The Strain: “For Services Rendered”

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This first season of The Strain has been about the beginning of a plague that will likely become a worldwide epidemic. It’s a huge scale for any show to attempt, and so far The Strain hasn’t done the best job of presenting that scope. Even in this week’s episode “For Services Rendered,” it feels like half of New York City is terrified of the craziness happening, whereas the other half is blissfully unaware. But for all of the problems that the episode has, when the show boils down and gets on a smaller, more personal level, the plot is at its best.

It’s been clear for some time that the basic rivalry occurring in The Strain is simply that of good versus evil, but in “For Services Rendered,” we see the beginnings of the main rivalry the show. Although the first times we went back to the camps of Nazi-occupied Poland weren’t the strongest moments for the show, this second look to the past fuels much of what is happening in the present day.

The foundation of The Strain right now is the battle between Setrakian and Eichorst, who knew each other back in 1944, when Eichorst made Setrakian use his carpenter skills to create the coffin of The Master. The scenes of Eichorst and Setrakian back in Poland are incredible due to their simplicity, as the two discuss whether or not it’s more important to fight for what you believe in, or to be passive. It’s clear that these discussions and his decisions over the last few decades have stuck with Setrakian, and now that he’s presented with a second opportunity, he’s prepared to make the right choice now.

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One notable moment is Setrakian and Eichorst facing off once again in a subway station. It ends in an incredibly silly way though, as Eichorst runs after a moving metro train, then claws his way onto it. But hey, at least it’s a step in the right direction.

The rest of “For Services Rendered” can’t compete with these moments, especially Jim and his squabbles with his wife Sylvia. We’ve already seen the wife who is upset about her husband not being able to balance work and family with Eph; it’s not really needed a second time—especially since Sylvia knows the lengths her husband has gone for her. We get another much-more-boring-than-it-should-be scene with The Stoneheart Group, and another reminder that Gus is really a good guy at heart.

The episode picks up serious speed near the end, as we head back to Joan’s house. She’s one of the final plane survivors to turn, and of course she’s turned basically everyone in her neighborhood into a vampire already. When her kids return home with their nanny, it’s pretty clear they’re next. But the introduction of a new group makes things far more interesting, as they are clearly turned vampires that are fighting for the same side as Eph, Setrakian and the rest of the good guys. They also seem to have the lack of compassion that Setrakian has, and the determination to do what needs to be done.

After trying the larger scale stories over the past few weeks, The Strain really found its footing this week by taking things to a smaller level. It’ll be great if the show can evolve into the larger stories in a more compelling way, but right now it might not be such a bad idea for the plots to start smaller, and work way their up.

Ross Bonaime is a D.C.-based freelance writer and regular contributor to Paste. You can follow him on Twitter.

The Strain: “For Services Rendered”

(Episode 1.07)