Warning: full episode spoilers follow.
In some ways it doesn’t feel like The Strain’s second season really got underway until Quinlan made his long-awaited debut this week. This immortal human/vampire hybrid is the final piece of the puzzle in the war between humanity and the strigoi, and “The Born” wasted no time in placing him front and center in the conflict. Even with some weak elements this week, the Quinlan-heavy focus was more than enough to keep the excitement level high.
This episode delivered not one, but two historical flashbacks to Quinlan’s younger days. The first was a neat, Spartacus-style sequence set in ancient Rome as Quinlan proved himself master of the gladiatorial arena. That sequence illustrated several important traits about the character right away – his devastating strength and fighting skills, his ability to walk in sunlight and his fascination with/disdain for humanity and its bloodthirsty ways. The former two qualities are nothing new in vampire fiction. We’ve seen countless human/vampire hybrid characters with the “all of their strengths, none of their weaknesses” qualification. But that latter quality might be Quinlan’s most distinguishing characteristic. He’s a character caught between two worlds, and he doesn’t seem to hold either in very high regard.
The second flashback jumped forward to the 19th Century and unfolded in the aftermath of Sardu’s transformation into the Master from the premiere. That scene gave us a sense of the long, tedious road Quinlan has walked his entire life, always one or two steps behind the demon he’s obsessed with killing. The show still has a great deal to reveal as far as how Quinlan came to be and why he hates the Master so much, but their brief encounter in the climax and the Master’s reference to killing Quinlan’s mother is hint enough for now.
Granted, at times this episode struggled to keep the momentum going when Quinlan wasn’t in the spotlight. The return of Dutch’s roommate/lover Nikki was the clear low point of the week. Once again, the show wastes time veering into the realm of character melodrama when it serves no purpose in terms of the larger conflict. The sudden love triangle between Dutch, Nikki and Fet was forced. Nikki herself has no compelling qualities. Fet came across as childish and clingy considering that he and Dutch have probably been knocking boots for all of three days at this point. Don’t the writers have more compelling material to play with? Shouldn’t we be checking in with Gus and Angel or something?
The other Daywalker.
It was also disappointing to see Eph’s cross-country journey cut so abruptly short after last week’s disastrous turn of events. I was looking forward to seeing how our hero dealt with being a wanted fugitive – adrift, injured and still desperately trying to get his bio-weapon into the right hands. Instead, he’s retreated back to the safety of Red Hook. Apparently getting back into New York is a heck of a lot easier than getting out, even for wounded fugitives. All that being said, there was some nice drama as Eph butted heads with Fet, reunited with Zack (who is thankfully far less annoying of late than he was in the early part of the season) and announced his intention to kill Eldritch Palmer.
Probably not coincidentally, Palmer received a lot of screen time this week. This episode was great about illustrating the fundamental dichotomy of the character. He may be one of the show’s central antagonists, but he also has a strongly sympathetic side that sets him apart form the likes of Eichorst and the Master. Here we saw him continuing to orchestrate the downfall of the civilized world and the attempted murder of Eph even as his romance with Coco continued to blossom. As terrible as Palmer’s action are, it’s hard not to connect with the character as he enjoys being a healthy, warm-blooded male for the first time in his life. There’s a childlike naivete to Palmer in his interactions with Coco that you wouldn’t expect from a man of such wealth and power.
I do wish the show would attempt to offer more insight into Coco’s past and motivations, though. She’s a pretty poorly defined character so far, with only the barest suggestion that she disapproves of Palmer’s shady dealings giving her any semblance of internal conflict. It seems like she’s being set up either to betray Palmer somehow or become a tragic sacrifice when either the Ancients or Eph make their next move against Palmer. Either way, that makes her less a character than a walking plot device.
This episode ended on a strong note as Quinlan and Setrakian stood side by side against the Master and Eichorst. As Quinlan noted, they had a true, old-fashioned duel going. I was glad that Quinlan actually pointed out how much less imposing a figure the Master is now that he inhabits Bolivar’s body. The fact that the writers are acknowledging this problem leaves hope that they have a plan to address it. It is a little disappointing that we didn’t actually see a full-blown duel between the two factions (thanks to Fet’s conveniently timed explosives). However, that’s a showdown we probably shouldn’t look for until the end of the season. As far as establishing the centuries-long rivalry between Quinlan and the Master, this episode fired on all cylinders.
