The Strain

You're the Worst.

All new Wednesdays at 10:00 on FXX.

FX presents.

The Strain.

- Previously on The Strain... - Where's Zack?

We want the Lumen. You have a choice to make.

The Lumen or Zack. What did the Master

- offer you for it? - My son.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! - Take off the goddamn helmet.

- OK. - Go, Mama, go!

Seven bodies... that makes two full sweep teams.

- What's a sweep team? - You shitheads just got conscripted.

That book is the answer to both our problems.

You will get your son back and I will kill my father.

Send out my wife and son!

Let me see his face.

Those are my Navy SEALs. They've been turned.

Mr. Quinlan!

Can you just... to the right?

OK, give me a sec here. OK, how's that?

- Would you put this on, please? - Better, thanks.

I only have a few minutes here.

- Of course. - We can roll.

So how big's the team covering what's going on here in the city?

You're looking at it. Our New York bureau

shut down three days ago. My guys and me refused to leave.

All right, we're rolling.

Ms. Faraldo, you've been leading

the charge here in New York City. But in the last few days,

there's been a shift. The strigoi ...

as some people are calling them. Have taken ground from you

in Harlem and parts of the Bronx, Queens

and Lower Manhattan. According to reports,

you're having trouble holding battle lines. Not true.

We're making progress. Where are you making progress?

All throughout Manhattan...

Upper and Lower... Harlem, Queens.

I understand that in Lower Manhattan, the fight

isn't just being fought by your own security forces.

We have confirmed reports that chain gangs

of conscripted prisoners are being forced into the fight.

- What? - How many of these

chain gangs has the NYPD set up?

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Are you familiar with someone named Ben Greene?

- Should I be? - Ben was arrested

for breaking curfew and was denied due process.

According to Ben's account,

these chain gangs are comprised of people who have committed

any range of offenses. And they're being forced

to clear strigoi from infected areas.

Many go in, most don't survive.

- Turn the camera off! - Ben is 16.

You really think turning people against our efforts

is a good idea right now? We're hanging by a thread!

- The citizens have a right to know what's going on! - Turn the camera off!

What are you doing here?

Documenting the fall of New York.

Get these assholes out of my office.

Two things about your great plan that didn't work out.

You didn't die.

You know, that whole myth

that "he dies, you die,"

that never really made sense to me.

Although neither does how fast you appear to be healing.

And, two...

I don't have my son back.

That was kind of a big part of the plan for me.

So congrats on chopping your Dad's head off

and sorry your suicide mission didn't really work out.

And...

thanks for leaving me here with nothing.

It's been a long night, Professor.

Come on, take a load off. Sit.

I cannot sit at a time like this.

I have worked my whole life towards this end.

We killed the Master, right?

I saw his head go plop. We should celebrate with a drink.

I mean, seriously, I'm worried, Professor. You should exercise

your facial muscles more. Mr. Fet, this is me happy,

but we still have work to do.

That deceitful, half-human, full-on thief decapitated

the King Rat, right?

Come on, come on. Drink.

Na Zdorov'ya! Hey?

Now the question is... what's next?

Without the controlling intelligence of the Master,

the strigoi are on their own.

Untethered. Feral.

- Every muncher for himself. - Precisely.

Well, then, you're right;

Our job isn't nearly done. Lots of throats left to cut.

But the tide has turned.

And this is becoming a proper extermination now.

I should start charging my hourly rate.

Hey, Doc? Join us for a drink?

Stupid question.

How's the patient?

He's gonna make it. Not that he's happy about that.

Well, neither am I.

So how'd you end up on the pier?

How did Quinlan talk you into it?

Kelly offered me a deal.

The Lumen for Zack.

I helped Quinlan steal the book.

The plan was to kill the Master and get my son back.

It half worked.

- Wait a minute. - You stole the book?

And teamed up with that filthy half-muncher against us?

- It wasn't about you. - No?

You came here and you told us that Nora had died.

Was that some kind of excuse just so you could rip us off?

Was that what it was? Those were two different things.

You had no right to do that.

No. I went out there to try to save my son.

I failed. You won.

- There's your thank-you. - You should have come to me.

They were keeping Zack alive to trade him for the Lumen.

Now there's no need for that. I'm sorry about your boy,

Ephraim. Now, please leave.

I don't want to see you right now.

- May I use your bathroom? - Where the hell have you been?

You don't wanna know.

Clearly you've been sleeping in a Dumpster.

You're smelling pretty ripe there yourself, Doc.

You.

So... anyone else here?

No, Dutch.

That's cool. I was just in the neighbourhood and I thought,

yeah, well, bloody hell, why not, you know?

So I'm here.

I see we're both on the same liquid diet.

That obvious?

I'm known for my keen intuition.

Uhhuh.

God, I'm not feeling great.

I'm sick.

Not strigoi sick.

Booze sick.

So don't cut my head off. I'm gonna lie down.

OK.

Welcome home!

Mom? Mr. Eichorst?

Mom?!

Mom!

Help me! MOM!

No! Mom! No!

MOM! No! Help me!

MOM!

Zack. Are you OK?

What's happening?

Things have... changed.

How? That thing was trying to sting me.

I'll protect you.

I'm here now.

What is going on here?

He's fine.

He's just scared.

And you?

Are you fine as well?

He was supposed to be safe.

Scheisse!

This cannot pass!

There was a plan! It cannot be abandoned!

- What can we do? - We must act.

We will strike back.

Am I alive?

Or are you in hell with me?

Purgatory at best.

- My weapons? - Over there.

- What happened? - You saw it.

I killed the Master. You chopped his head off.

That does not qualify?

Could you have been wrong?

About dying after the Master dies?

One only has one chance to prove such a theory.

Why? What is the state of the city now?

Strigoi roaming the streets, still feeding, but rudderless.

No central intelligence. That's promising.

- Yes. - You seem not to be convinced.

- As do you. - I didn't expect to be pondering this issue.

Mr. Quinlan, I want to know for sure.

You're right. We must know.

And there's only one place we can go for an answer.

Come on. Everybody up!

- Everybody get up! - Morning!

Wake up. Let's go, guys. Come on!

- Hey, get up. - Come on!

- Come on! Everybody up! - Come on! Get up!

We've got heavy assignments today. Come on, everybody up!

Up! I don't want to be here either, shithead.

He's gonna get what he deserves.

- No, not now. - I need five guys.

One, two, three, four.

- I'll be your fifth. - All right.

Enough with the shuffling along.

Pick up the pace. Just woke up.

- Damn, sister man. - Move it!

- Mad cracker. - Whoa. Empty your pockets.

Let's go, guys. In the line.