Okay, a show of hands here. How many nearly had a freakin’ heart attack in that fight scene between Fet and Strigoi Kelly (Natalie Brown) in last Sunday’s episode? Yeah, you and me too! Holy crap. In fact, when I watched the scene the first time, I was actually certain Vasily had gotten infected, and the writers just dropped the mother of all bombs on the fans by killing off one of the biggest characters in the series. Then, once I was able to pick my jaw up off the floor and rewatch, I became less sure, and in fact, became optimistic that Vasily was able to dodge the worm at the very last moment. Fortunately, I was able to participate in a press conference call last week with The Strain series star Kevin Durand to get the scoop on that shocking scene, as well as the 411 on Fet’s relationship woes and what’s next for the big guy as we head into the final episodes of the season.

TV GEEK TALK: Okay, that worm scene. You must know that scene nearly gave every fan a heart attack, myself included! I actually had to re-watch in slow motion before I was able to convince myself that maybe Fet is OK. Was that intentional on the writers’ part? That is, to scare the crap out of the entire fandom? 

Kevin Durand: “[Laughs] But, when you re-watched, were you sure [the worm] didn’t get him?”

TV GEEK TALK: Well, it got pretty damn close, but then he jerked away. So, you really can’t tell, but my guess, he was able to dodge it. But I could be wrong!

Kevin Durand: “But [Fet] would make a pretty scary vampire, wouldn’t he! I bet the Master would want to jump into that body. [Laughs]”

TV GEEK TALK: Absolutely! As Quinlan had said, the Master really isn’t intimidating now, so definitely!

Kevin Durand: “But, yeah, we were shooting it, and we were like, let’s shoot it and let’s see what the fans think. [Laughs] It’s a really close call. Did he get infected? Did he not get infected? I’m really new to this whole social media thing, but I’m having a ball on Twitter. So many fans were tweeting me, asking if I had been infected or not. Well, hopefully he didn’t. I honestly watch the show with the fans when I’m not shooting, and I was kind of feeling the same thing. Like ‘Whoa! That was really close.'”

Of course, in the middle of fighting for Red Hook and essentially fighting for their lives in the last episode, we also got another glimpse of the ongoing saga of the Fet-Dutch-Nikki love triangle. While Vasily may have told Eph earlier that he wasn’t a quitter, I couldn’t help but notice that after he learns that Nikki saved Dutch’s life, it’s almost as if he began to look at Nikki with more respect instead of like a rival who is vying for the affections of the same person. Does this mean that Vasily may have decided to give up on Dutch and move on?

“You know, I don’t think Fet is the type of guy who believes in fighting for lost causes. He’s kind of like if this is how she feels and this is what she wants, OK. He’s kind of letting her find her way. It doesn’t minimize what he feels for her. And, if she wants to come back, then she’ll probably have to win him over. I don’t know, it’ll be interesting. That is just my feeling on it.”

“And, of course, he’s got to save the world and has to save his energy to do just that. I don’t think he’s going to cry over spilled milk. [Ultimately] I think time will tell,” as Kevin explains.

To tell you the truth, I’m much more interested on the budding relationship between Vasily and Nora. If you think back to season 1, these two did not jive. Nora tolerated the big guy, at best, and Fet’s feelings toward the good doctor weren’t much better. And, back then, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. For the book-readers out there, you’ll recall that Nora and Vasily eventually become a couple in the trilogy, and I will admit here that this is something I was dead-set against at the beginning of the series. These 2 characters were like water on oil, and so, when Dutch finally showed up, I was like, “Whew! Thank God! Fet is going to hook up with this girl and steer clear of Dr. Martinez.” Well, I can officially say now that I have eaten my words and am now one of the biggest Vasily/Nora cheerleaders. But, is there really any chance of romance between the brilliant doctor and the rugged exterminator? After all, they **are** both jilted lovers, so to speak. Well, Kevin seems to think so.

“Oh, I love that. I love that connection. As you remember, way back she wasn’t all that impressed. [Laughs] I really feel like they’ve come the furthest, especially in the last 4 or 5 episodes. I think they both really have developed a profound respect for each other. I think she sees so much more of him than when she said [Fet] was just a cold-hearted killer. She understands that there’s so much more there and that Fet has a skill set that is so helpful to the group and that is keeping them alive. And, Fet, on the other hand, he’s like ‘Gosh, she’s a doctor with the CDC.’ And, as we saw in those earlier episodes of the 1st season, whenever Fet brushed with people of that type, he kind of talked down to them. I think he’s in awe of her now. She’s strong, she’s incredibly intelligent, and she’s come such a long way. She went from being like a doctor who couldn’t seem to kill a fly to beheading her mother. I mean, she’s taken major, major strides. So, yeah, there’s a definite mutual respect, and it feels like there’s something brewing there,” Kevin says.

For those dedicated fans who have spent a good deal of time on social media, you’ll know that Vasily Fet has undeniably been the biggest badass on the show and quite likely the fan favorite…. until episode 2.07 “The Born,” that is. Here we had the arrival of Mr. Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones) who took out a half dozen of those pesty feelers in less than 20 seconds, where Vasily couldn’t even hit one with a bullet, let alone take one down with his bare hands. Since that pivotal episode, Quinlan’s popularity in the fandom has sky-rocketed, and practically overnight, he has become a serious contender for that fan favorite title. So what does Kevin Durand think of this sudden rivalry within the fandom of the show?

Kevin says, “I think it’s awesome. When I read the books, Quinlan was my 2nd favorite character [Fet being the first]. [Laughs] I love that character. I mean, if I didn’t get to be Fet, I wanted to be Quinlan. I’m just happy for whatever’s good for the show. You know, when Rupert Penry-Jones delivered those lines to myself and Setrakian [in 2.07], I was kind of mesmerized. I was like ‘That is really working super-well.’ What an awesome take on the character, from what Rupert is doing, and plus, he’s just a cool character. So, I love that he’s become a favorite, and that just means more people are going to tune in. I just want people to watch the show. I want to get to tell the whole story. I’m also a fan of Rupert’s as well.”

One of the last questions that was asked was actually just a fun one, and it has to do with Vasily’s weapon-of-choice. That rebar. Of all the weapons that Fet has to choose from, why the rebar?

“[Laughs] Well, I think it has to do with the fact it’s what Vasily is most comfortable with. He was using rebar while exterminating vermon, and he’s kind of a ninja with that thing. Rebar doesn’t bend, as he says in that one episode, I think episode 4. It actually packs a punch. I mean, if you hold onto a piece of rebar, there are different widths, and most people can’t swing the heaviest kind [but Fet can]. So, he can cause some major damage with that thing. And, if you hand [Vasily] a gun, a nail-gun, whatever, he can get the job done, but it’s not his weapon of choice, it’s not the one he’s been working with for years.”

So, what’s next for everyone’s favorite rat-catcher? Well, in Sunday’s episode, he’ll get to kill plenty more of strigoi, and yes, with that famous rebar. But, there’s also a couple of very pivotal scenes, where Vasily is forced to make some critical decisions. One of them involves Dr. Goodweather and Setrakian. We all know the father/son relationship that exists between Vasily and Abraham, but is it to the point where it has blinded Fet? Or, can he pull back and defy the old man if he feels he is wrong? And, what about Dutch? How far is Vasily willing to go to save Dutch, even if that means endangering the rest of the team? I think we will find out soon enough.

The Strain airs on Sundays at 10/9c on FX.

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