the death camp barracks as a buffet, and time has not lessened the colon curl factor of this particular bit of imagery. Setrakian stole a silver knife and was ready to avenge his fellow prisoners. The Master was having none of it and snapped Setrakian’s fingers, a wound that still has not healed correctly as the episode masterfully showed us in a series of close ups on old Setrakian’s ruined hands.
The show should be applauded for the realistic portrayal of the death camps, one of the most claustrophobic and honest bits of Holocaust drama nicely presented on television. It is very clear Setrakian saw true evil long before he set his eyes on the Master. Through these flashbacks, we now know what pain hides behind those old eyes, and it is obvious we are not done with these compelling peeks into Setrakian’s pasts just yet, as we still haven’t learned why Setrakian keeps a worm riddled brain in a jar. There has to be a horrifically tragic story surrounding that bit of insanity.
As the flashbacks flesh out Setrakian’s history, they do the same thing for Eichhorst. Eichhorst is as evil as they come, as he is on the run after the prison camp is liberated. We also see a vulnerability to the Nazi officer, a man who thrived on power, but now, power was taken from him and he was just a fugitive who would be hunted for the heinous war crimes he had committed. Eichhorst was a living contradiction, a lover of art and music who enjoyed the fine things in life, but a man who did not flinch from brutally executing huge groups of prisoners who could no longer toil for the Reich. This brash duality is wonderfully portrayed by Richard Sammell.
Setrakian expresses his admiration for the pragmatic Vasiliy Fet this episode but also connects with Dutch the hacker. We learned more about Dutch, who was betrayed by her roommate and lover who stole the money the vamps paid Dutch to break the Internet. Dutch provides Setrakian with a lead on who is funding the vampires and seems determined to make up for her misdeeds. There is not much to Dutch yet other than her sexuality and her convenient hacking skills and everything between her and Vasiliy felt slightly forced. Especially when the vampire came into her house and she just looked at him with wide eyes. Jesus woman, I know he’s hot and you got distracted but really?!?! You just say legions of these things descend upon a gas station. But the show has not given us a dud character yet, so I have faith that Dutch will prove to be a bit more layered as we move forward.
Sometimes you just can’t catch a break.
Meanwhile the misadventures of Gus continue with Felix finally turning completely during the prison transfer. Gus has shown the most improvement since the pilot, where he was little more than a one-dimensional tough guy. Miguel Gómez has been able to show different sides of Gus since then, making him into a much more sympathetic man who cares deeply about his friends and family. But while his pain is apparent, he’s enough of a realist to know that Felix is already gone when he shoots him.
Yes, we got our first glimpse of the Master this week. Like Nosferatu after being caught in a Gamma explosion. Woah!
The highlight of the hour, of course, is the big reveal of the Master. The creature design here is kind of fascinating, straddling the line between goofy and very unsettling. It’s a rare instance of something becoming scarier the longer it’s on screen and a good payoff after keeping him shrouded for most of the season. The final image of the Master towering over Eichhorst as he turns him is one of the most striking of the series.
Final Verdict
I’m not going to lie I was a little disappointed at the slower pace of this episode but the amount of realistic WTF moments definitely reeled me back in. Actually one of the big picture aspects about The Strain that isn’t quite being talked about as much: the relate-ability of the characters. Not the likability but how the characters translate to the audience on a more human level of recognition. Character actions and motivations have been a constant discussion point, but there hasn’t been much conversation of if these characters—who are supposed to be grounded in a somewhat realistic world—resemble any that you would actually see in the real world. Are there really any relatable characters, characters that the audience can see him or herself in? The Walking Dead has its own host of problems, but one thing it has always done well enough is create diverse characters who come across as realistic versions of people you’d see in every day life, whether every day life is a zombie apocalypse or not. Who normally sees him or herself in Eph, especially when he is in wise-cracking, head-shotting mode? The most realistic Fet—as interesting as he is—has been in his quieter moments, like with his father or with Dutch in this episode. And while the direction in the sex scene between Eph and Nora takes away from the episode, everything building up to it (especially the funeral of Matt/memorial of Jim) is real. Writer Guierllmo Del Torro has a way of pacing action, story progression, and character development so you are never left feeling unsatisfied after an episode. While director Charlotte Sieling helped paint the picture of city and a group of people thrown into chaos.
That’s the biggest takeaway from “The Disappeared.” It finally gives the audience a reason to want to slow down with the show and really think about all of these characters. The episode works by allowing a bit of reflection on who the show’s characters are and how they will all move forward in the future episodes of the season and series. Sometimes that’s all you really need in an episode.
“The Disappeared” is another of The Strain’s many up-and-down episodes, but the ups are encouraging. The unveiling of the Master doesn’t disappoint, Gus keeps becoming a more interesting character to follow, and Sammel continues his stellar work as the monstrous Eichhorst. While many of the straight-ahead dialog scenes still leave something to be desired the strengths of The Strain remain enough, for now. Through flashback, humor, and balls out action, The Strain did it again.
Questions, Comments, Concerns…
- He was too busy trying to talk sense into the blood thirsty monster. haha” kids 😉 #TheyDoTheDarnedestThings
- Favorite and most campy line of the entire episode was Vasiliy’s “I’ll be back!” That will literally never get old!!!
- I have watched a lot of tv and that sex scene was seriously one of the biggest WTF moments I have experienced in while!!
- Which characters do you identify with the most??
The Strain (1×9) “The Disappeared” Review
Brittney Horth
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