Warning: Major spoilers for those who have not seen the season 3 finale

Humanity’s survival was never certain.

We had been close to perishing many times before.

In the 1300’s, the Bubonic Plague took over 20% of the humans on the globe.

Later, the Spanish Flu infected more than 1/2 the people on Earth and killed 75 million before we were able to recover.

Then, science rose and humanity flourished.

The population soared to more than 7 billion.

Our advancements brought us all closer together.

We lost our fear. We believed we no longer had any predators.

We believed in the primacy of science and technology.

But, 41 days was all it took.

Humanity teetered on the edge of the abyss.

All it needed was 1 small push for a final, last-ditch rescue.

This is the very somber, foreboding monologue by Setrakian that opens tonight ‘s season 3 finale of The Strain. Gives you the creeps? Well, it should. The finales of the first 2 seasons also included similar monologues, but this one feels different. Much darker. Far more ominous. If you think about it, this entire series has become almost like a huge battle of wills between the Master and our small group of unlikely heroes. Tonight’s episode represents humanity’s final hoorah to save the world from the Master’s death grip, but judging from the title “The Fall,” you can probably guess that our group fails — and quite miserably.

As I said in my Advance Preview, with my being a reader of The Strain trilogy, I have to admit that I went into Season 3 a little pessimistic and not entirely sure if the writers could pull off telling the story effectively, especially given the magnitude of events at the end of Book 2 and going into the final installment of the trilogy. Then, episode 3.08 “White Light” aired, and the magnificent talent of the production team quickly became apparent with the masterful choreography, stunning special effects, and breath-taking action sequences in that final battle scene. At that point, I changed my mind, and I knew — oh, yes, they can definitely pull it off. And, now that the season finale has aired, I think it’s pretty clear to everyone that they did.

AND THE NEW MASTER IS….DRUM ROLL, PLEASE

As was hinted in the season finale trailer, lots of questions are finally answered, one of which is who is the new Master. Don’t worry, the writers don’t leave us hanging very long on this one. It begins with Eichhorst (Richard Sammel)  limping along, severely injured from last week’s ambush by Palmer (Jonathan Hyde), bleeding out and likely very close to death. Two civilians eventually stumble on Eichhorst’s body, not really knowing what to make of him. Eichhorst doesn’t look quite human, but with all of the make-up, he doesn’t look full-blown strigoi either. Either way, the guy decides he wants Eichhorst’s head for some freak “trophy collection” he’s started and lifts up a sword to take his prize. Then, out of the blue, gun-fire erupts, and both civilians are shot to death. When the shooters are finally revealed, the leader of the pack is none other than the Navy SEAL, Kroft (Aaron Lazar),  from earlier this season.

If you have read my reviews of The Strain consistently this season (paying special attention to the review for 3.06 “The Battle Of Central Park”), you know that I predicted Kroft to be the new Master virtually from the get-go. There were many things that made me arrive at this conclusion, with the main one being the Master had been reduced to a mere crimson worm in 3.03 “The Born.” With that, it became critical that he find a new host, and fast. While some believed all the SEAL’s were killed in that final showdown at the end of 3.03, remember that severing the brain stem is the only truly effective way to kill a strigoi. Well, in that big fire-fight, we see all of the SEAL’s being riddled with bullets, but there were only a couple of headshots. I.E. — most of them likely survived, and so, by simply crawling out of that drain after everyone had left, it stands to reason that the Master would choose Kroft as his new vessel out of sheer necessity and practicality.

Even so, when we see Kroft in this scene rescuing Eichhorst, initially I wasn’t convinced. While he did sport the red eyes, he just didn’t seem to move like the Master, and so, I began to dismiss him and the rest of the SEAL’s as mere minions who were working for the real Master. This all changes the next time we see the SEAL’s which is in the parking garage at Stoneheart. Stay tuned. Leading up to this, Palmer’s first order of business is meeting Setrakian (David Bradley)  to relay the news about Eichhorst and the trap that he has set in motion to lure the Master to Stoneheart.

I have broken with the Master once and for all — Palmer

What? You sent him a letter of resignation? — Setrakian

He also reveals to Abraham the contents of the Egyptian cargo, including the 2nd nuke that he has safely hidden, thus forcing the Master to reveal himself in order to get it back.

Without Eichhorst, the Master has to retrieve it himself. No choice, Abraham. One final spin of the wheel. This is the endgame for both of us, one way or the other — Palmer

With that, Palmer is on his way back to Stoneheart, and Setrakian is off to devise a plan to entrap the Master in the sarcophagus with the rest of the group. However, things escalate very quickly, and as soon as Palmer arrives at Stoneheart, all hell breaks loose. The Navy SEAL’s are back, immediately ambush Palmer and his security detail, and the Master’s voice incapacitates them before they have a chance to react. Palmer’s entire security team is killed, including Mr. Duncan, and we are left with the billionaire standing face-to-face with Kroft, who is now pretty much confirmed as the Master and not just some mindless minion.

Now, I know a lot of people probably thought Palmer was about to meet his end in the same fashion as in the books, but what you have to remember is the Master wants his bomb back — and, there’s no way he’s going to get it if Palmer’s dead, right? Unless Palmer decides to give the Master the nuke’s location out of the goodness of his heart, the only way the Master is going to get the info is if he turns Palmer and waits for the worms to do their magic — or, if the Master takes control of Palmer’s body altogether. I predicted the latter in my review of last week’s episode, and as it turns out, I was right.

Eldridge Palmer, eternal life is now yours — The Master

In my opinion, the whole “Who’s the new Master?” mystery has been one of the best parts of the season and a genius marketing strategy, if you asked me. What’s more, it all began with Bolivar ending his reign as the Master in 3.o3 — a major deviation from the books and yet another brilliant move by the writers of the show. Ever since then, the chatter on social media about who’s going to be the Master’s new vessel has been non-stop, with theories ranging from Fet to Kelly or Zack (the most popular choices) to some that were just outright extreme like Nora.

When all the ballots were finally counted, we found that very few had predicted Palmer, which tells me that the writers did a very good job and kept the fans guessing til the very end. However, at the end of the day, Palmer was, in fact, the most logical choice for the new Master, and I’m very glad to see they went with a character that made sense and that would ultimately move the plot forward. The Master now has access to all of Palmer’s financial resources as well as his memories, and as an added bonus, it also fulfills his obligation to Palmer, although I’m sure it’s not what Eldridge had in mind. Let’s face it — while Zack may have been primed to be the Master in the books, the fact is he’s just not ready yet. Making such a young boy the Master would be a joke and would reduce the character to a mere caricature. Same would be true with Kelly.

Bottom line — the writers made an excellent choice for the new Master, and I’m very excited to see how it will be developed even more in the next season.

UNITED WE STAND — DIVIDED WE FALL

Not knowing what has just occurred at Stoneheart, Setrakian, Fet (Kevin Durand),  Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones),  and Dutch (Ruta Gedmintas)  begin laying out their plan, which had better be a good one since they may not get another chance. Eph (Corey Stoll)  also shows up, but not without Fet acting out again and showing his ass.

We don’t need you, Doc — Fet

Really Fet? New York City — in fact, all of humanity — is about to go down the tubes, and you still want to keep the pissing contest alive. Fortunately, Setrakian steps up and shuts that shit down pretty quickly.

So, here’s the master plan (no pun intended!). The device will be set up one floor below the Penthouse in the security office. Eph is to accompany Abe to the Penthouse, and as soon as the Master arrives, Dutch will activate the device thereby incapacitating him. Fet will then bring in the box, and in a joint effort, they will force him inside. Well, it actually sounds great, except for the one small detail that Palmer is now the Master and so, is likely already waiting for them.

Once they arrive at Stoneheart, everyone unloads the box and the equipment and proceed to the Penthouse, but Quinlan immediately senses something is amiss. Remember that he, too, has a link to the Master, and thus, if the Master’s near or if there’s any anomalies, he would likely sense it So, he decides to take a look around, while everyone else moves forward with the plan. Once up at the Penthouse, neither Eph nor Abraham senses anything wrong, at least at first. Palmer, I mean, ur, the Master is there, and he continues to talk and sound just like Eldridge. But, then, he slips and mentions Zack to Dr. Goodweather, which clues Setrakian in that they are, in fact, talking to the Master since Palmer has never met Eph’s son.

Zack, he has a dark heart, don’t you know that? — Palmer/The Master to Eph

Dun, dun. The shit has officially hit the fan. By now, Quinlan has found all of Palmer’s dead bodyguards and has figured out that Eldridge is now the new Master. At about the same time, Dutch sees Palmer, Setrakian and Eph fighting on the security cameras and is fumbling trying to fire up the device. But, **finally**, it all comes together and just in time. Dutch gets the device going, which stops the Master in his tracks. Fet arrives at the Penthouse with the sarcophagus. But, most importantly, Quinlan shows up, and we get the ultimate father/son battle of wills and stare-down, with Quinlan ultimately prevailing and forcing the Master into the box. God, I love that scene! And, Quinlan just proves, once again, that he’s the badest of the bad-asses on this show.

So, they have entombed the Master. Does that mean it’s over? It sure appears that way, but of course, if that were the case, the series would also be over. In the meantime, Dr. Goodweather is stabbed during the fight, and against Dutch’s protests, he decides to stay behind at Stoneheart while the rest of the group sail out to the North Atlantic and sink the Master to the bottom of the ocean. This decision will turn out to be a fatal mistake.

ZACK GOES IN HEAD-FIRST AND DRINKS THE MASTER’S KOOL-AID

A few episodes back, you may recall that Kelly (Natalie Brown)  promised Zack (Max Charles)  that he would soon be allowed to go outside at night, now that he has his feeler pet to protect him. Well, it seems she made good on that promise, because in the early part of the episode we find Zack and his new friend outside playing ball and other games. On the surface, it feels innocent and almost sweet, but ironically it turns out to be a very disturbing scene, and looking back, a definite harbinger of what’s about to come.

Zack commands the feeler to retrieve a flag at the top of a building, and while she is busy with the task, a guy pulls up, apparently very surprised that a young boy is out at night alone, given everything that is going on. Any other kid who had been kidnapped might have leaped at the chance of escaping by asking the man for help, but no, not Zack. By this time, the feeler notices the stranger and scurries back down the building. Zack tells her not to attack, which she obeys, but then the man points his gun at Zack’s friend, and perhaps out of impulse, perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of something else, Zack tells the feeler “Go,” and she promptly lunges at the stranger, sucking him dry. WTH?? What. The. Hell, Zack! You’re human and supposed to be on our side! But, that’s the thing — the line between human and strigoi seems to have gotten fuzzy for Zack. Unfortunately, by the episode’s end, it will have gotten far, far worse.

Once Zack returns, Kelly informs him that the Master is about to reveal himself and that they are to join him. From there, they meet Eichhorst at Stoneheart and proceed with the final stage of the Master’s plan. Of course, by now, Palmer/The Master has already healed Eichhorst by giving him the white, and he’s back stronger than ever. What’s more, while Eichhorst had initially been shocked — and disappointed — that the Master took Palmer’s form, he now sees the wisdom in the Master’s decision and in fact, embraces it.

Nothing can stop him now — Eichhorst

The last part requires Eichhorst taking the bomb to where it is to be detonated, and so, he leaves the detonator with Kelly and Zack. “The Master, and only the Master, shall press the button” he says, but for some strange, unknown reason, I began to get a really bad feeling.

Remember when I said that Dr. Goodweather staying behind will prove to be a fatal mistake? Well, after the big battle with the Master in the Penthouse, Eph stays there to stitch himself up, but at the same time, Kelly and Zack arrive to meet the Master . Oops, don’t think that meeting was supposed to happen! Of course, Eph is thrilled to see his son again, but Kelly is still fired up from the last time they locked horns in 3.03. So, she immediately attacks Eph, and here we go with the Battle of the Exes, Round 2. In that perfectly-crafted Trailer released by FX last week, there was a single image of what looked like Kelly infecting Eph, and so, fans immediately began to theorize that Dr. Goodweather would be turned and Eph, Kelly, and Zack would be a family again, but in a completely dysfunctional, f*cked-up sort of way.

Nice play by FX, but unfortunately, the opposite ends up being what actually happens. Instead, Eph kills Kelly, and in a moment of rage and hate towards his father, Zack presses the button to detonate the nuke. Oh. My. God!! Man, the fans already hated Zack before tonight’s finale, and so, I can’t even begin to imagine the hate tweets that will be waiting for poor Max Charles tomorrow! Hey, perhaps he can get some tips on how to handle it from Jeffrey Dean-Morgan. Okay, okay, bad joke. Regardless, it now brings what the Master and Eichhorst said about Zack being a “very special young man” into full circle. He’s special because just like the Master told Eph, he’s got a dark heart and thus, is perfect to serve in the Master’s empire.

While I may have been able to put together that Kroft was the current Master and even predicted he would dump his essence into Palmer in tonight’s finale, I **never** ever would have thought that Zack would end up being the agent of NYC’s destruction. I don’t see how anyone could have. For that, Carlton Cuse and the rest of the writers get an A+ in the shock and awe department.

AN OCCULTATION PRECEDING AN APOCALYPSE AND A PRELUDE TO A NIGHT ETERNAL

While Fet, Quinlan, Setrakian and Dutch are trying to make their way to the harbor with the box, the nuke detonates somewhere near the Statue of Liberty, sending a shockwave across the water and directly towards them. Fet, Dutch and Setrakian take cover, but Quinlan stands there and stares (why, oh, why do strigoi have a habit of gawking at nuclear bombs barreling their way?? Lar did it, now Quinlan. Don’t stare, RUN!). We then get the other shocking scene from the Trailer for the finale showing Q being blown back by the force and subsequently slamming into a stone pillar.

Of course, Quinlan has super-human healing abilities and manages to survive, no worries. But, what he sees afterwards I think damn near killed him. The force of the blast also ruptures the sarcophagus, and now, the Master is free once again. Basically, they’re back to square one. The difference is now the fallout from the bomb is heading their way, and they have no choice but to go underground if they want to survive.

We need to look for him — Quinlan

If you want to get irradiated, be my guest — Fet

The real takeaway from this is while Zack may have had a childish reaction and detonated the bomb instead of the Master, it does reveal what his grand plan is. As we may recall, Abraham uncovered a disturbing number of references to “an occultation preceding an apocalypse” in the Lumen and didn’t know what it meant at the time. As Setrakian looks up and sees the sun slowly being blocked by the pollutants from the explosion, he does now.

The Master’s design is to force a nuclear winter by the systematic detonation of atomic bombs. The sun would be blocked for most of the day, thus providing the optimal environment for strigoi to thrive and move about freely. Throughout the course of the season, every move that the Master has made in New York City, we have learned has been duplicated throughout the world. That being said, when the series returns for season 4, I suspect we will quickly discover that similar bombs have been detonated in key cities throughout the world, thus making the Master’s victory and domination global.

I know you hate chess, Dutch, but I think this is when the Master gets to stand up and say, “Check and mate.”

CONCLUSION

All in all, a phenomenal episode and the perfect ending for what I view as the best season of the series thus far. I’ve already talked about the genius “Who’s The New Master?” sub-plot, and whoever came up with that idea deserves a big gold star. Then, there’s the gigantic mind-boggling Zach twist that I’m sure crossed no one’s mind. Beyond that, it’s basically what I hinted at in my Advance Preview. This finale — in fact, the entire season in general –has taken the very best parts of Book 2 and embellished them, twisted them, polished them and the end result is a much better, more compelling, mind-bending story that I’m sure will keep the fandom buzzing for quite some time. This was Carlton Cuse’s directional debut, and all I can say is you blew it out of the water, sir (and quite literally too!).

The only real concern I have now that season 3 is officially over is how they will wrap up the series. To be honest, I’m downright nervous as hell. This season has laid a fabulous foundation, but with next year being the final season, I am worried whether they’ll have adequate time to finish the story they’ve started. So far, the number of episodes in season 4 has not been announced, and the last I heard, that number is still being negotiated with Carlton, Chuck and Guillermo. To top it off, the final book of the trilogy titled “The Night Eternal” is very dense and could have easily spanned 2 full seasons. Let’s only hope that the writers, Executive Producers, and FX can come to an agreement and one that will do the story justice, make it not feel rushed and perhaps most importantly, provide the fans and the loyal viewers a spectacular conclusion that they most definitely deserve.

The Strain  will return for a fourth and final season in the summer of 2017.

Critic Grade — A+

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