The Portrait
Written by Nick Bernardone
Directed by Heather Cappiello
Directed by Heather Cappiello
"Look, we're not asking to stay. We're not. And this little girl doesn't have anything to do with what's gone on between us. So... please."
— Morgan Jones
Morgan seeks Strand's help at a dangerous time for the tower.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Strand tells Mo that his father barely paid any attention to him.
- Anti-Climax: The conflict of the episode is largely resolved once Strand helps Morgan get Mo down the elevator shaft, with the big fight between Grace’s group and the Stalkers happening entirely offscreen while Strand is unconscious.
- Bad Boss: Strand’s bloated ego causes him to treat his painter poorly and outright says she’s lucky he didn’t kill her for getting the portrait wrong.
- Batman Grabs a Gun: Morgan tries to assassinate Strand to get payback for nearly getting everyone, including himself, killed.
- Big Bad Ensemble: This episode clarifies that not all of the Stalkers are evil; a faction of them are revealed to be under Alicia’s leadership, while another faction is led by Arno and are indeed as hostile as they’ve appeared. Arno is therefore the other main antagonist of Season 7 thus far alongside Strand.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Wendell returns for the first time Season 6’s “Bury Her Next to Jasper’s Leg”.
- Alicia returns for the first time since Season 6’s “Mother”.
- Call-Back:
- Wendell learns how Sarah came looking for him but requested to keep him in the dark about it.
- The Stalkers threaten to attack the Tower with the dud warhead.
- The Chains of Commanding: Even before the Stalkers attack, Strand quickly grows frustrated with the humdrum of leading the Tower, having to put up with calls requesting entry as well as having to manage his subordinates. When the Stalkers prove to have a worthy chance of toppling the Tower, Strand’s paranoia, on top of the stress of being poisoned, causes him to crack under the stress.
- Continuity Nod: Being held at gunpoint by Strand undoubtedly reminds Morgan of when he was similarly held hostage by Owen the Alpha Wolf back in the season 5 finale of the mothership show.
- Dirty Coward: While not quite a coward, Strand’s inflated sense of self-preservation and ruthless pragmatism prove to be negative traits when it comes to leading the Tower. It gets so bad that he nearly attacks his loyal followers out of paranoia they were behind his poisoning.
- Everyone Has Standards: Howard finally begins to show some decency again, being unnerved by Strand’s increasingly hostile behavior.
- Evil Is Petty: Strand spends the entire episode determined to counter Morgan and show him up in every which way. When Morgan tells June how he got her message, Strand butts in to tell her she’d have been dead if they’d waited for Morgan; he later counters that he’s rescued June, John, Sr., and Wendell when Morgan relates the others he’s found to try to one-up him; and at the end of the episode brags that he will be a better provider to Grace and Mo than Morgan. He also becomes intent on becoming Mo’s new father because he hates Morgan that much.
- Friendly Sniper: John Sr takes point as a sniper on the roof of the Tower. This actually makes things worse as Arno fires another walker at the Tower as an unexpected second warning shot.
- Gunboat Diplomacy: Strand tries to make Morgan accept a deal without telling him the terms. Strand refuses to elaborate what it is, and instead simply holds Morgan at gunpoint to get him to agree.
- Kick the Dog: Strand destroys the portrait created for him and warns its artist she’s lucky he didn’t kill her. Later, he outright scolds Howard insisting that him being his first supporter means nothing to him.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: If Morgan had been able to wash his hands or clean off his thumb after poisoning Strand, the two men would’ve finally made peace. Instead, Strand realizes what Morgan came to do and nearly kills him, doubling down on his hatred for him, and forcing Grace to become his hostage along with Mo.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Grace and the other members of Morgan’s outside group are able to chase off Arno’s band of Stalkers offscreen while Strand is unconscious.
- Pet the Dog: Desperate for some form of unconditional love, Strand eventually warms to Mo.
- The Reveal: There are two factions of Stalkers, one hostile group led by Arno, and another more benevolent group led by Alicia.
- Spotting the Thread: Strand notices the blue dye from the poison on Morgan’s thumb and correctly deduces in an instant that he was the one who poisoned him.
- Took a Level in Kindness: By the end of the episode, after learning no one in the Tower was behind his poisoning, Strand begins rationally listening to Howard’s counseling even after previously telling Howard his loyalty means nothing to him.
- Villain Has a Point: Strand’s actions towards the end of the episode are easier to understand considering Morgan did try to assassinate him under the guise of getting treatment for Mo.
- Would Hurt a Child: Strand initially tells Morgan to take a hike when he asks to be let in so Mo can see June for a check-up. Later, he is perfectly willing to harm Mo if he needs to in order to get Morgan to comply with him.
"Everybody run! Now!"
