TV Review: The Strain 2×07 “The Born”

We’re introduced to Quinlan in yet another lore-building flashback. We could fill a book of The Strain’s footnotes when this season is done and over with. In this sequence, we learn that Quinlan was a half-breed creation of both human and strigoi blood, and that above all else he is civilized, despite being known as an undefeated barbaric gladiator in the Roman age.

This week, Fet and Dutch’s romance becomes unnecessarily complicated when her old roommate comes into the picture. Despite her roommate compromising Dutch’s data storage and abandoning her last season, it’s conveyed pretty clearly that these two were more than just roommates, and Fet quickly becomes an annoying jealous puppy-dog, but the honeymoon never lasts forever, and at least he’s got Setrakian behind him to smack his brain in the right direction with a silver cane. This side plot, I’m sure, will be short-lived. However, I find that injecting a previous romance into the story won’t do any good for Dutch. We’ve already played with the idea that she can’t be fully trusted, why do we need to have a relationship angle on the same concept? I’m all for letting Fet grow on the page so he isn’t a stagnant deliveryman of one-liners, but to have him suddenly so worked up and overly attached seems to conflict with his character.

Eph’s return from DC shows the doctor at his booziest, but also at his most paternal in the aftermath of Kelly attempting to murder Nora and Zack in the climax of last week’s episode. In the meantime, he’s completely out of ideas, and while Nora attempts to be supportive of taking the contagion and making it stronger, Eph doesn’t seem to have more than an ounce of hope that hasn’t been already replaced by alcohol. That being said, his new motivation is a rather simple one: Kill Eldritch Palmer, the rich man who hasn’t done much to service the plot other than to play a horny old rich guy who gets to live his twenties again just because he can walk.

Out in the field, Setrakian and Fet come across The Master’s breeding grounds for The Feelers, and when they prepare to blow the place up, we have our first account of Quinlan being a badass in our contemporary world, mowing through the agile spider-kiddies with blades and silver-packed Uzi’s.

It feels this episode’s climactic moment is a defining peak for the middle of the season as we see The Master in a fully combat ready form, looking more like a villain from Buffy the Vampire Slayer than ever by donning all kinds of leather goods from Bolivar’s wardrobe. He’s ready to finally square off against Quinlan, a hunt that we have minimal knowledge of over the last maybe three millennia. Of course, we need to have a fight of some kind in the season finale, so the dumb ignorant humans (I.E., Fet) blow the place to hell, allowing an escape for The Master and Eichorst. Will we get to learn more about Quinlan next week? What role will Palmer and Stoneheart ultimately play other than a focal point of revenge? Will Dutch prove traitorous or just sensibly sensitive? WILL ZACK EVER DO ANYTHING? Find out next time in the continuing adventures of The Strain.

The Strain Episode 2×07 “The Born” (7/10)