The Strain - 1x05 Runaways - Review

Wonderful

Lines are drawn, at least temporarily, as Eph and Abraham go on the hunt for the other vampires. Nora, still shaken by the moral dilemma she faced last episode, decides to visit her institutionalized mother for some comfort. The exterminator Vesily (Kevin Durand) discovers why the rat problem has been escalating. The Rock Star has gone full vampire and the annoying lawyer is next. Things are starting to get good...for the audience, not the characters in the show.

Of course this is a good thing for us that bad things are finally making themselves known. All the slow burn build has finally reached a point of combustion. This episode marks the collision course and turning point of the series as it becomes clear that this is the one that will secure viewers.

The episode starts off with Bolivar, the Rock Star Survivor from the plane incident, going full vampire and draining the life out of two victims while his manager does what any sane person would do: nothing. If that didn't read as sarcasm, it was suppose to. Bolivar's manager played by Regina King is more concerned about not being connected to the murder of two people than reporting to the authorities that she just saw her client suck the blood out of someone. It seems a little too convenient that the revelation to the world that Bolivar is a vampire will be kept secret for a little while longer, but at least it shows that the monsters are becoming more active.

After having a nice breakfast with Abraham along with some flashbacks dealing with Abraham's first encounter of the vampire menace during the Holocaust, Eph has fully committed to the cause of killing off the creatures but requires evidence to get the CDC on his side. Abraham agrees to let Eph film their next target, yet there is an air of skepticism from Abraham that anyone would believe Eph even if he did film it. Their target, Ansel, one of the four survivors from the plane incident. In the house they discover that his wife (who fed him their neighbor in the last episode) has commit suicide after being unable to cope with what is happening to her family. I'm partially glad that this happened simply because it would've been annoying to see the story of someone trying to keep their monstrous loved one alive because they can't bare to kill their significant other. There are many films and TV shows that have already played with that storyline, and I'm glad this show isn't one of them. Eph and Abraham dispatch Ansel and his neighbor with silver weapons as Eph films his proof.

We learn a little bit about Nora in this episode as it is revealed that she had her mother institutionalized. I don't know if it is ever explained why she was, but I believe it has something to do with memory loss. Nora does continue to struggle with the dilemma of wanting to eradicate the disease but not by killing. While the backstory of her mentally ill mother doesn't really add much to her character that we don't already know, it does give her someone to voice her opinions to without getting harsh criticism.

Vesily, our lovable exterminator, finally encounters the monsters that have been causing the migration of rats in the city. This just adds him to the list of people who will probably join Abraham's cause in hunting the vampires. And speaking of vampires, that annoying Lawyer Lady who survived the plane incident seems to be a late bloomer in becoming a monster. Her housekeeper is smart to take her kids away the minute she started sniffing their necks when she was hungry. I'm really hoping she turns full vampire soon so that she can die already.

But this episode all about Eph and how he fully commits to his job. There was no interactions with his family, and it is interesting to note that while doing "the right thing" he keeps calling Nora to asks is she's okay instead of his family. In a state of fear and full dedication, it has become clear where Eph's priorities lie. And it shows here that he is definitely in this fight to save mankind. Even if the very government he works for does not believe him. And yes, even after showing them a video, they still don't believe him. But that doesn't matter, because Eph is on the hunt now.

And with a strong affirmation of where people stand in this episode along with the horror elements, one would think nothing terrible can happen in this episode. Unfortunately the worse part of this episode was the cliffhanger ending. It didn't feel like a cliffhanger as much as the previous episodes and could've easily been a really lame season finale. But it does what it does. Set you up for wanting more. And after this episode, you'll definitely be wanting more.

SCORE: 8.9/10 - This is the episode we've been waiting for!
STATUS: DEFINITELY CONTINUE TO WATCH

Review of Previous Episode - CLICK HERE
Review of Next Episode - Click Here