The Strain: Extraction

September 10, 2017 12:26 PM - Season 4, Episode 8

Reeling from loss, our heroes regroup. To defeat the Master, they must locate him first. Our heroes devise a new plan to track him through human collaborators, beginning at the blood farm with someone Dutch knows all too well.

Mark Buxton, Den of Geek:

For the first time in a long time, one gets the sense that our heroes might for once have a chance to win. Especially since the maniacal Eichhorst has been so satisfyingly dispatched.

Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly:

Is The Strain suddenly becoming the show we always wanted it to be? This was the question I was posing to myself for almost all of “Extraction,” the second above-average episode in a row. Season 4’s eighth installment continued most of the winning formula from last week’s “Ouroboros.” There was action, there were reunions, and the series delivered its biggest and most emotional death.

But much of the goodwill the show built up over the last two weeks went out the window in the final moments of this episode. I mean, we knew it was coming, but still, Zach and Eph’s reunion isn’t something any fans wanted, needed, or cared about. The Strain‘s creative team has put a lot of eggs in the Zach basket, and they have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time to redeem this direction.

Kyle Fowle, AV Club:

This season’s boasted a recurring critique of complacency and ignorance in the face of extreme, oppressive, fascistic violence, but it’s never really fleshed it out in a meaningful way. It’s a theme humming in the background, and I wonder if that will change.

posted by We had a deal, Kyle (4 comments total)

The Strain‘s creative team has put a lot of eggs in the Zach basket

a lot of wormy eggs.

Please let The Sacrifice be Eph; I'm thinking it'll probably be Dutch, though - or an outside chance that it's Fet. I'm guessing we'll get a pivot/redemption arc with Zach. Even though they've been showing us what a creepy little kid he is (feeding rats to his snake, allowing his beast to attack and turn the maid/love interest, etc.), this show's genre screams for a Zach turnaround.

Really enjoyed the last 2 episodes. Still feeling the loss of Grimm, and now this show is winding up - I need a lightweight, fun fantasy/horror show, stat! Non-cheesy shows need not apply.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 6:08 PM on September 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

I put this off because I'm basically reserving judgment until I see the resolution. Redeeming Zack will definitely put me off - his stuff has hit the level of 'intolerable,' IMO.

The other thing that really stuck out to me is how quixotic Quinlan's quest is. I guess that's necessary - he's been set up as chasing the Master for centuries and all - but it really Worf Effects him.
posted by mordax at 7:38 PM on September 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

So, collaborators again, and explicit about it this week: to defeat the Master they must isolate him from his human collaborators.

It helps that the show's made Desai so slimy; makes it more satisfying when he gets his comeuppance.

I suspect that the sacrifice is going to end up being Eph having to make a "me or Zach" choice.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 9:24 PM on September 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

It's a good thing that the electricity is still going. Walking up/down the stairs in the Empire State Building would really have sucked.

Zack really is bad at everything isn't he? I can think of several ways to leave a blood trail without being so obvious.
posted by jojo and the benjamins at 11:05 PM on September 11, 2017