The Strain Recap S01E07: For Services Rendered

Bronxville, Westchester. A man arrives to a hotel but it looks a bit deserted. The place is empty and he helps himself to the bar as he watches the news, which reports how the mobiles and internet has been hacked causing the slow down before moving onto the dead plane story with Joan front and center. He gets a call from the nanny about his wife, Joan. She has the kids at her house, and she’s scared for them. He tells her that he’s headed home, and to take the kids there, but she refuses. He heads home to find that his house looks deserted. He runs inside to grab some cash for the cab driver who isn’t accepting cards with the wacked out internet, and comes into contact with an infected neighbor. He runs back to the cab and yells for the cab driver to drive away, but he doesn’t, even as the infected launch their throat stingers against the windows. Instead, freaked out the cabbie goes to take matters in his own hands with his gun. He manages to kill a few before one takes him down, and the man runs into his house. But home doesn’t equal safety, his wife Joan is inside, and she’s got a throat stinger of her own.

In Abraham’s shop Nora notices his silver bullets. He’s taken what he can from his grandmother’s tale and turned it into weapons to fight the Strigoi. Abraham’s big plan was to kill the head vampire, but Eph thinks that they should go the whole exposure route since they have video proof, since the whole killing one by one is not helping, plus Eph points out that killing the Master and the others dying because of that loss makes no biological sense. It may not make any sense but Abraham is sure that is the best way to defeat them, he knows his enemy far better than anyone else. Nora asks how they can find the Master, but Eph doesn’t want to contact Jim, which is their only hope. They’re out of other options though.

Poland, 1944. Abraham works in his carpentry shop with the others when he notices some soldiers making silver bullets on the other side of his cage. Thomas Eichorst arrives, and announces that they’ve searched their barracks and discovered someone has stolen some wood and made an idol. He asks for the culprit, and when no one confesses, he begins killing men around Abraham, threatening to shoot them one at a time until the perpetrator steps forward. Abraham confesses and Eichorst asks where he learned to carve like this. He looks at his hands, and asks him to come with him. He has a special project for Abraham, and lays out the blue print. There’s lots of detailed work, and until further notice he’s excused of all other duties. Abraham made the Master’s box!

Gus is getting a full exam by an officer. He’s been arrested for the killing of the coroner, though apparently no one bothered to even look at the body. When Gus makes reference to his “frog tongue,” bleeding white blood full of worms the officer just assumes that Gus is on some heavy drugs, and suggests that he’ll be more clear headed once his high has ended. Gus doesn’t take drugs, and is sure that some crazy things are happening, it’s New York though, there’s always craziness.

Jim packs their bags, and wants to get off to the airport. His wife, Sylvia, is concerned. It’s the most deadly outbreak, and suddenly he wants to run off to Palo Alto with her, not to mention the fact that he’s paranoid and fidgety. She asks why he was sidelined by Everett, but Jim explains that everyone was around Eph. She asks if he helped Eph get into trouble, and he toes around a confession. Eph, Nora, and Abraham knock at the door. Sylvia thought that Eph was detained by the FBI, and he was, but you know, stuff happened. Eph tries to make Sylvia understand that because Jim accepted bribes an epidemic is running rampant through the city. Sylvia cannot believe that Jim is going to let Eph use him as bait with his crazy talk of vampires, but Jim has seen the creatures for himself. She refuses to listen, and leaves the decision up to him. Sylvia leaves. Abraham asks Jim to describe the German to him, and its Thomas Eichorst. Eph asks Abraham’s history with Eichorst. It’s complicated. When they first met he was human, but just as monstrous.

Past. Abraham works in his little caged room as Eichorst comes to check on him. The work is progressing, and takes his mind off the place he’s being kept. Eichorst opens up to him about his awful carving skills, having had to steal from a classmate to pass. Abraham is sure he didn’t fall into his current job, he didn’t. Eichorst has a way of finding the perfect people for the job at hand. He marvels over the perfect work and leaves Abraham. Abraham eyes the silver just outside.

Joan’s children awaken. They want to go home. The Nanny’s daughter urges her mother to take the children back even though she’s concerned of the danger in the home. She’s insistent, and her mother caves, on the condition that if she is correct and Joan is sick that they will take the children from there. The daughter is a nurse, and she assumes that if Joan is sick that she will know what to do, not that her medical training has covered a strigoi epidemic.

Eldritch asks what happens if the newest drug cocktail fails and his body rejects the liver, but his caretaker/hired muscle wants him to think positive thoughts. Eichorst pays Eldritch a visit. The two aren’t nearly as chummy as they were previously, and Eldritch’s man looks at Eichorst with distaste. He’s suspicious of the man and he has every reason to be. Eldritch’s plan is unfolding, mostly without issue. He plays a message from Jim claiming that he did not destroy Redfern’s body, and that he wants more money from the German in exchange for his silence and the body. Eichorst is disappointed, but decides to take care of it.

Gus finds himself in lock up. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, so is his friend Felix. Felix isn’t doing so well. He’s ill, and when Gus seats him down, one of the other prisoner’s protest, and Gus knocks him to the floor. Felix thinks he’s being punished for what he did, and Gus tells the CO that Felix is sick. He’s not too concerned, telling Gus that the paramedic will come check him when he has time.

Jim tries to talk to his wife Sylvia before she leaves, apologizing for lying, but she doesn’t want to hear it. I’m not sure if she’s mad because he lied, or because he’s going with their crazy plan. Nora assures him that she’ll come around. Jim gets set to face Eichorst. Abraham hands him a silver blade.

Past. Abraham breaks open the lock between his room and the room of silver, but before he can really grab anything, Eichorst pays him another visit. Eichorst wants him to pick up the pace, but carving takes time. He asks about his past, and Abraham tells him about where he grew up. Eichorst knows of the place, he traveled through there. It’s an awkward bonding moment, Eichorst even offers Abraham a drink. In his drunken state, Eichorst tells him that a new furor will rise, who will actually deliver all that Hitler offered. Abraham thinks that would be really bad for humanity, but Eichorst knows different. It all sounds great, unless you’re a Jew, Abraham points out. Eichorst thinks him an elitist, that he’s too good to do anything. Eichorst hands him a gun, and gives him the change to kill him. He should have taken it.

The nanny, her daughter, and Joan’s kids arrive at the house to find the cab with the door open. Should have listened to mama, she was right to go with her gut. The kids run out of the house, looking for their mother, while the nanny and her daughter chase after them. The girl finds her daughter dead. The Nanny is adamant that they leave, though her daughter thinks that they need to call for help for the father. Joan leaps after them, but the daughter manages to knock the stinger away before it can grab the children. The foursome run, and the sunlight keeps Joan away, but they find themselves trapped inside of the house. Barricading themselves in one of the rooms, they watch as Joan tries to break through the glass to get them, and she’s not alone.

In the subway, Eph and Nora watch Jim as he prepares to meet the German. Eichorst arrives on time, he notes that Jim doesn’t have the body, and asks where the Jew is at. He knows that Jim has chosen the wrong side in this fight. He asks him to reconsider for Sylvia’s sake, and goes all animal on him, growling softly, but Jim holds his ground. Jim has chosen a side, and condemned Sylvia to death. Eichorst accepts his decision, and leaves with Eph and Nora in hot pursuit. Abraham is watching and waiting as well. Below in the tunnels Eichorst gives Eph and Nora the slip, and Nora nearly shoots Jim. Jim tells them that Eichorst knew it was a trap, that he could smell Abraham, and the trio rush to find Abraham.

Abraham has Eichorst in his sights. When the train arrives, Abraham gets on board. Many of the passengers in the car are coughing, and Abraham thinks better of his pursuit and exits. He knows that Eichorst has exited as well, and removes his sword in preparation. Eichorst doesn’t want to kill him, he wants them to end as they began. The cane sword once belonged to the master, and he wants it back. Eichorst knocks the sword away, and prepares to eat Abraham when Eph, Nora and Jim arrive. Eph takes a shot at Eichorst, who makes a break for it, but not before telling him that he’s giving him another day of life for Services Rendered.

Past. Eichorst gives Abraham a sandwich from their new cook. Abraham is hesitant, but Eichorst tells him that he’s earned it. The box is done, and it is beautiful.

The nanny sits and prays with the children as the other strigoi breaks the window open with a baseball bat. Joan prepares to eat her children when a group of hunters kill them. They’re some sort of rat strigoi themselves. The leader asks if any of them are injured. The nanny says no, he looks over the children first, and finds them to be uninjured. The nurse reveals that she was knicked earlier. The leaders lets the nanny take the children, but her daughter the nurse cannot go. He shoots her in the head, telling the mother to be quiet, to not touch her, that she’s corrupted.