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S01.E13: The Master

Tara Ariano

By Tara Ariano
in The Strain [V]

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fliptopbox

fliptopbox

Boo to The Master for escaping like that. He should have died and let those other powerful strigoi with the Vombie Death Squad take over as the new supervillians. At least that sounds plausible. Not that scaling buildings in broad daylight shit we got.

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

(edited)

This season finale was kind of disappointing.

 

It almost looks like they learned they were renewed and reshot an ending that was just plain boring.  The Zack faking an asthma attack to get a photo album and his mother just conveniently happens to be there at the house -- boring !!!  Plus, I would be super pissed off that Zach made them drive all that way for nothing. I wish Eph would stop soft-pedaling excuses to Zach -- tell him what's going on and to deal with it, there's vampire killing to do.

 

Is Eph going to loosen up a bit now that he's fallen off the wagon ?

 

I was surprised when they were driving around NY and the traffic seemed so .... normal.  No police checkpoints, no National Guard, nothing different than any other middle of the night drive.

 

And the whole nonsense with the Secretary of HHS untimely demise courtesy of Palmer -- was kind of stupid.  Sorry Eldridge, you just can't appoint you own toady as a replacement for her.  It doesn't work that way.

 

And I was disappointed about the underutilization of the Vombie Squad -- I wanted them kicking ass and taking names.  Instead we get a chat with Gus and an introduction to 'The Ancients.  That could have been done 3 or 4 episodes ago, I want to see Gus seeking revenge on the Master.

Edited by ottoDbusdriver
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steelyis

steelyis

I have never ever wished harm to come to a child, but I swear to all that is holy I wished the little dumb fuck would die. First he asked when they can go back home, is he for fucking real? I would have been hard pressed not to slap the shit out of him if he asked me that after everything he's seen! I let it go though, because he wasn't useless at the Master's lair, but then he goes and pulls that fake asthma attack just to get a photo album, then decides to fucking reminisce by looking at the pictures and Eph goes along because he's a fucking moron too.

 

Please, please let them die next season, slowly, painfully, and hopefully in sight of each other so it's extra agonizing, that's how much I hate those assholes!

 

Grrr. Anyway, at least Nora, Fet, and Hacker Chick kept the stupidity to a minimum and kicked major vampire ass! Nora even did some badass ninja shit in the lair. Home girl was not playing around! She has some good pipes on her too. I think I'm starting to warm up to her, all she needs to do is dump the dead weight that is Eph and she might make my Christmas list.

 

I wish we learned more about the secret vamp society, but I did like that they recruited Gus as one of their Renfield mercenaries. Fingers crossed Fet can join some day, Nora too if she keeps coming to work like she did this episode. I wonder how Abe will take knowing there are not totally evil vampires in the world? Would he even believe such a thing is possible? Maybe learning the Master can survive in direct sunlight, for a while, might open his mind.

 

Barring Dumb and Dumber, I really liked this episode. The showdown was exciting and gave Fet, Nora, and even Hacker Chick a chance to shine as future badass vampire slayers. I give the episode a solid eight out of ten; I'm deducting two points because Eph and his asshole kid survived.

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fliptopbox

fliptopbox

I have only ever wished death to tv children....cos obviously they aren't dying for real. But ditch that kid from the script with the quickness! Eph too, at this point. They both suck and Eph is proving himself useless. Corey Stoll and his shitty wig need to move on to better projects.

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MrsRafaelBarba

MrsRafaelBarba

Eph continues to annoy me, Zack also did at the end.

Didn't like how WIG talked sideways to Abe either.

Loved seeing the ladies and Fet fighting Eichorst, Bolivar and the other strigoi.

Am I the only one, that LOL when Month Burnes flung ole girl off the balcony?

Forgot Mia also sings, nice voice.

Correction, Monty. Burns

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Valny

Valny

(edited)

For s finale, I too was a little underwhelmed. It picked up a bit in the last 20 or so minutes but still nothing earth shattering.

I was thinking that sword's got to be to heavy for Zach to swing so I couldn't see him killing a vamp, but it didn't come to that luckily.

Finally some officials were talking about the National Guard! But then Secretary Pearson gets thrown off the balcony by Palmer. Saw that coming when they showed them in the background talking.

What did Eph say about the sunlight? I was blowing my nose at the time and didn't hear.

I did like Fet's jokes about Abe and Eph's "marriage" :)

 

So the VVH(Vampire Vampire Hunter's) have their own lighting tech person? Who were those bleeding vamps at the end. I didn't quite get what the leader was talking about to Gus.


Oh, Eph missed his shot with his wife. (pun intended) You had your chance to kill her and you blew it. I'm glad Zach didn't get away from Eph, I was thinking he was going to get in the way of Eph shooting his wife.

Edited by Valny
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steelyis

steelyis

I have only ever wished death to tv children....cos obviously they aren't dying for real. But ditch that kid from the script with the quickness! Eph too, at this point. They both suck and Eph is proving himself useless. Corey Stoll and his shitty wig need to move on to better projects.

 

I never have because I always try to give kids leeway in extraordinary fictional entertainment like The Strain. I can't even stand to see them in danger and get really upset if they get hurt or killed. But I actively rooted for the brat's mom to drain every drop of his blood and for Eph to decapitate him so there's no chance he can ever come back to life. That's how much I hate that fucking kid!

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bluebonnet

bluebonnet

Ok, so apparently the ancient vamps are more theatrical than Bolivar could have ever hoped to be.  I'm pretty sure these masters are just putting on the world's largest theater event and these dumb protagonists are just wet blanketing all over it.  Seriously, it's no longer horror.  I'm expecting a musical in at least one episode next season.
 
Oh yes, Eph and Abe, give a sword to a kid and spend zero time training him on how to use it.  Telling him to stick them with the pointy end isn't exactly training.  Didn't any of these losers read ASOIAF?!?  Or just, you know, live life?  A sword is more of a liability for someone who hasn't practiced or trained.  Better to offer a dagger.  It's not like the vamps ever bother to use their stingers when the protagonists come around so Zach should have no fear of allowing the vamps to get close enough to use his dagger.  And for gods sake, Eph, fucking educate your kid already, especially if you decide to take him along on a hunt.  Taking him on a hunt is fine.  He needs to learn.  Taking him without all of the knowledge possible is ri-fucking-diculous.  Even as a vamp, Kelly is deserving of full custody.
 
Don't know why I'm irritated about all that since I'd rather Zach be drained and turned so that Eph can get some head chopping practice in.  I was so hoping Kelly would do the deed.  But of course, even as a vamp she has to be a good mom and not put Zach in the position of hearing the parents fighting.  Plus, I bet she wanted to have a pow wow before she completely disrupted his life.  But seriously, kill the kid already.  I've never wanted a kid character dead so much.  I bet the rest of the crew is hoping for Zach's death because they couldn't be bothered to even following them inside their house for backup.  Kid's having an alleged asthma attack, mama is hunting him down, and they just sit inside the bread truck.
 
I still don't get why they had to go through tunnels instead of, I don't know, the front door or a window.  It wasn't like there was an element of surprise they were hoping for since Fet and Eph announced themselves already.  At least through the front door or windows or whatever they'd be able to corral the vamps better to make killing them easier.  Although, it's pretty easy to kill these things since vampire rules state they can't use their stingers when the protagonists come around.  Except for Bolivar.  He's obviously the rogue of that group.  He and Eph would probably get along.  
 
I'm guessing Palmer isn't going to get turned.  It's as I suspected, he's just being used to set up things for the vamps to put on their play...I mean, create their human farm.  Don't know why Palmer doesn't just go out and get stung.  Or use a worm from the heart jar.  I mean, immortality is immortality.  It sucks whether you can talk or not.  Special immortality doesn't seem to make a difference when the master requires a backward walk (seriously, what was that?).  

 

Best thing about this episode, apart from the stage lighting, was that they seemed to have finally gotten rid of the bread in the truck.  All that bread going to waste was really bothering me.  At least I can pretend it's serving a purpose now.  

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thuganomics85

thuganomics85

Well, OK, then.  I have to say that I'm surprised we didn't get one final big death to close out the season.  Even if they didn't want to off another regular, I figured at least Dutch or Fitzwilliams would bite it tonight.  But, nope, Dutch is still with the crew, and Fitzwilliams was just like "I'm done with this shit!  Peace!", and waltzes out of Stoneheart.  I have no idea what they are going to do with him.  I mean, I hope this isn't it, since they keep bringing up his history with Palmer.  This has to play some part in the series, right?

 

Vampire Squad Leader has easily joined Abe and Vasiliy in my favorites column.  I usually like Gus, but I was getting tired of his bravo, so it was fun watching Vamp guy just toy with him.  But, it sounds like Gus might be on the same page now, due to his chance of getting some revenge.  Oh, and a payday.  Gus like the money!

 

So, Kelly is still just a regular vamp?  Hmm, I had assumed The Master was going to turn her in to an Eichorst-style vamp, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  Oh, and by the way, nice one, Zach.  I get your a kid and everything, but pretending to have an asthma attack, in order to get a photo album is such bullshit.  If you really, really had to do that, at least do it during the daylight, so it won't be as dangerous.  I swear, if his dumb ass actually gets someone I like killed, I might dislike him more then Eph.

 

I'm actually liking Eph/Abe scenes now, because of how easily Abe just seems to give up, and tune him out.  Basically, it feels like Abe suggests or says something, Eph's all "Argh.  He's my son!  Don't tell me what to do!!", and Abe's just like "Whatever, man.  If he gets his ass killed, don't come crying to me about it."  I feel you, Abe.

 

Best part was seeing Nora clearly hardened throwing it down.  All she needs to do now is quit being concerned over stupid Eph being stupid Eph, and I might fully like her.

 

The Master can't die from sunlight, huh?  I wonder if he can still die by decapitation.  It seems like sunlight does weaken him at least, so maybe this group can work that too an advantage somehow.

 

Finally, Palmer is healthy enough now that he can lift and drop people off buildings, but isn't' a vamp yet, for some reason.  What does The Master have planned for him?

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Dewey Decimate

Dewey Decimate

I've given up on expecting logic from this show (like, Walder Frey, why did you not go crazy slashy with your magic sword while your arch-nemesis was flailing about in the sunlight?), and just enjoy it as slightly schlocky popcorn fun. The backwards-retreat of the coven vamps when the Master was in his (pseudo-)death throes was legitimately creepy (way more than the Master's appearance), and Eichorst is one scary-ass bad guy. I was so hoping for him to die, but then wondered who would take on the truly evil antagonist role. (The Master is way too puppety.)

Hoping Fitzwilliam joins up with Gus. (I'd say either with him or our Fet-Setrakian crew, but no one else deserves to be saddled with Eph, Zach, and their overwrought family drama-rama.)

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Ellaria

Ellaria

I've given up on expecting logic from this show (like, Walder Frey, why did you not go crazy slashy with your magic sword while your arch-nemesis was flailing about in the sunlight?), and just enjoy it as slightly schlocky popcorn fun. The backwards-retreat of the coven vamps when the Master was in his (pseudo-)death throes was legitimately creepy (way more than the Master's appearance), and Eichorst is one scary-ass bad guy. I was so hoping for him to die, but then wondered who would take on the truly evil antagonist role. (The Master is way too puppety.)

Hoping Fitzwilliam joins up with Gus. (I'd say either with him or our Fet-Setrakian crew, but no one else deserves to be saddled with Eph, Zach, and their overwrought family drama-rama.)

 

"Slightly schlocky popcorn fun" is a great way to describe this show. Its not a great but I enjoyed watching S1, even with its missteps.

 

I was kinda disappointed with the finale. I assumed that we would see one "shocking" death but I'm not ready to lose the most easily expendable characters - Fitzwilliam or Dutch - just yet. Eph and his idiot kid are not going anywhere right now; we are stuck with them for the long haul. Eph continues with his Jack Shephard level of arrogance and disregard for others' opinions. Why does the gang continue to award him with leadership status? 

 

Agree that The Master is too puppety. With Halloween coming soon, I'm sure that there are millions of masks in the costume stores that are scarier than The Master. Actually, Eichorst is scarier than The Master. 

 

Palmer must have found super sunless tanning lotion because his healthy glow seemed to intensify as the episode went on. Loved when he threw Madam Secretary off the balcony.

 

I, too, hope that Fitzwilliam joins up with Gus and the Black Ops team.

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Tippi Blevins

Tippi Blevins

"He gave you the white, but not the worm" sounds like it should be a line in some kind of art house porn.

 

I wish instead of just walking backwards out of the lair, the vampires had full on moonwalked out of there. 

 

I think the young actor playing Zack is kind of terrible, but I don't hate Zack simply because I feel like having Eph as a parent is enough punishment.

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futurechemist

futurechemist

(edited)

I was kind of disappointed in the finale because despite the action, very little actually happened.

 

There might have been a government response, but now there won't be.
The gang attacks the Master, but he gets magic sunlight protection and escapes (to use a video game analogy, I interpreted it as him having way more HP than normal vampires, so he could stay in sunlight long enough to escape).  But there's no change in the human-vampire war in this episode.

Gus gets introduced to the Ancients, but there's very little info for us, and they don't actually take any action in this episode.

Eph and Zach get confirmation Kelly is a vampire, but they don't kill her and she just runs away.  In fact there's no closure with any of the specific vampire rivalries (Eph-Kelly, Abe-Eichorst, everyone-Master)

 

It's not like the episode was even a cliffhanger, it just kind of ended.

Also, in the climactic battle, did most of the vampires just forget that they had giant stingers they could use to infect the 6 humans who were there?

Edited by futurechemist
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SoSueMe

SoSueMe

I swear that some of those vamps seemed like frickin marionettes to me, I could almost see the strings, lol. And the Master? Kids around here have more believable Halloween costumes. At this point I am only still watching because of Fet.

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Latverian Diplomat

Latverian Diplomat

So, the vamps retreating by walking backward is one of those things that seems cool on paper, but can't help but look silly in execution. Especially since the actors weren't backing out in a defensive posture, but seemed to be literally trying to look like a rewind. The director really should have overruled the script on that one, after seeing what a take or two looked like.

 

And why have them retreat anyway? They served no purpose in the Master's escape, which was just him sizzling his way down the side of the building. They seemed to have a good chance of taking out some of Abe's team.

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Tippi Blevins

Tippi Blevins

What was their actual plan, anyway? They go to confront the Master in his lair at Bolivar's place... Were they going to just shoot him with a lot of bullets and try to lop off his head? The sunlight thing just seemed like they lucked into it, and wasn't something they had planned on. Then Abe has to stand there and shout, "In the name of all that is holy!" instead of just hacking away at him while he was writhing in the light. You're not Inigo Montoya! You don't need to preface your revenge!

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

I just realized I spoiled myself because I can't read properly and I thought this episode was titled "The MasterS" rather than "The Master".

 

Initially, this episode thread did have 'The Masters' with an 's' in the title (ergo, my golfing joke up thread)

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lulee

lulee

Initially, this episode thread did have 'The Masters' with an 's' in the title (ergo, my golfing joke up thread)

Otto is correct, bluebonnet. I remember thinking something skin to your multiple masters comment as I clicked on the thread and later a golf quip before reading Otto's comment. Clearly I have some kind of psychic powers. I may tell you to act slightly more threatening than a drugged elderly junkyard dog and slink theatrically/ clumsily backward.
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meep.meep

meep.meep

Couldn't they have named the kid Carl and be done with it?  Going back and getting the happy-times picture - been there, done that.  Maybe Chandler Riggs just gets better lines....

 

 

"He gave you the white, but not the worm" sounds like it should be a line in some kind of art house porn.

Or in testimony of major league baseball players about potential steroid use.

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gaPeach

gaPeach

Maybe Chandler Riggs just gets better lines....

 

No Chandler Riggs is a much better actor.  Even when he was bad he was better than this child actor playing Zach.  But I can't help but draw comparisons sometime with Rick/Carl and Eph/Zach.  The whole picture of mom thing was already done in TWD and much much better I might add.

 

I still like the show but it is starting to lose me.  It just seems like the same shit different night type thing.  Lets see what is going on outside of our little group.  Or let Fet and Dutch hook up......on a bed.....like normal people without fear of ex wife showing up to suck their blood.

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bluebonnet

bluebonnet

Glad I didn't misread the original title.  My colleague and i like to laugh about this show and I had jokingly brought up the idea of all these multiple masters on Friday and this morning she was all "hey, thanks for spoiling me!"  

 

Couldn't they have named the kid Carl and be done with it?  Going back and getting the happy-times picture - been there, done that.  Maybe Chandler Riggs just gets better lines....

I think Chandler Riggs lines are a bit better, but what makes it work is that the rest of the cast's dialogue just works better with his lines.  Carl still acts like a kid and says annoying things but at least everyone around him realizes they are in the middle of an apocalypse and acts accordingly with him.  With Zach, not only is the actor really really bad and the lines just terrible, but he just doesn't fit with everything else and he's really inconsistent.  And that's saying a lot considering the group is fairly dumb and useless.  If the kid is going to be ignorant and useless, they should just let him be ignorant and useless instead of having him watch his stepdad turn into a monster and be killed, see a vamp in a convenience store, and then be given a sword only to turn around and act as though he doesn't have any idea that there is some serious terror happening around him.  A big problem is Eph because he can't figure out if he's going to let his kid go into a vampire den untrained with a sword or if he's going to let his kid fake an asthma attack to get a fucking photo album.  It's a big mess all around.  

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xaxat

xaxat

(edited)

This season was so weirdly plotted. Did the producers know they had a second season when they were filming? I like Gus. I like Vombie Team Six. But Gus didn't really do anything this season and we really don't know anything about Team Six. It looks like del Toro is recycling his plot from Blade II, but so many questions. . . 

Edited by xaxat
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scarynikki12

scarynikki12

Did this season cover the entire first book?

 

Yep.  A couple of things were left out, some things from later books were introduced, and brand new characters were invented but it was faithful to the first book fairly well. 

 

And that final battle works much better in the book.  It's very quick, Abe, Eph and Fet are basically throwing every weapon they have at the vampires and Master.  That scene from the other episode is actually the beginning of the final battle of book 1.  I don't know why they split it all up but whatever.  Anyway, they're well equipped in the battle.  They aren't winning outright but they're not losing either.  They even back the Master up to the top level (like we saw) and Eph gets a lucky slash across his back with his sword.  He still falls into sunlight, with the same twist that it harms rather than kills, but it executes much better.  They expect the Master to burn to a crisp and all of this to stop but he turns to the sun, roars in defiance as his skin burns black, and then jumps off the building to find safety.  The total time he's in the sun is a couple of seconds so it doesn't require as much suspension of disbelief like in the episode. 

 

I'd much rather the episode ended with Gus encountering the Ancients (

and I wouldn't expect them to fall into the category of Good Vampires, just wait until they tell Gus that what the Master's doing is just speeding up their agreed upon long term plan for the human race only they envisioned it happening much further into the future and are basically recruiting Gus because they're annoyed the Master has the upper hand and not because they give a damn about humanity

) and being recruited by Quinlan.  It makes for a better season 2 set up and provides a better closing visual for the season. 

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beedub

beedub

I agree that "anticlimactic" is the right word to describe this finale, with nothing much resolved and no major shocks, and only one revelation, that of the Ancients and the fact that the Vampilantes are their footsoldiers.

 

So on that note, without having read the books or knowledge of what's in them (and with no intention to be spoilery in any way, I'm just speculating), it seems like a good time to take a step back and look at the big picture here. The Master seems, from all the evidence, to be bent on world domination of some kind. We've learned that the Ancients (them other vampires) and their death squads, believe themselves to be of a higher caste, viewing the Master and his "offspring" as abominations. The Master has gone to some trouble to travel from Europe to New York to get this ball rolling. The secret lair of the Ancients, sleeping through the centuries, happens to be located somewhere in the New York area. Coincidence? Quite the opposite, I'm guessing. It seems the Master is in the process of creating an army of vamps for a possible ultimate showdown with the Ancients, with the rest of us mere pawns.

 

Am I totally offbase, or maybe on to something here? Not seeking confirmation from the books, just hoping to generate some discussion with anyone else who only has the show, as presented, to go by.

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hardy har

hardy har

So I guess firebombing the place during the daytime was too much!

 

I still have no damn idea why they felt the need to go through underground tunnels to get there when It was broad fucking daylight outside. I mean shit.......Fet had dynamite for fuck sake. Go up to the lair, break the windows from the outside so you are in the safety of daylight and throw the goddamn boomsticks into the building. Oh, and while you're at it Dutch seem to almost always have booze (is it wrong that's one of the reasons I like her?) maybe make some Molotov cocktails too and toss those in as well. Why, for the love of GOD, WHY did they insist on entering hostile ground in darkness!!!!!!

 

Speaking of booze.........I could care less that Eph has fallen off the wagon. I know that was supposed to be a big moment for him, but all I kept thinking was that Dutch should've gone over there and snagged the drink from him because he tossed out her bottle earlier.

 

Then Abe has to stand there and shout, "In the name of all that is holy!" instead of just hacking away at him while he was writhing in the light. You're not Inigo Montoya! You don't need to preface your revenge!

 

Plus, you know Indigo Montoya knows how to fight and declare revenge mantras at the same damn time. He would've cut off The Master's head with quickness on that rooftop.

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Tippi Blevins

Tippi Blevins

Speaking of booze.........I could care less that Eph has fallen off the wagon. I know that was supposed to be a big moment for him, but all I kept thinking was that Dutch should've gone over there and snagged the drink from him because he tossed out her bottle earlier.

 

I entirely forgot about his alcoholism, so I didn't get why it was such a big deal that he took a drink, or why Nora didn't want him to. I guess they tried to remind us of it when he dumped Dutch's booze into that potted plant, but I just thought he hated potted plants or something.

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