Romans! It’s Quinlan’s back story as a Roman Centurian
back in the day, fighting in daylight (though covered in mud and ending all his
fights almost instantly). He had a senator patron – who knew all about what he was:
a half-breed vampire/human. He tolerated being a gladiator for his own reasons.
In the present we have Vasiliy and Dutch being all cute
and couply though she still has some issues that have her put some distance
between them. They briefly lament Fitzwilliam’s death.
Despite the distance they do discuss moving in some of
Dutch’s things – only when they go to her place it is locked. Vasiliy doesn’t
tolerate locks. Inside is Nikki – Dutch’s ex-girlfriend (or maybe not so ex),
very much alive. Dutch is overjoyed. Vasiliy less so. He’s a little snarky
about Nikki hiding while they were fighting and he wants them to leave asap. Dutch
agrees – and thinks Nikki should come with them. Not what Vasily intended
When they get back to the base with Nora looking at Nikki’s
bad ankle, Vasiliy continues to be rather arseholish. He also wants Dutch to
confront Nikki about her stuff she stole – and to tell Nikki that he and Dutch
are a couple. She won’t – nor will she come with him on Abraham’s mission; she
chooses to stay with Nikki.
That mission involves going to the buildings that Palmer
has bought and whining to Abraham about Dutch. Abraham could not possibly care
less about his romantic moping. What they do care about is the school bus from
the blind school they find. A security guard finds them – but that’s ok because
Quinlan finds the security guard.
Inside they see the whole blind-spider-vampire hatchery
and face several of the lightning fast spider vamps. They’re too fast for Abe
and Vasiliy –but then Quinlan shows himself and just slaughters them with
terrifying efficiency.
Having established how awesome he is, Quinlan introduces
himself and says he’s been hunting the Master all his lie – with a little flashback
of Quinlan stalking the Master, the Master actually avoiding him and Quinlan
knowing the history of Abraham’s sword-cane. And he’s super impressed that
Abraham managed to wound the Master enough to make him shift bodies – the first
time anyone has managed that. They’ve also led Quinlan to his nesting place
That would be there, where they are, right now. Abraham
is super excited that they’re this close to the Master though Vasiliy spares a
moment to be duly freaked out by Quinlan. He goes to scatter all the people on
the site and wave bombs around for funsies while Quinland and Abraham hunt the
Master
After some proper taunting from the Master and Quinlan (including the revelation that the Master killed Quinlan’s mother) we end up with Quinlan and Abraham facing off against the Master and Eichorst. Something almost happens – alas Vasiliy’s ineffective bomb breaks up the fight. Quinlan is not amused and tells Abraham to leave the fight to him.
Ephraim has made his way to a bar to treat his wounds and
drink booze. He eventually staggers his way back to New York (past all the
checkpoints, apparently) and into the base where Nikki is asking Dutch about
Vasiliy. Ephraim clumsily mentions that Dutch and Vasiliy share a room (there
is no scene not made worse by Ephraim).
Nora wakes Ephraim to check his wound and to tell him
about Kelley – how she’s a Lieutenant vampire and how Zach probably saw her so
we have to deal with family issues. It could go worse
Back to Dutch and Nikki and, despite hating Nikki’s
mother, Dutch asks Nikki to call her and reassure her. Vasiliy comes home and
there is Awkwardness. He takes out a lot of his awkwardness out on a really
nasty attack on Ephraim. Damn it Vasiliy don’t make me sympathise with Ephraim.
Abraham reads some of Quinlan’s history to Zach –
including Quinlan’s title of “The Born”.
Ephraim and Vasiliy both go drinking with Vasiliy’s relationship
issues and Ephraim deciding to kill Palmer
Over to Eldritch Palmer (who is being creepy with Coco) who
gets the news that the assassin they sent after Ephraim is dead – they have the
bioweapon, but they’ve lost Ephraim.
Coco and Palmer have a helicopter ride because creepy
romance – and Palmer presents Ephraim as a vicious murderer while creepily
discussing renewal and the upside to disasters. Then back to his tower for
drinks and flirting. Her taking the lead this time – leading him to his bedroom
and despite his many misgivings and insecurities she kisses him.
Vasiliy’s jealousy is not endearing, it helps that he’s
been established as rather shy and socially not adept in a child-like endearing
fashion, but it’s far from a pass. But there are some interesting elements of
this scene. For one, I’m happy to see that that Dutch’s bisexuality is not
being dropped, ignored or made a one off mention (in fact, it’s far more
prevalent here than in season 1). For another, we’re not seeing Dutch as a bisexual
who must have both genders nor are we seeing Vasiliy as jealous for the sake of
it: After all, Nikki is Dutch’s sorta-ex-sorta with whom she clearly as a lot
of unresolved affection and issues with. Many people would be insecure in that
situation albeit it can be handled with better grace. What’s also important is
that Vasiliy regards Nikki as, for want of a better term, equal competition. He
sees her as an equally valid and possible love interest for Dutch. At times I
think this matters – because while bisexuals rarely stand on that “I am
attracted to all genders exactly equally” there’s still prevalent trope on many
of the shows we’ve watched and the books we’ve read where the bisexual may have
had a brief fling with the same sex (often historic and never depicted) but for
a REAL relationship. Even though Vasiliy and Dutch is almost certainly the
end-game (main characterless if nothing else ensures it) at least the show and
Vasiliy are presenting Dutch and Nikki as a legitimate possibility. There’s no
overt presumption (though, again, the main-characterness does pretty much
hammer down an implied meta-assumption. Yes, while saying this we have to
stress that Dutch & Nikki really isn’t going to happen and the chances of
Nikki dying tragically at worst or disappearing into the sunset at best are
ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH but at least in show they’re pretending that’s not
automatically going to happen) that Vasiliy will definitely be the one Dutch
chooses nor that Vasiliy believes he is naturally the obvious choice – he’s
insecure and jealous because he isn’t presuming he is Dutch’s automatic
romantic choice
I also kind of loved Abraham’s eye-roll – so often I’ve
complained that romance drama often happens at inopportune times, it was nice
to see the snarky acknowledgement of this.
The pacing is still PAINFULLY slow….
