The Strain - The Disappeared - Review: "Where Is Your God"

Last week on The Strain we witnessed our heroes in one of the most dangerous positions of the season. Not all of them made it out alive, but they did gain two new members into their band of vampire hunters. They were cornered in a gas station mini mart and overcame arduous circumstances in order to escape alive. Although, Jim Kent will be missed, it is nice to know we gained Vasily Fet, one of my favorite characters on TV right now. Especially the way he handled Nora and Eph this week.

This episode, unlike most of the previous ones, did not feel as though it passed by very quickly. I am wondering if, maybe, they will slow things down to prepare for the final few episodes. We were treated to some answers about the mythology and more flashback scenes of WW2 made the episode feel fuller and complete. Perhaps we will get more flashback scenes and see what Setrakian did after his escape from the concentration camp.

The episode title comes from what Nora told Eph when they were cleaning up Matt's body. She tells him that, in Argentina, you inherit the dread of things turning upside down over night, just like what they are going through. We all saw their relationship getting to the point we saw on Sunday night. We probably could have concluded that Eph would have said something stupid as well. I want to like his character, I do, but something about him just won't let me. He is constantly at odds with everyone on the show, except Zach, including himself. During some scenes in the episode, I thought the action slowed down a little too much, especially when Eph and Nora were mourning Jim. I know I complained about it a little bit before, but I kind of miss the fast-paced episodes that flew by.

The episode was one of the better ones of The Strain. It wasn't the best, but I enjoyed watching the little bit of character development we saw. Eph will have to something huge to look better in the viewers eyes, I think, and my guess is he will by season's end. We learn how Herr Eichorst got to the position he is in now from the flashbacks of World War 2. He had a close relationship with The Master and he repaid his servitude with eternal life. Setrakian fought for his life and was paid with two broken hands. The Master asks young Setrakian where his God is and I couldn't help but think about that line when, at the very moment he was about to be shot and killed, a rebellion breaks loose that eventually allows him to escape with his life. Maybe Setrakian's God is watching over him after all.

Thoughts and Discussion

- Did you notice...Dutch Velders, the blonde woman in the group, had a poster of Bolivar hung up in her apartment.

- Did anyone expect The Master to look like that? He appeared a little too cartoony to me.

- In the book and comic, Gus escapes from that van in a very cool fashion. I wish they would have shown that then him just shooting Felix and escaping.

- Did anyone else wonder why The Master, this big bad vampire monster, was wearing a half dozen rings on his fingers? ...No one?...just me?..

Thanks for checking out my review everyone! I hope you all have a very good week! Please comment below so we can discuss the episode and the series further.

About the Author - Geo N

My name is George and I am from Detroit, MI. My favorite shows are The Blacklist, Hell On Wheels, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, LOST, The Leftovers, The Strain, Sons Of Anarchy, Sleepy Hollow and countless other shows. When I'm not watching tons of TV, I enjoy reading, playing hockey, comic books, weightlifting, and writing. Thanks for checking out my post.

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