Last week’s episode of The Strain ended with Abraham (David Bradley) and the gang futilely chasing after Thomas (Richard Sammel) at the train station, but more importantly, it introduced a new freaky-looking player to the game. Someone who looks way more vampire than human comes to the rescue of Joan’s children, but the intentions of this newbie and his crew are unclear. Who, and what, are these people?
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Episode 8, “Creatures of the Night,” opens at the train station, where Abe knows there will be consequences to their ill-fated attempt to follow Thomas. Abe believes the Master will take their actions, namely shooting Thomas in the leg, as a message. Amidst a discussion of what’s next, Ephraim (Corey Stoll) comes up with the idea of simulating their own sunlight to combat vamps.
Eph, Abe, Nora (Mía Maestro), and Jim (Sean Astin) need supplies to make their fake light, and Eph figures, why not just break in somewhere? They’re already on the run. Fortunately for us, this finally puts them in the same room as Vasiliy (Kevin Durand). Unfortunately for them, he’s not too trusting, and he’s already had the light idea. Nora and Vasiliy negotiate over the light supplies, and end up splitting it. The exterminator tells Abe about the vampires flocking to the subway, and it seems like an alliance between them is imminent.
They end up gathering supplies at a gas station, where Dutch (Ruta Gedmintas), the blonde hacker responsible for the dead cell reception and faulty Internet, is also doing some shopping. Outside, Abe and his new sidekick Vasiliy are butchering vampires. Eph and Nora join in with guns to stave off the creatures, and then Jim successfully experiments with their new fancy lights. It’s not enough to cover all of them, and the humans retreat back into the store.
Everyone inside seems okay – outside of the fact that there are vampires pounding on the glass doors and windows – except for Jim. He’s been scraped on the cheek, and whether or not he’s been “corrupted” is unclear. What is clear, to Vasiliy at least, is that Abe knows what he’s doing. Vasiliy has definitely been recruited into the group.
When one of the customers in the store bolts out the door, the vampires show little interest in her. Our lead characters realize that they’re specifically the ones being targeted, though that definitely doesn’t make it safe for others to run. Abe says that the vamps are being directed by the Master, who can see through them. He believes that the horde outside will only grow larger through the night.
Before they can plan their next move, Nora and Eph discover a worm that’s made its way under Jim’s skin through the scrape. Good thing they’re surrounded with some minimal materials, such as a box-cutter, making it easy to cut the worm right out. During the surgery, it becomes apparent that the vampires have made it onto the roof and are actively seeking ways to infiltrate. Eph pulls the worm out of Jim’s face, using a light to force the worm out, and then Nora burns it.
Eph and Nora are discussing how the light treatment that manipulated Jim’s worm could potentially be used as a treatment or even a cure, when the vampires break through one of the doors. There are no physical barriers keeping the vampires away anymore, and to add insult to injury, one of the monsters climbs a utility pole and cuts most of the electricity. Vasiliy estimates that they have 20 more minutes of power from their lights, and so, Abe riles up the group with a short speech, and they decide that they must run.
Abe explains the caste system of the vampires as they prepare. The creatures will reach a level of intelligence and maturity over time, and a select few, like Thomas, are granted special status by the Master, making them able to retain their former lives. They haven’t completed much prep before Eph notices that there are more than a few worms still crawling around inside of Jim, who will now eventually be a danger.
Jim’s aware of his grim reality, and he wants to be put down. Consistent to character, he fears for the life of his wife and loved ones more than anything. Eph and Nora want to save him, but Abe says it’s just too late. Eph jumps on Abe to prevent him from shooting Jim, but Vasiliy, who’s been mostly silent the whole time, pulls out his gun and shoots Jim himself.
Eph and Nora have little time to grieve before vampires literally fall through the ceiling of the store, forcing them to begin their journey outside of the gas station. They ward off the vampires with lights and nail guns, as they fill a bucket full of gasoline. Our vampire-slaying crew jumps into a truck, before they blow up the station and the vampires, and then they hit the road.
The entire episode follows the same characters and a single fluid plot, making it different than all of the episodes previous, which had more supporting characters and sub-plots. At this point, almost all of the heroes have come together to form a serious vampire squad. The tonal shift makes for a fast-paced and hardcore episode, though characters like Thomas and Eldritch (Jonathan Hyde) are sorely missed. Oh, and those weird vampire guys from the last episode’s cliffhanger ending are left frustratingly unaddressed.
What did you think of “Creatures of the Night?” Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
