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The Strain – “For Services Rendered” Review. Strigoi SWAT Team?

Season 1, Episode 7

Air date: Sunday, August 24, 2014 at 10PM ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

 

 

“Silver is more effective.” – Abraham Setrakian

 

Let’s address the ginormous elephant in the room – who the hell are those hooded men (for lack of a better term) who come charging their way through Joan Luss’ (Leslie Hope) house? Whoever you are, thank you for saving Neeva (Kim Roberts) and the Luss children, but what the heck are you? They’re like the Strigoi SWAT Team; they look like strigoi but aren’t mindless like the newbies wandering the streets. I’ve asked before and I’ll ask again – do these strigoi creatures become more civilized with time? Will they able to control their thirst like the enigmatic Thomas Eichorst (Richard Sammel)? I’m thoroughly intrigued and buckled in for the ride!

Young Abraham and Thomas Eichorst have a complicated past connection

“For Services Rendered” takes on multiple journeys both in the present and past. Via flashback, we learn how Abraham (David Bradley) and Eichorst became so acquainted with one another in their bond over some detailed carpentry work on a particularly large box. Eichorst also mentions some very revealing clues about himself to a young Abraham (Jim Watson) making me wonder about what kind of person he was as a child and what happened to him that turned him into this monster he’s become. I must say, I greatly admire Sammel and his performance; his presence on screen is captivating. He plays Eichorst with such vigor, you almost believe Sammel was a Nazi in the Third Reich. After meeting this amazing actor at The Strain’s press room at Comic-Con this past July, I was hard pressed to find a malicious bone in his body. He is so pleasant and cordial with a smile ever present on his face. It’s quite the contrast from the dastardly character he plays in The Strain. The plan Abraham concocts is lame, at best, but it draws Eichorst out. But does he really think Eichorst will lead him to “The Master?”

Abraham has aged but Eichorst looks the same as he did all those years ago in the concentration camps…of course, appearances can be deceiving.

“For Services Rendered” focuses on the relationship Eichorst and Abraham forged in the past and how it affects them today. The confrontation on the subway platform is riveting. You feel for Abraham as he tries desperately to swing his sword and slay his demon. We also get another glimpse of Eichort’s powers as he swiftly dodges each strike with lightning reflexes. The more I watch Eichorst, the more I’m convinced the new strigoi will evolve into more civilized creatures. I hope The Strain enlightens us with more history on the evolution of the strigoi and how they become more like Eichorst and less like mindless Neanderthals.

Gus (Miguel Gomez) and Felix (Pedro Miguel Arce) are in a holding cell after being arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Felix isn’t looking too good and I fear he will succumb to the virus sooner rather than later. I just hope Gus can find his way out of that cell before Felix completely transforms. I like Gus. Yes, he’s a criminal, but he’s desperate to get out of that life and try to help his family. He is in way over his head in his dealings with Eichorst but I have a feeling Gus will survive and ultimately find his way to Abraham and help him destroy these strigoi.

And now we are back to the elephant in the room. The ending is such an eye popping surprise that I did a double take and had to rewind to make sure I saw what I thought I saw. The Strigoi SWAT Team killing their own kind? What is their story? How did they come to be? Where did they come from?

With one of the focal points of “For Services Rendered” being the weakening of the city’s cell and internet services, will the city completely shut down and be overrun with strigoi? Why haven’t there been any reports on the news of people being attacked by these strigoi? It seems odd, doesn’t it?

 

What did you think of “For Services Rendered?” I’d love to hear from those who’ve read the books and what they think of the series adaptation. I welcome all comments. Tweet me @judybopp or leave a comment below.

 

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Photos: ©2014 FX Networks. All Rights Reserved.

 

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.