Comic Vine Review

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The Strain #107 - For Services Rendered

5

Thomas and Abraham's history is revealed and the group plots against Thomas in the present

How did Thomas and Abraham meet? What's their history? The disease slowly starts to spread and Nora, Eph, and Abraham work on a plan with Jim to end Thomas. "For Services Rendered" was easily one of the best episodes of the season and really gave the viewer a massive amount of insight into some of these characters

The biggest draw, for viewers, will be the time Abraham spent in a concentration camp under Thomas' watch, before Thomas became a vampire. It's a strange dynamic between the two, since Abraham gets a bit of an attitude with an SS officer. He has no fear, which is an aspect that translates well into the present-day Abraham. Thomas admires Abraham for his talent and even gives Abraham a moment to commits acts of violence on him. Abraham does not take that chance. The scenes are weaved throughout the episode and by far, some of the most interesting throughout the season.

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Teamwork is the key here. Nora, Eph, Abraham, figure out a way to get Thomas into the open. The scene that takes place in a train station and it's suspenseful to see these guys try and get the best of this vampire. The Strain, as a whole series, does a fantastic job at creating a suspenseful series with a dash of horror. It has "out there" elements, but the show has a good sense of realism to it.

With most infection or zombie-esque shows, setting is important. Small towns and rural area heighten the news of the infection, but with a place like New York City, this show works differently. With the addition of cell phones and the internet not working, news still travels in NYC, but the idea of vampires seems so crazy that it becomes myth, even the police don't take it seriously, they laugh it off, much like in the scene where Gus tells an officer that his killing of a vampire was self defense.

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The final scene of this episode is downright amazing. Neeva, the nanny, and Sebastine, Neeva's daughter, have the two Luss kids at the Luss household, where Audrey has turned and another Strigoi has entered the house. Hope is lost, then someone comes in and kills both of the Strigoi. It's a vampire, with a few men all in black. Is this Quinlan? He's never named, but you can bet your life on it. He's a bit different that I pictured him sounding, but he has such a kind voice. He knows what needs to be done and the infected need to be terminated. It's great to see one of my favorite characters from the book make his way into the series, even though it still feels a tad early.

Overall, "For Services Rendered" is one hell of an episode. Sure, there's no Vasiliy Fet here, but the addition of Quinlan makes up for it. Each piece of the story is working with the other pieces very well, and while there isn't much of a cliffhanger ending to keep the audiences coming back, the stories themselves are compelling and speak to the viewer. This was one awesome episode.

33 Comments

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optimusfunk

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Edited By optimusfunk

I'm really torn with this show... The story is quite interesting, but the acting and script frequently make it difficult for me to suspend my disbelief. I enjoyed the ending of this episode the most so far, and the reunion between Thomas and Abraham (the cops should have heard those gunshots though).

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Chibi_cute

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Edited By Chibi_cute

The black ops vamps at the end made the episode more interesting..

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TheCheeseStabber

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Quinlains already introduced O.o?

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Fallschirmjager

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@dondave said:

The Taxi driver was a massive idiot.

The Master's son however was awesome.

That was annoying as f*ck.

Agreed.

Awesome episode otherwise though.

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sentryman555

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@jwalser3: It's cool he's still an awesome new character for the show!

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jwalser3

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@sentryman555: Oh, I thought he was introduced early on in the comic. But yeah, sorry about that lol.

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sentryman555

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@jwalser3: @dondave: I don't like being the no spoilers! guy but next time can we keep something like him being the master's son in a spoiler block. I don't really mind spoilers but that sounds like a big reveal to just put down in the comments for those of us who haven't read the book/comics.

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MadeinBangladesh

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okay episode, but the ending made it good. WHo were those? they were badass

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laabitres

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this tv show just keeps getting better, now i wanna see what the master looks like

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micah007123

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@micah said:

Who was the guy leading the vampire swat team at the end?

His name is Quinlan.

Thanks

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NightFang3

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@micah said:

Who was the guy leading the vampire swat team at the end?

His name is Quinlan.

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rogueshadow

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rogueshadow  Moderator

@dondave said:

The Taxi driver was a massive idiot.

The Master's son however was awesome.

That was annoying as f*ck.

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micah007123

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@jwalser3 said:

@micah: He's the master's son I believe.

Awesome, I didn't know who he was but I knew he was important the moment I saw him :)

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Ostyo

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jwalser3

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Edited By jwalser3

@micah: He's the master's son I believe.

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micah007123

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Edited By micah007123

Who was the guy leading the vampire swat team at the end?

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NightFang3

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Edited By NightFang3

@theacidskull said:

But man, what an awesome ending. I did not expect that ...at ALL! Vampire SWAT team? Sweet!

That should be a TV show of its own.

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BigL

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I didn't like this episode besides the opening and the ending. The rest was too slow for me and the showdown at the train station was too simple. The last 3 episodes before this I thought were strong and I'm looking forward to the next episode after that ending but the dialogue gets really cheesy at times I can't help but laugh

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dondave

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Edited By dondave

The Taxi driver was a massive idiot.

The Master's son however was awesome.

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lmothander

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Edited By lmothander

How come Movie/TV reviews don't have the good/the bad/verdict?

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buttersdaman000

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It was a pretty good episode, but I def wouldn't give it a 5/5. IMO it was a little boring at times and i'm getting sick of CIS/PIS moments with the vampires and humans. The cab driver at the beginning is a prime example of this. Why didn't he just drive away??

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orangedrink888

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Amazing episode as usual. That ending... wow. Never read the book and now probably going to pick up the graphic novel. I want to know more about those guys!

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inferiorego

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inferiorego  Staff

@loki2u said:

@inferiorego

Nothing to do with this article.....but will there be a review for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For?

Haven't seen one yet.

read the second comment of the thread

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ShadowSwordmaster

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@jwalser3 said:

This was an awesome episode. The Born at the end was the cherry on top.

It really was .

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Loki2u

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@inferiorego

Nothing to do with this article.....but will there be a review for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For?

Haven't seen one yet.

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jwalser3

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This was an awesome episode. The Born at the end was the cherry on top.

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Fallschirmjager

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@inferiorego: ah gotcha lol. I work weekends so I won't be able to until later this week.

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inferiorego

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inferiorego  Staff

havent watched it yet. saving it for last on my long list of sunday tv shows.

btw is a sin city 2 review going up?

I don't know if any of us saw it. I spent all weekend watching TV

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Fallschirmjager

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Edited By Fallschirmjager

havent watched it yet. saving it for last on my long list of sunday tv shows.

btw is a sin city 2 review going up?