‘The Strain’ Season 3 Recap: What Happened In Episode 9? Three Very Shocking Deaths Happened In ‘Do Or Die’

If you watched FX’s “The Strain” on Sunday, then you know that the episode featured not one, not two, but three very shocking deaths. Of course, the horror series isn’t shy to kill its characters off (remember Nora?) but it has never shown three people fall simultaneously.

Episode 9 kicked off right where episode 8 left off with the eventual fall of New York as strigois surrounded every nook and cranny of the Big Apple. Even Red Hook, Councilwoman Justine Feraldo’s (Samantha Mathis) safe zone, came under attack.

Here’s what happened in Season 3, episode 9 “Do Or Die”:

Eldritch Palmer’s Backstory Revealed

“The Strain” Season 3 flashed back to 1962 where a younger Palmer (Johnathan Hyde) met his father. We learn that Stoneheart CEO was the illegitimate child of a successful businessman. He met his father and requested him for a position within his organization as an investor. But his father isn’t willing to give him a taxing job mainly because of his health. Even at a young age, Palmer needed a cane to walk and had one of his kidneys removed.

Palmer’s father gives him a cheque of $10,000 and tells him that this is all he owes to his illegitimate son. He tells him to travel the world while he still can.

Palmer leaves his office dejected but there’s no doubt that beneath his sickly body is a mind with a sharp business acumen.

Later, in 1992, Palmer meets his father again who is residing in the daycare section of the hospital. Turns out he had a heart attack. Palmer meets his father and returns his $10,000 to him after 30 years. His father isn’t pleased to see him and when he learns that he has bought his company and plans to dismantle it, he mocks his son’s health. “I’ll outlive you and dance on your grave,” the cold-hearted man tells him son.

Palmer explained to his father that he is going to name his company Stoneheart after him because he always loved his company and work more than him or his mother.

Palmer Secures The Cargo

Riding on a single dose of white, Palmer plots revenge on the Master and manages to secure his precious cargo. What is in it? Two nuclear bombs. One has already been used by Thomas Eichhorst (Richard Sammel) when he wiped out the Ancients. The other quickly finds itself in a secure location thanks to the CEO.

Back in 2002, “The Strain” Season 3, episode 9 shows a demure and polite Eichhorst telling a sickly and infirm Palmer that he will always be an equal to the Master. There will be no betrayals and he will always have the white.

Then we head to the present and see Eichhorst meeting Palmer who is acting very sick. He pretends to be ill. Eichhorst then says that he is going to drink from Palmer and once that happens, the worms will take control of his body and then they will know the location of the other nuke.

However, before the Nazi-loving lap dog manages to remove his stinger, Palmer removes a gun filled with silver bullets and shoots him. Then the CEO’s guards emerge and shoot the Master’s servant. Unfortunately, he escapes.

Feraldo Has No Men

New York is falling. The city has only one, maybe two days, before it becomes the land of the strigois. All of Feraldo’s men and women abandon her. Even the NYPD pulls out. With only five people in her team now, the Councilwoman decides to leave town. They head to a safe zone but reaching there is going to be no easy feat.

Frank, Feraldo And The NYPD Try To Leave The City

While leaving the city, Feraldo, Frank (Paulino Nunes) and her small group of policemen get attacked by strigois. Trapped, they have no choice but to wait it out. Unfortunately, that means it’s only a matter of time before they become strigoi dinner.

Gus And Angel Bump Into Feraldo

Fortunately, Gus (Miguel Gomez) and Angel (Joaquín Cosio) see Feraldo’s men getting trapped. Gus insists they should leave and not help the police since they’ve never helped him. But Angel is determined to save them.

The hunters help Feraldo and Frank but a horde of strigoi suddenly charge at them. In the ensuing battle, a strigoi drinks Angel’s blood before Gus kills it and a worm slithers inside Feraldo’s eye. It’s the most heart wrenching moment in “The Strain” Season 3, episode 9.

Someone puts a bullet in a car’s gas tank and petrol leaks out. And then there’s fire. Within no time, Angel, Feraldo and Frank get engulfed in flames. Angel goes out in a blaze of glory holding his silver cross. Before he’s kissed by the flames, we see an image of him wearing the Silver Angel costume.

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A teary Gus is the only survivor of the attack.

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Eph And Dutch’s Device Works

Fet (Kevin Durand) comes over to his place to warn Dutch (Ruta Gedmintas) and Eph (Corey Stoll) that the city has only two days before the vampires take complete control of it. He tells Dutch that he can get her out but she insists that she must stay on to help Eph. After all, they are very close to disrupting the Master’s signal.

They test their device on a few strigois and it’s a success! Finally, we hear some good news in “The Strain” Season 3.

Eph and Dutch take the device and a recording of their test run of it to Setrakian (David Bradley) and Fet. The duo see this device as a chance to catch the Master and seal him in a box laced with silver and lead. But Fet doesn’t want Eph to be a part of the mission since he betrayed them once. Of course, it looked more like the two were quarreling over Dutch.

A battered Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones) walks in and tells them that the Ancients are dead.

“The Strain” Season 3 airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EDT on FX. Next week, the show will premiere its Season 3 finale.

Are you sad that Angel, Frank and Feraldo died? Hit the comments with your thoughts!