As FX’s The Strain heads into its Season 2 finale on October 4th, Ruta Gedmintas (Lip Service) who plays bisexual hacker and vampire fighter, Dutch, talked with journalists about her character’s intense ride this season. In this past week’s episode, Dutch had been kidnapped by Eichhorst, a former Nazi and current main minion of “The Master.” Brutalized by Eichhorst and nearly sexually assaulted, Dutch managed to escape. This, of course, will majorly change Dutch, and shape her character going into Season 3.
When asked about the episode, Ruta talked about the trauma that Dutch has experienced.
“It’s definitely a huge trauma for her,” Ruta says. “It would be for anyone. I think slowly as this season continues, and into the next, potentially, she will have to deal with that experience. It touched her on many levels. On a very dark, emotional scrutiny that Eichhorst did of her. Her whole being was under scrutiny, and it’s made her question herself and who she is in this life. Before she even gets to answer those questions, and to take anything from it, she’s got to get over the initial terror that has just happened. That at any moment you can be snatched and tortured, that’s the world that we live in now, that these characters live in now.”
Another major storyline for Dutch is the love triangle she is embroiled in with Fet, a burly exterminator turned vampire slayer, and Nikki, Dutch’s ex-girlfriend who abandoned her during the first days of the vampire virus attacks. A few episodes ago, Dutch and Fet stumbled upon Nikki hiding out, and Dutch put things with Fet on ice to stay with Nikki for a while. Dutch and Nikki fought about their long-standing relationship issues and ended up in bed together. During a major battle between the humans and vamps, Dutch was nearly killed but was saved by Nikki who showed up in the nick of time. I asked Ruta how Nikki’s return will affect Dutch and her perspective.
“Dutch and Nikki have this past that everyone seems to have-there’s someone in their past that just digs into them and just doesn’t let go for whatever reason,” Ruta says. “The relationship that Nikki and Dutch had was powerful and potent, one of those that surpasses the normal niceties in a relationship. They don’t treat each other very well, yet they can’t seem to stay away from each other. When Nikki leaves Dutch in the convenience store, in Season One, it’s a huge blow because it’s a huge rejection and it’s a huge loss. This is right at the point of the highest stakes that can ever be-survival-and your loved one leaves you. So from that, somewhere in her, Dutch had to let that go.”
When it comes to romance, we probably shouldn’t get our hopes up too high for anything long-tern for Dutch and Nikki. Ruta discussed her thoughts on the differences between Fet and Nikki.
“And then there’s this man who comes into her life that is there for her, who understands her. They are both kind of misfits, together,” Ruta said. “No matter what Dutch says to him, or no matter what Dutch does, Fet is just going to be there and take it and just say, ‘Ok, I like you.’ So this bonds Dutch to Fet, there’s a rapport between them and an understanding that Dutch never really felt, not even with Nikki. Not that kind of understanding. With Nikki, it was this wild, passionate, destructive love, and with Fet there’s something slightly other to it. Something slightly more mature I guess. With Nikki coming back into Dutch’s world, this is her first love and what’s she going to do? It’s something that she just can’t say goodbye to. And Dutch is not yet matured enough in herself what’s good for herself, good for other people. As this series has progressed, she’s growing up and starting to understand that her pernicious nature is really affecting to people, and what she can do to push that aside. I guess we’ll see after this episode what happens with that.”
I expressed some concern about Nikki being brought back as a plot device when I wrote about her return a couple weeks ago. Normally we see this with female characters acting as plot devices for male characters, so this is a bit of a switcheroo, but doesn’t make it feel anymore authentic. Fet and Dutch are a fan favorite couple, and based on what Ruta had to say about that relationship, and her thoughts on Nikki, my guess is the finale will be the last we see of Nikki. I could be wrong, but my television critic senses are tingling, and they are usually pretty spot on.
The Strain airs Sunday nights at 10pm on FX.
