Season 1, Episode 2:
The Box
Synopsis
The four survivors begin manifesting strange symptoms, but Eph and Nora's attempt to quarantine them is thwarted as the disinformation campaign begins. Meanwhile, in jail, Setrakian receives a surprise visit from an old - a very old - acquaintance.Plot
In the heart of Red Hook, Brooklyn, Vasiliy Fet, an exterminator, prepares for another day of doing of exterminating pests around New York. Meanwhile, Gus arrives at the designated location Eichorst instructed him to. Despite completing his task, Eichorst is nowhere to be seen, allowing Gus' curiosity to get the better of him. He opens the van's compartment and tries to open the coffin, only for a growling creature to scare him away from the premises.At Cargo Area D, Eph and the group come across Bishop's body. They detect an ammonia smell emanating from Bishop's body and find the same biological discharge from the plane. Eph gets a phone call, only to discover that Everett discharged the 4 survivors from quarantine to his shock and frustration. Despite trying to maintain order, news revealed the whole cause of the tragedy was carbon monoxide poisoning. Despite Eph and Nora's protests, their orders fall on deaf ears.
At Stoneheart, Eichorst worries that due to the 4 survivors remaining in quarantine and the closure of JFK, the plan will be in disarray. Palmer reveals that a disinformation campaign will ensure the survivors are on the street, and the timetable won't be delayed. Palmer voices his excitement on seeing the Master, only for Thomas to tell him to wait, and departs to the holding prison where Setrakian is, poising as his "lawyer".
In the holding prison, Setrakian's "lawyer" wants to talk, but to the former's insistence, he doesn't have one. On the other side of the glass, is Eichorst. The two engage in a tense talk, revealing that they share a long history, going back to at least Nazi Germany. Setrakian insists that as long as he lives, he'll never stop fighting until the Master is dead. Despite all of Eichorst's taunts and breaking speeches, Setrakian keeps his composure and reassures his belief that he will avenge his wife. Eichorst ends the conversation by stating that he wants to keep Setrakian alive as long as he can while New York falls and that it'll be the Master's eyes he'll last see.
In Harlem, Gus returns home and sees Crispin and his mother. When she reveals the antique clock, Gus feigns amazement, only to flip out on Crispin when she leaves. Despite Crispin trying to point out Gus' hypocrisy, Gus decides to return the clock. Margaret Pierson talks with Eph, Nora, and Barnes regarding the systems failure, and declares that the NTSB is now handling the case. Despite Eph trying to assert his position on maintaining the closure of JFK, Everett throws his hat in the ring. When he brings up Eph's baggage, Eph grabs Everett in frustration. Despite regretting it, Everett decides to give him a couple of days of leave.
- Everett: "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to take a few days off. Then once this all blows over, we're going to revisit your situation. But as of now, you're no longer involved. Go home."
Defying orders, Eph and Nora go to a bar and see Captain Redfern. When they bring up the box, Redfern reveals that four government officials showed up during a pre-flight routine, and he didn't question when it was loaded into the cargo hold. Eph directs him to a specific doctor to run some tests, hoping to further understand this pathogen, while Redfern laments how companies and governments are only concerned about covering their tracks. In a secret office, Eph and Nora use a captured worm and discover that the worms are drawn to the presence of blood. But the session is cut short when his court hearing is near and kisses Nora before departing.
In a fancy restaurant in Manhattan, Fet makes a surprise arrival regarding a pest infestation in the kitchen. Joan, Gabriel, and his manager, Ruby, are eating at that very restaurant. While the three celebrate, Joan notices her golden tooth fall into her glass with a small streak of blood. Fet makes some horrifying discoveries regarding rat droppings in the cabinets and a dead rat. When the patrons ignore his orders, he prances the dead rat around to clear the room.
Palmer and Mr. Fitzwilliam leave the building for a meeting. Eph arrives at Kelly's home, also seeing that Matt and her friend Diane are paying a visit. Matt and Zack rework Eph's old office into a gaming room for Zack. Despite Eph's jealousy of Matt, he still tells him to make Kelly happy. But when talking to Zack face to face, he reveals that he wants joint custody during the hearing tomorrow. Eph attends an A.A. meeting in Queens, where he vents his recent frustrations to the group. Bolivar has three women in his penthouse suite, and the session goes well at first until it's revealed his hair is pulled out. Then he bites on a woman's blood vessel hard, drawing blood. Instead of repulsion, he drinks the blood on the floor, signalling a terrible change.
The path reports come back for Redfern, and the reports are unlike anything they've ever seen. Using a UV light, they see the same neck incision, and slithering works under the skin. When Eph plans to report these findings to Barnes, Gary Arnot calls Eph to thank him for bringing Emma back to him. During the call, Eph is completely taken aback. Nora entertains the idea that hibernation is induced. Palmer and Mr. Fitzwilliam arrive at the same warehouse Gus was in when he dropped off the coffin. Palmer examines it, and Eichorst accompanies him. The Master makes his presence known, to Eichorst's awe and Palmer's distress.
Eph and Nora arrive at the coroner's office, only to see it ransacked. Dr. Bennett isn't present and sees that all of the body bags are empty, and Benett's smashed glasses. It's enough to give them the idea that something went wrong. At the Arnot residence, Gary is puzzled by Emma turning off the lights and staying in the cold bathwater. When he tries to dry her, she attacks him, kills him, and drinks his blood.
Tropes that are present in this episode:
- Broken Pedestal: Those three girls wanted a fun time with Gabriel, but instead they got to witness one of them get bit hard in the neck, drawing blood. If they were fans of him, let's say that barbaric act would cement their thoughts of him being insane.
- By the Hair: One of the women during Gabriel's session grabs his hair and pulls it towards her. However, that's when she notices that some strands have been pulled out.
- When Gary caresses Emma's hair, her hair falls out and onto his palm.
- Cruel Mercy: Eichorst really wants to let Abraham live so he can see the streets of New York fall and leave him powerless. And when he does die, it will be the Master he will see in his last moments.
- Deadpan Snarker: Fet himself snarks at the restaurant head chef when he refuses to close down the kitchen for cleaning. Fet is less than impressed.Germaine: "You can't shut us down! Councilwoman Shankar eats here every Wednesday."Fet: "Oh yeah? You gonna serve her this?" *Pulls out a dead rat*
- Definitely Just a Cold: Despite the bizarre circumstances, Gabriel and Joan believe themselves to be fine, despite some coughing here and then.
- Downer Beginning: Gus succeeds in delivering the cargo, fulfilling Eichorst's rules. But before he can take a peek inside, Gus flees in terror when a creature (later revealed to be the Master) makes its presence known.
- Downer Ending: Suspicions have been confirmed that Emma is no longer human. She kills her father for his blood, and this outright confirms that the survivors will succumb to this fate eventually.
- Dramatic Irony: We know something is terribly wrong with Emma, but Gary's love is so strong for her that he doesn't see the problem until it's too late.
- Eph and Nora don't even know about Dr. Bennett's death until they go into the coroner's office.
- Dripping Disturbance: While Emma is taking a bath, her transformation complete, the combination of "This Old Man" and the echoing drips from the faucet build a lot of suspense. And it persists until the end of the episode.
- Eccentric Exterminator: Vasiliy certainly is pretty eccentric as an exterminator. How eccentric? He tries to clean out the restaurant with his words, but they laugh him off. He gets that job done when he shows them all a dead rat.
- Extremely Protective Child: More than anything, Gus really cares for his mother. He flips his lid at Crispin for bringing home the stolen clock from the pawn shop, not wanting her heart to get broken again.Gus: "You don't bring stolen shit into this house and involve Mom on it. You hear me?!"
- Facepalm: After hearing Gabriel's insults towards him about "snagging a promotion" and having his time in the spotlight, Eph pinches his nose in disapproval.
- Fan Disservice: Gabriel's session with the girls starts off somewhat well, but when he experiences tinnitus and gets really close to a girl's blood vessel, he bites it really hard, drawing blood.
- Gas Leak Cover Up: Leaked documents associated with Regis Air point the cause of the tragedy to carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Get Out!: Bolivar screams at the three women to get out of his penthouse suite after biting down on one of their necks, spilling blood.
- Greed: Despite being offered a $300K offer for a 30-minute interview, Joan turns it down, saying that they'll score more money when the lawsuit with the airline goes through.'Ruby: "That was a $300,000 offer for a 30-minute on-camera interview."'Gabriel: "And you hang up?"'Joan: "Whatever they're offering, it's gonna be chump change compared to what we'll get from the airline."
- Green-Eyed Monster: Not a "monster", but Eph is very jealous of Matt. He has some choice words to say about Matt during the A.A. meeting.Eph: "My wife's divorcing me, and... screwing this new dude... in my bed. In my house, on which I'm still making payments."
- Gross-Up Close-Up: While investigating the worms, we get a close-up shot of how their face contracts and function.
- Horrifying the Horror: Palmer is no saint, as his alliance with Eichorst and the Master is a key component in admitting the Master to the new world. But Palmer has never seen him in person. When the Master does show up, Palmer slightly shudders in fear.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: When talking to Matt, Eph tells him that all he asks for is to keep her happy. Although, he still holds a grudge against him, just keeps it together when he's around him.
- Implied Death Threat: With Eichorst reading the arrest report regarding Setrakian, he knows that the "antique sword" is still in possession of the latter. When taunting him about it, Setrakian makes a subtle, yet clear nod to his dedication to stopping the Master.Eichorst: "Your arrest report says you were apprehended with an antique sword. Is it Sardu's?"Setrakian: "Don't worry. I'll give it back to your master in due time."
- Insane Troll Logic: Cover-ups in tragedies are nothing new, but this? Carbon monoxide poisoning? They'd all be dead if that was the case.
- Jerkass: Gabriel and Joan really up the ante in this episode, showing just how unpleasant they really are.Joan (threatening Eph): "It's on. One phone call, I get your job. And Little Miss Muffet's."Nora: "You better start dialling then."
- Just Following Orders: If Doyle would choose, he'd stay in quarantine. But due to his union lawyers wanting him out, Redfern has no choice but to abide by their orders.Capt. Redfern: "If it were up to me, I'd stay, but my union lawyers want me out, so..."
- Kick Them While They Are Down: Eichorst wants to taunt Setrakian with the antique sword, his wife's heart, and telling him of his wife's final moments, while the latter is in prison. It's obvious that Setrakian is seething, but doesn't lose himself to anger.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: A cat in the opening shows up during Fet's prep. He treats it with kindness and praises it when it catches a mouse.Fet (in Russian): "Молодец, маленькая убийца." Translation
- The Lost Lenore: Setrakian lost his wife in the past, and his desire to avenge her is the key factor in his determination to end the Master's reign. Eichorst uses this trope to taunt him about how he was powerless to prevent her death.
- Mood Whiplash: Listening to the blues playing on Fet's radio is pretty calming, but then it suddenly shifts to Gus' radio playing a rap song in Spanish. It's quite the jarring shift in the mood.
- My Greatest Failure: Doyle Redfern is genuinely remorseful that he didn't question the sudden appearance of the box. Four suited officials needed to put it in the plane, and he didn't think twice. In fact, due to his wanting what's best for everyone, he is the first person Eph and Nora meet and express frustration that the first instinct that officials have is to look out for one's self and conceal the truth.
- Not Helping Your Case: When Eph tries to argue for a quarantine, he grabs Everett when the latter brings up the former's stressful personal life. It's this action in which Eph has to take a few days off on Everett's orders until the situation blows over.
- Propaganda Piece: When it becomes evident that the timeline isn't falling into place, Eichorst worries that the plan will be derailed. But Palmer has other ideas to keep the status quo in check: a disinformation campaign. Considering that it was Palmer's idea, it's heavily implied that Stoneheart falsified the leaked documents.Palmer: "In an hour, nobody will be talking about an epidemic. And I'll have the four survivors on the street."Eichorst: "You will accomplish this how?"Palmer: "Disinformation. A good story always trumps the truth. Just give the press a villain to hate."
- Second Episode Introduction: This episode introduces exterminator Vasiliy Fet, Secretary of Health and Human Services Margaret Pierson, Kelly's friend Diane, and the Master, given enough character to be properly introduced.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: The head chef at the restaurant, Germaine, tries to pay Fet to get him out of the kitchen, despite the signs that the premises have a rat infestation.
- Shut Up, Kirk!: Eichorst is pretty quick to overlap Abraham's declaration of avenging his wife.Setrakian: "I-- I will avenge her."Eichorst: "You will not avenge anyone. You're not a hero or a saviour. You're just a number. I took your name and gave you that number. That's all you are."
- Slow Transformation: While they're not fully turned, it's evident that the four survivors are starting to become infected more and more as time progresses, though at a slower pace.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: "This Old Man" plays while Emma is in the bathtub, and still plays even when she murders her father for his blood.
- Spanner in the Works: Eichorst worries that JFK's closure and the survivors not being released will be a significant obstacle. But Palmer has a solution to keep the plan under wraps from the public.
- Suddenly Voiced: In Night Zero, the Master only spoke with Hell Is That Noise. Here, he speaks fluent English when talking to Palmer, firmly establishing that he is not an animal.The Master: " You brought me all the way here. Aren't you going to look at me? "
- Too Dumb to Live: Barnes really should have kept the four survivors in quarantine to make sure that nothing else is amiss.
- As for Gabriel and Joan? They eat up the carbon monoxide cover-up without a second thought, even filing a lawsuit against Regis Air. Eph is none too pleased with this.
Eph: "You believe everything you see on TV?" - The Tooth Hurts: When Joan drinks, she notices her golden tooth falling into the glass with a streak of blood, and a small drip of blood on her finger when she tries to look for it.
- Voice of the Legion: The Master speaks in an ancient and raspy voice, courtesy of Robin Atkin Downes.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Jim throws up onscreen upon seeing Bishop's remains, and we can't really blame him.
- Wham Shot: When Eph goes to the hospital to visit Redfern whose health is declining, they use a UV light to find the same incision in the neck and slithering worms underneath his skin. And this is after learning that the infection radically changes key components of the body.
- When Emma kills her father by using a tendril that drains him of blood, and lets him bleed out while she drinks the blood that has tainted the water. Not only does this confirm that the disease is a vampiric one, but also the revelation that the four survivors are going to suffer this same fate.
- Where Is Your X Now?: Eichorst taunts Setrakian's belief in "that God of his" during their meeting.Eichorst: "Don't tell me you still believe in that God of yours. So where is He? Why has He done nothing? Face the truth. He's nothing but a figment of your imagination."
- Would You Like to Hear How They Died?: A two-for-one deal. Eichorst taunts Abraham with the death of his wife, and her last word before passing, "Abraham.", while Abraham reveals to Eichorst how a colleague of his died.Eichorst (talking about Abraham's wife): "You might like to know this. She struggled at the very end, but she never cried out. I thought that strange. Not even a whimper. only a single word, 'Abraham'. But you were not there to help her. Do you feel great regret?"Setrakian (talking about Eichorst's colleague): "Remember your old friend, Dreverhaven? Would you like to know why he isn't here to share your glory with you? Because I cut him to pieces with that sword... and dumped his parts in the North Sea. I'll see that you're reunited with him... very soon."
- You Are Number 6: Eichorst establishes this moment when he refers to Setrakian based on the ink on his arm when Abraham was a POW under Eichorst's command.Eichorst: "You've grown old... A230385."
