S02.E11: Dead End

[ShellSeeker]

 

Dutch fights for her life against Eichhorst as Fet, Nora, and Eph frantically search the city for her. Setrakian confronts an old acquaintance on his search for the Occido Lumen, while Gus helps the Guptas escape across the border to safety.

 

[Primetimer]

It's problematic to feel bad for a Nazi, but even Eichhorst doesn't deserve this kind of character assassination.

Read the story

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Eichorst was about to take cunninligus to a whole other level.

So OOC and very disturbing.

[briochetwist]

"Spread your legs and bend over."

 

WTF am I watching???  

[SimoneS]

Eh, I knew that Dutch would not die, but it was horrible watching Eichhorst menace her and I cringed when he was going to use his stinger to penetrate her vagina. The actress was outstanding. She conveyed Dutch's terror and hysteria as well as her trauma and shock when she was rescued. Dutch will never be the same. As usual, the actor playing Eichhorst was great. I was not surprised that he joined the Nazis for status and that he turned on the woman who cared for him, very in character.

 

What is it with people like Palmer, the Bishop, and now this guy with the book? Why are people so corruptible, greedy, and stupid as hell? As a boy, he saw the strigoi at work, yet he still thinks that he can negotiate with these monsters. At least, it looks like Abraham is getting closer to the Lumen.

 

Angel and his arthritic knees will need some strigoi juice to be useful. I don't know how safe that family will be, but they have a better chance outside of the city.

 

Nora was giving Eph the serious evil eye. If they have not had the "Its over" speech as yet, it sure is coming. However, I refuse to blame Eph. Dutch knew what they were risking trying to assassinate Palmer. It did not work, but so what. Abraham has been trying and failing to stop this evil for decades. Major failure with few successes are par for the course.

Edited September 21, 2015 by SimoneS

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Glad that Gus and Gupta's daughter go to be together before they left the city.

If the show gets to end on it's own, hope he does reunite with her.

And perhaps a son or daughter?

[lulee]

Eh, I'm not too broken up for Eichhorst over fauxyoungHeatherGraham's death. It's not like he was a great, stand-up guy, who showed strength of character, compassion and good judgment. Nope, Eich, things were sucking all over for a lot of people back then, but you didn't have to make them suck more and then use that as your angst for sucking even more.

Edited September 21, 2015 by lulee

[MrsRafaelBarba]

So this ends the Triangle of Doom, with Dutch, Fet and Nikki?

:shrugs shoulders:

[islandgal140]

Well that was a harrowing hour of television.  Very effective. I truly felt Dutch's terror.  The escape scene with the stairwells and hallways that lead to brick walls was very well done. Better than Fear the Walking Dead, I will give this show that much. 

 

Eichorst backstory felt very in character. I am just glad that they didn't try to make him sympathetic.

 

What happened to the animated intro we saw a few episodes back?

[thuganomics85]

No Zach is always a plus.

 

So, after the lack of Eichorst for the majority of this season, we finally get a showpiece for him, even though it wasn't really all that interesting.  He falls for a girl, but ends up revealing himself to being a Jew-hating dick, so she rightful dumps him.  He then meets her again after he's joined the Reich, and not only fails to help her, but even claims she's a thief, so she and her family ends up getting executed.  I guess he felt guilty at the end and Richard Sammel sold it as always, but I really didn't feel bad for him.  My favorite part was that he used to be a failed salesman, because it reminded me of when Boardwalk Empire did that arc with Van Alden, and I kept picturing a spin-off, where Eichorst and Van Alden are the world's worst and most violent door-to-door salesmen ever.

 

The stuff with Dutch though, was much more intense and disturbing.  I'm glad she did fight him off and even though it ended with Vasiliy/Eph/Nora coming into save the day, I didn't feel like she was made to look weak, because she actually did really well, but no one can bust down a brick wall with their bare hands.  I do think this highlights one of the problems I have in that Eichorst is just a much better villain then The Master, so I feel like this show would be better with him being the "face" of the baddies.

 

Despite my love for Abe, his story was kind of boring.  In the end, it just leads up to the guy giving the Lummen to Marlo.

 

The Guptas are now out of dodge, but Gus and "The Silver Angel" are sticking around to fight with Quinlan.  At least Gus got to hook-up with the daughter, although I hope they don't go down the obvious route of having her show back up pregnant.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Though I'm shipping NorFet, I liked seeing him be so gentle with Dutch.

After that ordeal, she needed it.

[CletusMusashi]

I thought Dutch's whole escape, capture, and rescue were very well acted, right up until the point where she leapt up into the the air to be caught and cradled in Fet's arms. Have they been secretly choreographing cheerleader routines together? No, they haven't? Then it felt very forced. Running over to someone and collapsing into their arms while sobbing? That's an actual real thing. But that flying leap game of trust schtick? Not so much. I think it was really only there to cap off the actual point of this episode, which was "Dutch has legs." 

[CletusMusashi]

Things we knew about Gus in Episode One: He will apparently, eventually, be one of the big shot vampire hunters.

Things we know about Gus after tonight: He will apparently eventually be one of the big shot vampire hunters.

Things we knew about The Silver Angel when he was first introduced: He will apparently eventually be one of the big shot vampire hunters.

Things we know about The Silver Angel after tonight: He will apparently eventually be one of the big shot vampire hunters.

Needless to say, their story arc has me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next.

Because whatever "next" is, it sure as hell won't entail actually becoming big shot vampire hunters.

Maybe they'll take in a baseball game.

Meanwhile:

Things we knew about Zach in the first episode: The show doesn't need him.

Things we know about Zach after tonight: The show doesn't need him.

Although I am getting curious. Maybe during these last few episodes he got captured by Kelly, taken away to a secret lair, and turned out to be so annoying that she had the spiderkids carry him away and put him right back where he came from.

[FlowerofCarnage]

Thomas Eichhorst: failed radio salesman, Unterstrumfürher in the SS, The Master's Trap Queen and now would-be rapist.

I have to say, I was on the edge of my seat. I thought for sure that Fet and crew would arrive in time to see Eichhorst feeding on Dutch and Fet having to kill her.

[CletusMusashi]

I actually got back up out of bed over this thought, because once I thought of it there was no way to unthink it.

Why the hell did she still have pepper spray? She's a vampire hunter with an established kill record, and he still didn't bother doing a weapons search?

[yourmomiseasy]

She got it off the cop that Eichorst drank the schnapps out of's body.  It was in his cop belt and she got it out with her feet.   Eichorst normally seems pretty fastidious and like he wouldn't just leave bodies laying around littering his torture room (any vampire that's got such a nice white torture room is probably a little OCD), but I guess he left it there to menace Dutch.

Edited September 21, 2015 by yourmomiseasy

[ttgreif]

Am I the only one that thinks that Richard Sammel is a great actor whose acting is an asset for the series?

Not only does he have to cope with being bad (..and I mean really BAD..) in his whole life before, during and after the War, but he also has to deal with his labelling as "the actor who only plays bad Nazis". 

Good to see an episode concentrated on him and just him (well there was some of Dutch too...Gawd..Dutch's legs!!!!)

 

[SimoneS]

I forgot to mention how much I love that Fet walks around will all sorts of explosives to blow shit up. It is clearly his thing. I just hope that he does not fall back into a romantic relationship with Dutch. I want him to support her without getting sucked back into the relationship drama because her feelings for him are conflicted.

 

Also, Nora pulling out the sword to protect Dutch and take on Eichhorst was badass. She has come a long way from the doctor who did not want to kill anyone in hopes of saving them. Nora, the Strigoi Slayer!

[Omar G.]

I actually got back up out of bed over this thought, because once I thought of it there was no way to unthink it.

Why the hell did she still have pepper spray? She's a vampire hunter with an established kill record, and he still didn't bother doing a weapons search?

 

She didn't. The pepper spray was from the police officer that Eichhorst killed.

[Monty9]

SimoneS

"However, I refuse to blame Eph. Dutch knew what they were risking trying to assassinate Palmer. It did not work, but so what. Abraham has been trying and failing to stop this evil for decades. Major failure with few successes are par for the course."

Oh I still do, not for Dutch's capture but for neglecting his major weapon (the infection) and going with the half-assed revenge plot. Again a revenge plot, not a saving mankind plot, but revenge for being outmaneuvered and Eph being butt-hurt about it.

Plotwise I wouldn't have minded Dutch's torment about being about Eichhorst playing with his food, there was that earlier scene with the young man being chained to the same device. Though I very much minded seeing it because ick. Also I wouldn't have minded them using the backstory to show Eichhorst as a weak, bitter man being drawn to a totalitarian regime/leader as a way to be the bully himself, but mixing these two things with the secretary's story I agree made it a bit hokey-er.

I also would have liked it if, just for me, when they ended up in Eichhorst's dress-up room for someone to have gone   "Wait whaaaa? Wigs? *thinks for a second* Oh wait no. This totally makes sense."

Edited September 21, 2015 by Monty9

[CletusMusashi]

She didn't. The pepper spray was from the police officer that Eichhorst killed.

Variation of the same question, then. If pepper spray hurts vampires, he probably shouldn't leave it lying around the dungeon.

[FlowerofCarnage]

I find it odd that pepper spray would have any effect on Eichhorst considering he wears full eye prosthetics.

Ok, how can I say this? So after all this time, Eichhorst decodes he wants to engage in deviant tentacle intercourse? I think it would have worked better if it was revealed that this was an established pattern with him.

[Mojeaux]

Eichorst normally seems pretty fastidious and like he wouldn't just leave bodies laying around littering his torture room (any vampire that's got such a nice white torture room is probably a little OCD), but I guess he left it there to menace Dutch.

He was drunk.

[islandgal140]

For some reason I thought it was garlic not pepper spray? I thought the officer might have been one of Maxine's soldiers and had the right stuff to deal with vamps. I don't know. 

[Dewey Decimate]

This show is so fun. Ridiculous, but fun. I think "I will eat the pineapple" is their version of "I drink your milkshake", and I can't stop cracking up over it.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

From the recap:Sure, we knew he was a monster, but he was an endlessly watchable monster with some mystery left and, it seemed, some sort of code of behavior.

His code of behavior has more to do with taste rather than honor let alone ethics.  I agree that this rape sequence seemed out of character for someone who has always been concerned with maintaining standards and appearances - but I think it makes complete sense for him to crack AFTER he has been passed over for the new Master position - a position he has done pretty much NOTHING but prepare to fulfill for the past 80 years.  Agree he was being stupid but that's part of him cracking.

 

Eichorst backstory felt very in character. I am just glad that they didn't try to make him sympathetic.

Agreed.  Just because I enjoy the actor and his performance doesn't mean I have to find the character he plays likeable - kind of the opposite in fact.  If there's one thing I've learned from professional wrestling, it's that a great heel always keeps heeling even when the crowd loves him so much they want him to turn face.

Speaking of which:

 

 

Things we knew about Gus in Episode One: He will apparently, eventually, be one of the big shot vampire hunters.

Things we know about Gus after tonight: He will apparently eventually be one of the big shot vampire hunters.

Things we knew about The Silver Angel when he was first introduced: He will apparently eventually be one of the big shot vampire hunters.

Things we know about The Silver Angel after tonight: He will apparently eventually be one of the big shot vampire hunters.

Needless to say, their story arc has me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next.

Because whatever "next" is, it sure as hell won't entail actually becoming big shot vampire hunters.

This REALLY bugs the living shit out of me.  Why are they waiting to activate these two characters after setting them up to be so interesting?  I feel particularly cheated because the Mexican Luchador vs. Aztec Vampires is so classic, the show made a big fucking deal out of establishing Angel de Plata as such a character - and then?  Pfffffft.   They have two more episodes this season but as it stands it looks like the writers may be planning to wait for Season 3.  WTF?

Edited September 21, 2015 by ratgirlagogo

[Anela]

Probably the best acting I've seen on the show, although the guy playing Eichorst is very good. I didn't like them adding "rapist" to his list of character flaws. Those stairs ending in brick walls were the thing of nightmares. 

[Rhetorica]

I liked Eichorst's backstory. The rest reminded me of the old Western movie trick to lengthen the show - make the chase scene longer. Too much running up the halls and down halls, going through the gate, and going back through the gate, running up the stairs and down the stairs. This episode could have been shown in 20 minutes.

[BananaRama]

Watching Eichorst doing something so typically mundane as slicing pineapple, made me so nervous.  The scenes between Eichorst and Dutch were frightening.  Great show.

[tennisgurl]

I really loved Eichorst`s backstory. He was a pathetic little man who jumped onto the first thing he could find that made him look big. Very in character. And, while he did show remorse for his kinda girlfriends death, it still showed him for what was was: a nasty bastard who likes power. I mean, the guy is literally a Nazi attempted rapist. Short of also joining the KKK, that's about as low as it gets. 

 

I never really expected the show to get THAT fucked up, but damn those scenes with Eichorst and Dutch were 50 kinds of disturbing. Poor Dutch. The actress really did a great job the whole episode. It must have been an exhausting sequence to film. I had to look away when she stepped on the nail. Ouch! 

[raven]

So Eichorst's backstory reminded me of William "the bloody awful poet" otherwise known as Spike from BTVS and Angel.  Directionless guy, seems like he might be a nice guy, on a downward swing - perfect fodder to go right to the dark side.  Of course, he must have had some of that evil in him all along; a nice guy doesn't lie and get people killed, enjoy being a Nazi, etc.  A brief look of shock when he sees dead Helga doesn't make him sympathetic.

 

Richard Sammel was great here, going from loser to proud goose stepper to psychopath.  Ruda Gedmintas, who plays Dutch, was also very good.  (Though why didn't she close the torture room door?? Why??)

HOWEVER

Eichorst's mind games were more than enough; I think the attempted violation-by-stinger was well, I was cringing with skin crawling.  I didn't think the show would do that, that these vampires (at least the ones with their own agency) indulge in attempted rape; not merely to terrorize and torture, but because it appears Eichorst was getting some kind of enjoyment out of it.   I agree with the recapper, that Eichorst, though absolutely evil, was also kind of enjoyable himself, thanks to Sammel's performance and natural watchability.  That's changed for me now, the show didn't need to go there, and I'm not sure why they did.  I hope it isn't, as the AV Club review states, to put her through trauma to bolster the male protagonist's cause.  I'll wait to see what happens with Dutch now.

 

The chase through the hotel with the bricked up doorways was horror movie stuff, well done I thought.  The hallways are trashed, there's no where to go.  The monster is behind you.  And then there are the voices of the people who can help you, on the wrong side of the wall - eek!  I did wonder if this was the end for Dutch, but I guess after traumatizing her so much, the showrunners decided to let her live a while longer.  I did like how she didn't hesitate, she saw the flash bomb and took off right away.

 

 

As a boy, he saw the strigoi at work, yet he still thinks that he can negotiate with these monsters.

I know right??  Please he's talking to the guy who saved him as a kid.  He gave some speech about no one listening to him, too bad so sad, was that supposed to be a parallel with Eichorst?  Sort of, pay attention to the losers or they'll turn out to really be selfish pricks who'll f everything up? 

 

Silver Angel and Gus - DO something please.  With Quinlan and ass kicking.  Soon.  Now!

[MrsRafaelBarba]

I'd like to thank Miguel Gomez for going shirtless again.

Very nice...

[DEM]

The only part of this episode that didn't work for me was the attempted rape scene. I don't know that it was necessary to pile that on, and like others, I am wary that it was done in the service of Fet's story.  I sure hope not.  That said, Ruta Gedmintas as Dutch was spectacular throughout.

 

Oh, wait, Gus was also in this ep, but it goes without saying that his part didn't work. Does someone behind-the-scenes owe Miguel Gomez a great debt? It's mind-boggling how stagnant and superfluous Gus's story is.

 

Would someone care to enlighten me as to what emotion or expression Eph was trying to simulate in the drive away from the hotel?  All I got was 'creepy'.

Edited September 22, 2015 by DEM

[spaulding]

Eichorst was about to take cunninligus to a whole other level.

So OOC and very disturbing.

 

Disturbing.  And the show was building to it.  The cop drank the schnapps.  Then, Eichhorst was cutting the pineapple.  Pineapple.  Ewww.

 

Re: Eichhorst's background.  There were moments when he was a sad character, but it's inexcusable about what he does with his life.  He chooses evil.  (But the rapist angle was OOC for Eichhorst.  It's just piling on another evil trait for Eichhorst.  Ugh, the Master isn't as evil as Eichhorst.)

 

Now, I want to rewatch S1 to watch Eichhorst evolve at the concentration camp.

 

Why are people so corruptible, greedy, and stupid as hell? As a boy, he saw the strigoi at work, yet he still thinks that he can negotiate with these monsters.

 

Yeah, I didn't get it.  Fonescu won't be saved by living in Tahiti.  Plus, Abraham was offering to buy the book.   

 

The Strain has been renewed for S3.  I want to see Gus trained to be a vampire killer and finally, work with the group.  I have no idea why the Silver Angel is going to fight the vamps.  He was limping to the car.

 

I hope that the Fet-Dutch-Nikki triangle is over.  What's Nikki doing during daylight hours?  She's not helping the gang fight the zombie apocalypse.  She's as useless as Zach.

 

I love how Fet pushed and pushed to find Dutch--and Eph.  If Nora eventually ends up with Fet, she's very lucky.  He would go to the ends of the world to find her.  Fet is really the ideal alpha male on this show. 

 

And his crack about the vintage girly magazines--rrrwwww--was adorable.

[yourmomiseasy]

I hope that the Fet-Dutch-Nikki triangle is over.  What's Nikki doing during daylight hours?  She's not helping the gang fight the zombie apocalypse.  She's as useless as Zach.

 

I think you just solved the mystery of where Zach has been the last couple of episodes.  He's hanging out with Nikki being useless and playing board games.

[bosawks]

I do like the "this effing guy" look that Nora's been shooting at Eph the last couple of episodes.

[placate]

I don't want to be that asshole, but I'm kinda confused.  Again I apologize because I know rape is a very sensitive topic but how does Eichhorst wanting to eat Dutch at a certain hole make him a rapist instead of a fucked up murderer?  Like she said, his dick fell off 70 years ago and does it really make rapist>murder in the fact that both these options would have resulted in Dutch dying?

 

Dutch's actress was wonderful this episode.  You could really feel the hopelessness she felt when she came up to the bricked up stairwell.  I loved her interaction with Fet after she was rescued.  Both Eph and Nora, the people skilled with medicine just let Fet the exterminator to hug it out with Dutch.

 

Eichhorst was a pathetic door to door salesman.  This leaves the things I want to know about him and gives us a laughable scene where he despises Jews but can't tell them apart from the rest of the German populace.  I like the guy who plays Eichhorst but I'd be more interested into why the Master payed attention to him and why a dried up salesman was given a commission into the SS. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

I'm still curious what Alonzo Cream (I hope I'm spelling that right) has to do with the now deceased Cardinal -- and why the Cardinal would send Fonescu to him to sell the Lumen ?  Or how Alonzo even knows about the Lumen ?  I still don't understand why Fonescu wouldn't even consider selling the Lumen to Abe.  

 

Heck, I'm still just surprised that cabbies are still taking fares anywhere in the city including Roosevelt Island, but since it was daylight I suppose they would be safe from vamp attacks.

 

It was encouraging to see that the National Guard was finally setting up shop in Manhattan -- what have they been waiting for all this time ?  And is the National Guard also going to charge a 1% tax on the occupants of the Lower East Side to clear the area of vamps like Councilwoman Faraldo was planning to do ?

[Human]

Ugh, I violated my word and ended up watching even though I'd sworn off the show.  Still no fucking movement in the plot at all.  Nothing has happened, nothing has changed.  Apparently the rapidly growing vamp population mean absolutely nothing to the city because it's still operating as normal with just a few road blocks in the way.  As terrifying as it was watching Dutch and Eichorst, it still changes nothing.  Learning more about Eichorst's background changes nothing.  Gus getting his new lover and her family out of town puts him exactly where he was in the third episode of the first season.  This show is even more stagnant than the standard daytime soap.  

 

I don't want to be that asshole, but I'm kinda confused.  Again I apologize because I know rape is a very sensitive topic but how does Eichhorst wanting to eat Dutch at a certain hole make him a rapist instead of a fucked up murderer?  Like she said, his dick fell off 70 years ago and does it really make rapist>murder in the fact that both these options would have resulted in Dutch dying?

 

He can easily be both a rapist and a murderer.  Murdering the victim after a sexual assault doesn't negate the rape.  

 

One doesn't need a penis in order to be a rapist.  

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Would someone care to enlighten me as to what emotion or expression Eph was trying to simulate in the drive away from the hotel?  All I got was 'creepy'.

 

 

        Here's my take on that scene.

 

        Despite the stupid angst Tri of Doom drama, Dutch and Fet love each other.

 

        Seeing that, Eph finally realizes he truly messed things up with Nora.

 

        That look he gave her on the drive back to Fet's, seemed like he was trying to

 

         see if there was any chance that Nora still loves him.

 

         She looked at him, like Eph was dogshit  on her boot heel.

 

          For two reasons....

 

          She realizes that he's a self absorbed jackass, with a Savior complex.

 

          His botched mission got Dutch captured and nearly killed.   

 

          Nora is SO DONE with Eph. 

Edited September 22, 2015 by MrsRafaelBarba

[nurse1]

Nora is SO DONE with Eph.

 

Well said!...and it's about damn time.....I might be in the minority but I hated this episode alot, it was distasteful, and unnecessary!! and as stated by "Human" it did nothing to move the plot along!

[briochetwist]

Well said!...and it's about damn time.....I might be in the minority but I hated this episode alot, it was distasteful, and unnecessary!! and as stated by "Human" it did nothing to move the plot along!

I'd be happy to join your minority, I honestly thought this episode sucked.  It seemed to me that the rape/murder/whatever-the-hell-you-want-to-call-it scene was completely gratuitous and just thrown in there out of desperation.

 

Did Eph even have any lines in this ep?  Ugh.  Not sure I'll even tune in next week.

[PaperTiger]

This is a horror show. That was a horrible scene. I can't complain.

[hardy har]

Add me to the unimpressed list. There's just so much about this show that frustrates me. Why, in the name of all that is sane, should I care about the Gupta family? Why? I just get annoyed when they are on screen and wonder why the hell the writers felt the need to separate Gus from the group for ....... this tedious nonsense. What has Gus done this season? Oh, that's right, he befriended an old crippled luchador. Fantastic. Oh, and he met that vombie good guy who the show intimated was very important and then . . . . forgot he existed. Good times.

 

Also, there are not enough LOLs in the world to describe my reaction when I realized the heavily guarded hotel only had security at the front of the building. Eph, Fet and Nora just nipped 'round the back and were good to go. Just HAHAHA for daaaaaaays!

 

I thought Dutch's whole escape, capture, and rescue were very well acted, right up until the point where she leapt up into the the air to be caught and cradled in Fet's arms. Have they been secretly choreographing cheerleader routines together? No, they haven't? Then it felt very forced. Running over to someone and collapsing into their arms while sobbing? That's an actual real thing. But that flying leap game of trust schtick? Not so much. I think it was really only there to cap off the actual point of this episode, which was "Dutch has legs." 

 

I actually didn't mind the initial leap because it looked like a giant bear hug in the "Oh thank fuck you found me!" kind of way. Then, it cut to Eph and Nora and when it cut back to Dutch and Fet he was carrying her like some Disney Princess and . . . I side-eyed the hell out of that shit. I did love that Eph and Nora when after Eichorst, but then I was WTFing all over the place because their pursuit of him seemed to stop immediately. Seriously, they went into the room, he wasn't there, and that was it. No looking anywhere else. No did you see where he went. Just......done. Like, guys? What if he was still there laying-in-wait? 

 

Variation of the same question, then. If pepper spray hurts vampires, he probably shouldn't leave it lying around the dungeon.

 

I'm chalking that up the The Strain Logic: Pepper spray works on vampire for the same reason our Scooby Gang (I know...it's an insult to the actual Scooby Gang) never ever ever gets any worms on them when they hack up or get into fisticuffs with the Vombies.

 

Eichorst's mind games were more than enough; I think the attempted violation-by-stinger was well, I was cringing with skin crawling.  I didn't think the show would do that, that these vampires (at least the ones with their own agency) indulge in attempted rape; not merely to terrorize and torture, but because it appears Eichorst was getting some kind of enjoyment out of it.   I agree with the recapper, that Eichorst, though absolutely evil, was also kind of enjoyable himself, thanks to Sammel's performance and natural watchability.  That's changed for me now, the show didn't need to go there, and I'm not sure why they did.  I hope it isn't, as the AV Club review states, to put her through trauma to bolster the male protagonist's cause.  I'll wait to see what happens with Dutch now.

 

The acting was really good for all if that creepy stuff. Sammel is always awesome and I think Gedmintas is the most underrated actor on the show even though Dutch has been progressively neutered by the writing on this show as the season progressed. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if the AV Club is correct. While I was watching all I was thinking was . . . why is this happening on this show? Now, wouldn't call this show good (at all), but the whole attempted rape thing just felt so out of place because we have never had any indication that Eichorst was a rapist or sexual sadist. And we sure as shit never had any indication that he had this long harboring desire to have his way with Dutch. This show had ample opportunity to place both of those threads/ideas in season 1 or even early this season, but they just randomly appeared all of a sudden.

 

There have been several thing on this show that reek of a writer going "Oh, man! I just thought of [insert idea here]! Wouldn't it be cool/fucked up/awesome?!" and all the other writers high-fiving each other instead of actually thinking about it to see if it makes any sense.

Edited September 23, 2015 by hardy har

[ferretrick]

I love how Fet pushed and pushed to find Dutch--and Eph. If Nora eventually ends up with Fet, she's very lucky. He would go to the ends of the world to find her. Fet is really the ideal alpha male on this show.

This show is so blind-they have the couples backwards. Fet and Nora radiate far more chemistry then Fet/Dutch. I feel like Fet has more respect for Nora; he sees her as an equal, whereas he's got this creepy Daddy thing with Dutch. And Eph was never as enjoyable as last episode when he was working side by side with Dutch. Cory Stoll and Ruta Gedmintas have terrific chemistry, as do Kevin Durand and Mia Maestro. Stoll/Maestro and Durand/Gedmintas do not.

[EyesGlazed]

Add me to the "good episode" team.

Well that was a harrowing hour of television.  Very effective. I truly felt Dutch's terror.  The escape scene with the stairwells and hallways that lead to brick walls was very well done. Better than Fear the Walking Dead, I will give this show that much. 

 

Eichorst backstory felt very in character. I am just glad that they didn't try to make him sympathetic.

My feelings exactly.  Both Sammel and Gedmintas did terrific acting.  And I was horrified by the near-rape/murder by Vombie tentacle.  I was screaming NOOOOO at the TV!  Was the scenario set up or hinted at adequately in prior episodes?  No, it was not, as other posters have said.  But I'm willing to overlook that for an episode that scared the living crap out of me and also ended without killing off Dutch.

 

I don't agree with the recapper that this episode was some big sell-out of Eichhorst.  He is the right-hand minion of Satan, correct?  He is supposed to be as evil as evil gets.  What he did and attempted to do this episode was consistent with his purpose on the show.  And the sad-sack turned frustrated Nazi lover back-story did not seem out of character for a despicable human who turns to the dark side.  

 

This show is so blind-they have the couples backwards. Fet and Nora radiate far more chemistry then Fet/Dutch. I feel like Fet has more respect for Nora; he sees her as an equal, whereas he's got this creepy Daddy thing with Dutch. And Eph was never as enjoyable as last episode when he was working side by side with Dutch. Cory Stoll and Ruta Gedmintas have terrific chemistry, as do Kevin Durand and Mia Maestro. Stoll/Maestro and Durand/Gedmintas do not.

Very interesting point!  I think I agree with you.

[islandgal140]

I don't want to be that asshole, but I'm kinda confused.  Again I apologize because I know rape is a very sensitive topic but how does Eichhorst wanting to eat Dutch at a certain hole make him a rapist instead of a fucked up murderer?  Like she said, his dick fell off 70 years ago and does it really make rapist>murder in the fact that both these options would have resulted in Dutch dying? 

 

I thought the scene very much had a sexual context, more so due to the Eichorst forcing Dutch to eat pineapples. I don't mean to be crude or take the conversation there but it has been said, advised, alleged that eating pineapple makes one's neither regions ummm... taste better during oral sex. So Eichorst forcing her to take off her pants, eat pineapple, than having her spread her legs and bend over, while he sits on the floor with a bird's eye view of her privates and saying he wanted to test a theory (or words to that effect) gave the scene a sexual component. 

 

Did we ever get the backstory on how Eichorst met the Master? 

Edited September 23, 2015 by islandgal140

[dohe]

This is such a bad show but how can one resist the Celluloid Closet type subplot.  The main intent of the episode seems to be Fet, the alpha male, saving Dutch, the woman in distress, and showing her that she needs an alpha-male lover in her life.  The former female lover, Nicki, is depicted as a worthless, self-destructive "phase" that needs to be grown out of.

 

Or as Ruta Gedmintas laughably said.

 

So this bonds Dutch to Fet, there’s a rapport between them and an understanding that Dutch never really felt, not even with Nikki. Not that kind of understanding. With Nikki, it was this wild, passionate, destructive love, and with Fet there’s something slightly other to it. Something slightly more mature I guess. With Nikki coming back into Dutch’s world, this is her first love and what’s she going to do? It’s something that she just can’t say goodbye to. And Dutch is not yet matured enough in herself what’s good for herself, good for other people. As this series has progressed, she’s growing up and starting to understand that her pernicious nature is really affecting to people, and what she can do to push that aside. I guess we’ll see after this episode what happens with that.”

 

http://www.afterellen.com/tv/453905-ruta-gedmintas-dishes-bisexual-love-triangle-strain

 

Never stop letting me down heterosexist TV!

[Arynm]

I thought that the near rape of Dutch was brought on because she smelled like Helga. I thought it brought up memories for him and that was the only way he could express them? I was covering my eyes and yelling at the TV. It was terrible

[zulualpha]

Loved the psycho sexual horror in this episode.  However, the major flaw for me was the English they spoke instead of German when the epi was set in Germany.  Eichorst trying to sell radios to a German housewife would not speak English!  They have the characters speak Spanish on the show, why not German?  Personally, I love the sound of different languages, Spanish, French and especially German.  The only reason I can think of why they are not using German is they don't have German speaking actors.  Lame!  The German language would add so much to the realism and drama of the show.