History Recap / TheStrainTVSeriesNightZero

[[caption-width-right:350:What starts as a plane going dead, will transpire into something worse.]]

On February 8th, 2014, Regis Air Flight 753 is about to descend to and arrive at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. The flight goes smoothly at first, until descent. Rose and Peter, two flight attendants, investigate the plane's cargo hold due to the latter believing there is something alive in there. Upon opening the hatch, nothing is there and it is closed. But immediately after, whatever is in there makes its presence known, busts out the door, and attacks the attendants. In the Air Traffic Control tower, the airline's lack of communication riles suspicion, leading to a worker, Robbie, informing his boss Bishop of the development. JFK has a dead airplane, which, unbeknownst to all, will ignite a nightmare of unfathomable proportions.

Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, an employee of the CDC, arrives in a counsellor's office regarding his marital strains with his wife, Kelly. Their relationship is strained because he is so consumed in his work as an epidemiologist that he doesn't spend time with his family. Eph keeps turning off his phone when it vibrates during the session, only to relent after it rings enough times. His coworker, Dr. Nora and Jim arrive on Taxiway Foxtrot and they successfully convince the other governmental parties to let the CDC board the plane to potentially dive into the possibility of a pathogen.

In another part of New York, two men enter a pawn shop where silver is the main subject. But when they distract the owner, Abraham Setrakian, and try to rob him, Setrakian subdues one of them and details what will happen if they don't cease and desist. The bills are returned, but they steal an antique clock on the way out. But when the Regis Air story is brought to his attention, Setrakian heads downstairs and makes a horrifying realization as he talks with a jarred heart infested with worms, revealed to be someone very close to him.

In the Stoneheart Headquarters, Heir Thomas Eichorst ascends to the top of the building to meet with the company's founder, Mr. Eldritch Palmer. The two converse regarding the plane's arrival, revealing a grander conspiracy, even detailing the "4 survivors". Dr. Everett arrives and manages a warehouse to be turned into a morgue for all the deceased. Eph and Nora propose a quarantine for the 4 survivors in order to gain an understanding of what's going on. A ginormous coffin is found in a storage unit with unique handcarving. The contents reveal large volumes of soil. When Bishop contacts Berlin regarding its origins, he hears a high-pitched whine and a voice, leading him toward an isolated part of the unit. He discovers a clothed abomination, who drains him of his blood, brutally murders him, and flees.

Returning to the cargo hold, it's revealed that the "disease" isn't airborne, but instead is a parasitic carrier. Upon realizing the true danger of this disease, a cordon is established to ensure that no vehicles carry it away from the premises. Gus' truck is stopped,m but Jim lets him through, revealed to be involved in the conspiracy. When Dr. Bennett performs the autopsies, he discovers a lot of unique changes in the organs and bodies, only to be swarmed by the reanimated passengers. Setrakian is put in a holding cell, while Eichorst is surprised to learn of Setrakian's presence in the airport. Eichosrt and Palmer savour the streets of New York, awaiting what's to come. Emma, the little girl on the plane, finds her way back home to her father but returns home changed.

-->Airdate: July 13th, 2014

-->'''Eph:''' "*chuckles* Might just work."
* AlienBlood: Instead of regular blood, the corpses on the autopsy table instead reveal a milky white substance exiting the wounds.

* NothingIsScarier: Aside from the thing bursting out of the cargo and attacking Rose and Peter, we do not see what happens to the Regis Air passengers and crew when it does. We're only shown how they were before, and how they are in the aftermath.

* TheTroubleWithTickets: When Eph can't ignore Nora's calls any longer for CDC work, he tries to get in his car, only for his truck to have a parking ticket. Even more ridiculous? The guy that Eph promise to make sure he doesn't get a ticket? That was ''Matt'', Kelly's new love interest.
-->'''Matt:''' "[[DeadpanSnarker Sorry, I guess the meter-reader didn't see it as much of an emergency]]."

* DownerEnding: Despite Eph and the Canary Team's best efforts, the coffin crosses the bridge and into the heart of the city. This very action kickstarts the plot.

* EmptyPromise: Despite Everett saying that there will be no press when Eph talks to the families, what's the first thing he sees when he enters the airport? The press. Nora's jab at him implies that his promises are usually empty.

* FlippingTheBird: When Gus "recounts" the three rules Eichorst. Eichosrt's indifferent reaction suggests that their meetings usually have an action of this calibre.

* ForbiddenFruit: While Gus' rules are easy to follow, Eichorst puts particular emphasis on "don't examine the cargo", since it's the first rule. [[spoiler:He'd try to examine the cargo in the next episode, but gets scared away when the Master makes his presence known. This rule would cost him greatly in the future.]]

-->'''Eichorst:''' "The Jew. [[Determinator He's still at it]]. After all these years."

* BeyondTheImpossible: Dr. Bennett, Eph's mortician friend, discovers an incision in the neck that's deep enough to puncture a wall of the carotid artery without rupture, "razor-sharp, clean cut", without bruising or trauma. Nora notes that no medical instrument can do that with ''that'' amount of precision. And '''more''' bodies have shown the very same wound.

** The victims who have been autopsied, seeing them reanimated while looking like they do certainly establishes that what happened on that plane was not of this Earth.

* CheerfulChild: Despite the drama between Eph and Kelly, Zack is presented as a happy kid who's worried for his dad when he has to go to work and cares for him greatly. He even helps his father with his tie.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Bishop. When he investigates the source of whispering intermixed with tinnitus, he discovers a figure draped in brown cloth. The figure ''suddenly'' jumps at him, uses a proboscis tendril to drain him of his blood, then [[NeckSnap violently snaps his neck]]. [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill And violently smashes his hand with his hands, reducing it to mush]].

* DangerouslyLoadedCargo: That coffin which wasn't on the manifest turns out to be associated with the thing behind the Regis Air tragedy. When it's opened, it contains soil, but then we discover that the ''virus carriers'' prefer living in soil when it's not provided with a human host.
* DeathOfAChild: The little girl on the plane, Emma, is sadly not exempt from the thing that plagued Regis Air. She initially dies, but it's revealed that she was in a comatose and inactive state. She's alive and well again at the episode's end, but she's certainly not human anymore.

** See RetiredBadass for Setrakian's opening.

* FlippingTheBird: When Gus "recounts" the three rules Eichorst.

* {{Main/Jump Scare}}: When Nora searches the cockpit, she gets one hell of a nasty surprise when the captain, Doyle Redfern, gasps when he awakens.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Joan Luss certainly gives off this vibe, as she wants things to go ''her'' way when she and the others are quarantined, wanting to use her connections at a law firm to make it happen.
* SoundtrackDissonance: Having "Sweet Caroline" playing during Dr. Bennett's death certainly sells the juxtaposition between an upbeat song and a violent demise.

* SwordCane: Setrakian has a cane with a silver snake attached at the top. It looks like a cane, but that snake is actually part of a silver-lined sword.

* TheTroubleWithTickets: When Eph can't ignore Nora's calls any longer for CDC work, he tries to get in, only for his truck to have a parking ticket. Even more ridiculous? The guy that Eph promise to make sure he doesn't get a ticket? That was ''Matt''.

** While Ansel informs of the tinnitus early, Redfern isn't much help due to him forgetting the events between landing the plane and waking up, Gabriel being flat our weird in quarantine, but Joan is the most bitchy, using her connections as a lawyer for things to go ''her'' way, even complaining against the CDC quarantining her.
* UnnaturallyBlueLighting: Outside Regis Air 753, all the windows are closed except for one, one that has an unnatural blue light illuminating the inside of the plane. It's an indicator that something is amiss.

** Then Eichorst drops a big one when Palmer reveals to him about Setrakian's arrest at the airport, portraying that they both have a history together.
-->'''Eichorst:''' "The Jew. He's still at it. After all these years."

** The "horsehair worm" found in the manifest, with a clump of soil found nearby with other worms inside. The worm is trying to look for a host, and this confirms that the disease is based on a parasitic carrier.

** Emma blinks with a nictitating membrane and has red rings around her irises. She's home, but she's no longer human.

* BeyondTheImpossible: Dr. Bennett, Eph's mortician friend, discovers an incision in the neck that's deep enough to puncture a wall of the carotid artery without rupture, "razor-sharp, clean cut", without bruising or trauma. Nora notes that no medical instrument can do that with that amount of precision. And ''more'' bodies have shown the same wound.

* BodyHorror: When Dr. Bennett scans a victim under UV light, not only do you see the autopsy incisions, but you see a network of fibres growing under the skin.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Thomas Eichorst is introduced ascending to the top floor of the Stoneheart Headquarters, and blinks with his nictitating membrane. This establishes that he looks human but isn't and has ties to the company's founder, Eldritch Palmer. They both mention the cargo arriving and the four survivors being found, revealing that they are key components of this conspiracy.

* {{Main/Jerkass}}: Gabriel Bolivar and Joan Luss are certainly this given their behaviour.

* LoveMakesYouEvil: The infected who aren't mindless return home to their loved ones. [[HopeSpot Despite some side effects, they can live their lives again]], but leaving them alive only serves a grander purpose in this conspiracy.

* UngratefulBastard: Despite Eph doing everything to fix his relationship with Kelly, including sobering up, and moving out to give Kelly some space, she believes that the time apart between her and him clarifies her longing to spend more time with Matt.

-->Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
-->Written by: Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

-->''"[[OpeningNarration Hunger, the poet once said, is the most important thing we know, the first lesson we learn. But hunger can be easily quieted down, easily satiated. There is another force, a different type of hunger, an unquenchable thirst that cannot be extinguished. Its very existence is what defines us, what makes us human. That force is love]]."''
--->'''- Abraham Setrakian'''

* AngerBornOfWorry: Emma's father, Gary is initially horrified during the press conference, but responds angrily to Eph's promise of finding answers by smacking him in the face. And his anger collapses back into worry and despair, wanting to see his daughter again, dead or alive.
* BeyondTheImpossible: Dr. Bennett, Eph's mortician friend, discovers an incision in the neck that's deep enough to puncture a wall of the carotid artery without rupture, "razor-sharp, clean cut", without bruising or trauma. Nora notes that no medical instrument can do that with that amount of precision. And more bodies have shown the same wound.

-->'''Zach:''' "Whatever it is, my dad will handle it."

* DisappearedDad: Due to the strictness of his job, Ephraim doesn't spend a lot of time with his family. This is the driving force behind their struggles as a couple.

* NothingIsScarier: Aside from the thing bursting out of the cargo, we do not see what happens to the Regis Air passengers and crew when it does. We're only shown how they were before, and how they are in the aftermath.
* NotQuiteDead: The Regis passengers were in actuality in a comatose state. Gabriel, Joan, Ansel, and Captain Redfern reawaken as "survivors" while the rest of the passengers remain in their comatose states.

-->'''Jim:''' "[[TheMole You tell those sons of bitches I'm done. I came through for them, but now I am done]]. You got it?"
** Then Eichorst drops a big one when Palmer reveals to him about Setrakian's arrest at the airport, displaying that they both have a history together.

* YouWillBeSpared: Seemingly all passengers and crew perish in the tragedy, but only four of them are revealed to be alive: Joan Luss (a lawyer), Gabriel Bolivar (a rockstar), Ansel Barbour (a husband), and Captain Doyle Redfern. They're the lucky survivors, but if the ending is any indication, they're alive for a reason, and it's ''not a good one''. [[spoiler:Subsequent episodes would reveal that they did get infected, but their transformation is slow and being with family and friends allows the opportunity for the pathogen to spread]].

-->''"[[OpeningNarration Hunger, a poet once said, is the most important thing we know, the first lesson we learn. But hunger can be easily quieted down, easily satiated. There is another force, a different type of hunger, an unquenchable thirst that cannot be extinguished. Its very existence is what defines us, what makes us human. That force is love]]."''

** The victims who have been autopsied, seeing them reanimated while looking like they do certainly establishes what this pathogen can do.

* CatScare: The hatch to the manifest is opened, and no animal is there despite Peter's claims. [[SubvertedTrope Then it makes its presence known when the hatch is closed]].

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Bishop. When he investigates the source of whispering intermixed with tinnitus, he discovers a figure draped in brown cloth. The figure ''suddenly'' jumps at him, uses a proboscis tendril to drain him of his blood, then violently snaps his neck. [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill And violently smashes his hand with his hands, reducing it to mush]].

* DownerBeginning: What was supposed to be a safe flight from Berlin to New York turns into a 180 when a mysterious creature attacks the passengers and crew of the plane, resulting in the beginning of a nightmare.

* EldritchAbomination: Whatever this, ''thing'' is. It's certainly not human, possessing superhuman strength, and incredible speeds, and has a proboscis-like tendril that emerges from the mouth.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Thomas Eichorst is introduced ascending the top floor of the Stoneheart Headquarters, and blinks with his nictitating membrane. This establishes that he looks human but isn't and has ties to the company's founder, Eldritch Palmer. They both mention the cargo arriving and the four survivors being found, revealing that they are key components of this conspiracy.

* RetiredBadass: Setrakian is first shown as an elderly man running a pawn shop. But when two thieves (one is later revealed to be Gus' brother Crispin) try to rob him of his money by distracting the man with false silver, Setrakian pins the robber against the glass and points a knife at a crucial artery. He even details the forthcoming events of what would happen if the robber or his friend don't cease and desist. This moment sends the thieves fleeing (aside from stealing a clock out of spite and [[FlippingTheBird giving him the middle finger]]) and shows the audience who Setrakian is, a man who hasn't passed his prime in terms of fighting.

* UngratefulBastard: Despite Eph doing everything to fix his relationship with Kelly, including sobering up, and moving out to give Kelly some space, she believes that the time apart between her and him clarifies her yearning to spend more time with Matt.

!Night Zero

-->''"[[OpeningNarration Hunger, a poet once said, is the most important thing we know, the first lesson we learn. But hunger can be easily quieted down, easily satiated. There is another force, a different type of hunger, an unquenchable thirst that cannot be extinguished. It's very existence is what defines us, what makes us human. That force is love]]."''

-->'''Eph:''' "I think I'm supposed to stand here and somehow reassure you. I can't do that. 206 passengers on Regis Air Flight 753 are dead. (*press gasps*) And we don't know why. Four passengers survived and we don't know why. What I can tell you, having been the first to board the plane, is that they all appeared to have died peacefully, without distress. That's the only comfort I can give you at this time."

* CoolOldGuy: Setrakian certainly establishes himself as a man who presents himself as a no-nonsense man with a dedicated cause.

* DangerouslyLoadedCargo: That coffin that wasn't on the manifest turns out to be associated with the thing behind the Regis Air tragedy. When it's opened, it contains soil, but then we discover that the ''virus carriers'' prefer living in soil when it's not provided with a human host.

* TheRival: Eph ''really'' isn't fond of Matt, although he keeps up a professional attitude when around him.
* RetiredBadass: Setrakian is first shown as an elderly man running a pawn shop with silver as a key option. But when two thieves (one is later revealed to be Gus' brother Crispin) try to rob him of his money by distracting the man with false silver, Setrakian pins the robber against the glass and points a knife at a crucial artery. He even details the forthcoming events of what would happen if the robber or his friend don't cease and desist. This moment sends the thieves fleeing (aside from stealing a clock out of spite and [[FlippingTheBird giving him the middle finger]]) and shows the audience who Setrakian is, a man who hasn't passed his prime in terms of fighting.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Having "Sweet Caroline" playing during Dr. Bennett's death certainly sells the juxtaposition between a nice song and a violent demise.

* UngratefulBastard: Despite Eph doing everything to fix his relationship with Kelly, including sobering up, moved out to give Kelly some space, yet she believes that the time apart between her and him clarifies her yearning to spend more time with Matt.

** The "horsehair worm" found in the manifest, with a clump of soil found nearby with other worms inside. The worm is trying to look for a host, and this confirms that the "outbreak" is based on a parasitic carrier.

* YouWouldntBelieveMeIfIToldYou: Defied to some extent. While Setrakian does try to warn Eph, Nora, and Jim about the outbreak he dealt with in the past, he can't reveal ''everything'', since it would make him sound crazy. But before security escorts him off the premises, he is able to tell Eph and Nora about how the bodies should be destroyed, dead or alive, and severing the heads. Then he mentions the coffin and warns them not to let it across the river. Thankfully, his efforts aren't in vain as Nora has her interests peaked to the point where action is taken.

* {{Main/Blackmail}}: In Gus' first scene, he and Eichorst have agreed to something offscreen, as part of this conspiracy. It turns out that Gus must follow Eichorst's instructions because the latter has control over Gus' brother's criminal record and his mother's immigration status. If he succeeds, Eichorst will fix the immigration status of Gus' mother, and Crispin will have his criminal record erased. While the rewards are greatly beneficial and the odds are in Gus' favour regardless due to everything being pre-planned, it still counts as blackmail since Eichorst is using Gus as a means to an end with the coffin.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Bishop. When he investigates the source of whispering intermixed with tinnitus, he discovers a figure draped in brown cloth. The figure ''suddenly'' jumps at him, uses a proboscis tendril to drain him of his blood, and violently snaps his neck. [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill And violently smashes his hand with his hands, reducing it to mush]].
* DangerouslyLoadedCargo: That coffin that wasn't on the manifest turns out to be associated with the thing behind the Regis Air tragedy. When it's opened, it contains soil, but then we discover that the ''virus carriers'' prefer living in soil when it's not provided a human host.
* DeathOfAChild: The little girl on the plane, Emma, is sadly not exempt from the thing that plagued Regis Air. She initially dies, and while she's alive and well again at the episode's end, she's certainly not human anymore.

* WhamLine: Jim is first presented as Eph's friend, but this line reveals who he really is.

** Then Eichorst drops a big one when Palmer reveals to him about Setrakian's arrest at the airport, revealing that they both have a history together.

* YouWillBeSpared:

'''This is a WIP page.'''

* CheerfulChild: Despite the drama between Eph and Kelly, Zach is presented as a happy kid who's worried for his dad when he has to go to work and cares for him greatly.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Peter Bishop. When he investigates the source of whispering intermixed with tinnitus, he discovers a figure draped in brown cloth. The figure ''suddenly'' jumps at him, uses a proboscis tendril to drain him of his blood, and violently snaps his neck. [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill And violently smashes his hand with his hands, reducing it to mush]].
* DangerouslyLoadedCargo: That coffin that wasn't on the manifest turns out to be associated with the thing behind the Regis Air tragedy. On CCTV, the mysterious cloaked figure lifts the coffin with no issue, despite its size and the fact it's filled to the brim with a heavy amount of soil.
* DisappearedDad: Due to the strictness of his job, Ephraim doesn't spend a lot of time with his family. And this factor makes Kelly more interested in a life with Matt, the Sears guy.

* LoveMakesYouEvil: The infected who aren't mindless return home to their loved ones. It seems to be the case of them going back to the life they had, but it turns out that they have a much more nefarious purpose.

* RetiredBadass: Setrakian is first shown as an elderly man running a pawn shop with silver as a key option. But when two thieves try to rob him of his money by distracting the man with false silver, Setrakian pins the robber against the glass and points a knife at a crucial artery. he even details the forthcoming events of what would happen if the robber or his friend don't cease and desist. This moment sends the thieves fleeing (aside from stealing a clock out of spite) and shows the audience who Setrakian is, a man who hasn't passed his prime in terms of fighting.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Having "Sweet Caroline" playing during Dr. Bennett's death certainly sells the juxtaposition between a nice song and a violent demise.

* SwordCane: Setrakian has a cane with a silver snake attached at the top. It looks like a cane, but that snake is actually part of a silver-lined sword used in the past.

* UngratefulBastard: While Ansel informs of tinnitus early, Redfern isn't much help due to him forgetting the events between landing the plane and waking up, Gabriel being flat our weird in quarantine, but Joan is the most bitchy, using her connections as a lawyer for things to go ''her'' way, even complaining against the CDC quarantining her.

* YouWillBeSpared: A ''dark'', villanious example. It seems that the four survivors; Joan Luss, Gabriel Bolivar, Ansel Barbour, and Captain Doyle Redfern seemed to be lucky survivors that avoided the fate of all the other passengers and crew. But then as it later turns out, those four may have been specifically picked to survive the infection for a grander purpose.
** Emma was probably a small wrench thrown into the plan, as the disappearance of a child would certainly attract more attention. So she too was spared but returns home not human.
* YouWouldntBelieveMeIfIToldYou: Defied to some extend. While Setrakian does try to warn Eph, Nora, and Jim about the outbreak he dealt with in the past, he can't reveal ''everything'', since it would make him sound crazy. But befre security escorts him off the premises, he is able to tell Eph and Nora about how the bodies should be destroyed, dead or alive, and severing the heads. Then he mentions the coffin and warns them not to let it across the river. Thankfully, his efforts aren't in vain as Nora has her interests peaked to the point where action is taken.

* YouWillBeSpared: A ''dark'', villanious example. It seems that the four survivors; Joan Luss, Gabriel Bolivar, Ansel Barbour, and Captain Doyle Redfern seemed to be lucky survivors that avoided the fate of all the other passengers and crew. But then as it later turns out, those four may have been specifically picked to survive the infection for a grander purpose.

* EldritchAbomination: Whatever this, ''thing'' is. It's certainly not human, possessing superhuman strength, incredible speeds, and has a proboscis-like tendril that emerges from the mouth.
* {{Main/Pilot}}: The first episode of the show, and one hell of an introduction.

* {{Workaholic}}: Eph's job as an epidemiologist is certainly demanding and is a factor in his strained relationship with his family.