Setrakian, Eph and Nora formulate a plan to track down the Master using Jim as bait. Eichhorst and Setrakian's pasts are revealed. At the Luss home, Neeva struggles to protect the children while encountering a mysterious stranger whose help she may not want.
"For Services Rendered" was slightly better than the last handful of episodes of The Strain. It's still not great and the hour isn't a major improvement - but it is a small step in the right direction. For the first time too, there's an element that genuinely surprised me and I'm intrigued to see how it will continue to factor into the series. The twist, of course, is the mysterious group of people who save the two kids and their nanny from vampire Leslie Hope. It's clear that the leader isn't exactly human but he's also working to stop this strain from spreading. He could prove to be a major ally to Setrakian, Eph and company in the long run. The one thing the show didn't need any more of was even more characters to balance and keep track of. But this introduction brings with it a sense of mystery that is exciting.But the hour also brought us back to Nazi Germany for more flashbacks of the first interactions between Setrakian and Eichhorst. The first time they appeared they were terribly generic and just plain old boring. They needed to become much more specific to the show and its narrative if they were going to serve any kind of purpose. They work better here. It helps to know that it was a young Setrakian who crafted the coffin that would later carry the Master. But I still don't see these scenes as completely necessary. Sure, it makes for one busy and fun episode for Eichhorst as he gets much more than he typically gets to do. And yet, he was also more engaging and exciting when he was on the train platform in the very end.
The rest of the episode is largely just getting Jim back on the side of good. He was never a willing participant of Eichhorst and the Master's plan. He reluctantly agreed to help his wife, Sylvia. That was a dynamic that could have proven very beneficial to the series in the long run. He could have continued working for the vampires while still reporting back to Eph to earn back his trust. Instead the show needs him committed to just one side so things are less ambiguous about where his loyalties truly lie. Sure, it's disappointing that his wife doesn't want to stay with him after learning everything that he did. But then, she's not a major character. I just wanna watch the good guys battle some vampires.
Some more thoughts:
- "For Services Rendered" was written by Bradley Thompson & David Weddle and directed by Charlotte Sieling.
- Corey Stoll wore a hat in the majority of the episode because the hairstyling and makeup team likely didn't want to attach that wig again, right?
- Setrakian has to explain that silver hurts the vampires yet again for some reason.
- It was really cool watching vampire Leslie Hope walking down the stairs while her image in the mirror was shaking.
- It's always nice seeing Aaron Douglas pop up in stuff. Unfortunately it's just for a few minutes here.
- The body Jim and Gus disposed of was Captain Redfern's. That was a question I had a week ago. I thought Eph and company had already gotten rid of the body? Perhaps I just misinterpreted what happened to it after the autopsy.
- In the previous Nazi Germany flashbacks, we were told Setrakian had only been a carpenter for a few weeks. But this week we learn he was taught delicate craftsmanship from his father since he was young. So which was it?
