The Strain Post-Mortem: Miguel Gomez Talks Motherly Reunion, New Ally & More

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Mother, may I...cut off your head?

That could very well be what Gus had going through his head when, on The Strain Season 2 Episode 4, he came face to face with his now vampire-turned mother.

And while the character could have put her out of his misery, he wasn't able to actually do so in the end. Was it the fact that The Master channeled her body to speak to Gus? Or was it something more?

I chatted with Miguel Gomez about seeing a lighter side of Gus this week; why he didn't put an end to his mother; and how the new partner-in-crime Gus may have by his side moving forward on The Strain Season 2 may play a key role this summer...

Aanya and Gus Chat - The Strain Season 2 Episode 4

TV Fanatic: How do you feel about that direction for him this season? I love that nothing really phases him no matter what is in front of him.

Miguel Gomez: I think just growing up on the street and that environment I wouldn’t say he’s used to being in danger but he definitely has some training in terms of survival. When he sees a lot of what’s going on this apocalypse, I think he knows how to handle the situations a little better. I’m really excited that they also gave Gus some different colors and you get to see some different sides to his personality.

TVF: We got to see Gus get his flirt on a little bit in this week’s episode. It was fun to see a lighter side of him so was that fun to play that for a bit?

MG: Yeah, last season was always really, really intense for me on set and this season working with Parveen Kaur, who played Aanya in episode four, it was really fun and we kept it really light on set. I really felt that energy of having just a bit more fun and, you know, it’s a vampire apocalypse but you have to be able to have some fun and show who Gus really is behind all that darkness. We’re still human beings, you know?

TVF: For viewers, I think we’ve all been waiting for Gus’s mother to pop back up. Were you waiting for it, too?

MG: Yeah, it’s scary to see someone that you love so much and it’s someone who made him want to be good and then losing that is very tragic for [Gus]. And after losing her, he’s been trying to do right and still continue on a good path and then to see her again in this episode was really heartbreaking for him. I think he’s trying to look in her eyes to see if there’s a little bit of her left in there and he’s looking for some recognition of a mother for her son but then for him not to see it and then, even worst, have The Master speak through her? It’s such mixed emotions because there’s anger and rage towards The Master but it’s his mother’s body so it’s a very tough thing to go through.

TVF: Gus doesn’t kill his mother. Do you think that’s the right choice or do you think there was a part of him that wanted to?

MG: I don’t think it would be in him to be able to finish it. I think he doesn’t have the heart to finish it. It’s his Mom and I know some people would think the right thing to do would be for him to finish it but I don’t think he has the heart to do that. She was his world and she is his identity and she’s the thing that connects him to the sensitive side of him and I think he wants to hold onto that.

TVF: And it was the same actress (Adriana Barraza) playing your mother so how was it to play the scene in The Silver Angel?

MG: Our relationship, me and Adriana, is so loving and it’s so easy to look into her eyes and see that we share that love that Gus has for his mother because she’s such a wonderful actress and a wonderful person.

TVF: The beginning of the episode starts with the old movie and then we see Gus make a connection with Angel at the end of the episode.

MG: He’s a Mexican wrestler, a Luchador, and when Gus was young he was a big fan of the Silver Angel, El Angel de Plata, played by Joaquin Cosio. He sees him working in the restaurant and he doesn’t know who he is until Aanya calls him Angel and he puts two and two together and has a fan moment with him and says ‘I watched everything that you used to do! All your movies and all that’ and it’s a connection to his childhood and maybe a moment of happiness when things were a little better. And that was due to the writers, Carlton Cuse and Guillermo who allowed that relationship to happen and to let Gus have that moment.

TVF: Does that move forward into the next episodes? Do we see Angel and Aanya again?

MG: Yes, you will see Angel quite a bit. Angel and Gus become friends and partners fighting. Gus wants to protect Aanya and the family and Angel is thinking the same so they have the same thinking that they want to protect their family and through that they become really good friends.

TVF: Would you say Angel might be a father figure to Gus?

MG: You know what? That’s really interesting. He is kind of an older brother or a bit of a father figure to Gus.

TVF: I know you and the cast were at Comic Con this year but how was the experience this year compared to last year when the show was just starting.

MG: Last year we had to explain what the show was about and this year the fans were telling us what the show is about. That was really cool. I was really excited that fans gave Gus a chance because it’s real easy to judge someone and I think they got the message that you can’t judge a book by its cover. If you give someone a chance, you might really find a good person and I saw fans connect with Gus.

TVF: It’s hard not to like a character who loves his mother as much as Gus does!

MG: [laughs] Yeah, when you put family first you’re on the right path.

The Strain Season 2 airs Sundays at 10pm on FX. 

Jim Halterman is the West Coast Editor of TV Fanatic and the owner of JimHalterman.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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The Strain Season 2 Episode 4 Quotes

Guadalupe/The Master: You failed.
Gus: What?
Guadalupe/The Master: Augustin Elizalde you failed.
Gus: I know who you are.
Guadalupe/The Master: The Ancients are the past. I am the future.

Vasiliy: There, he's down. Now what?
Eph: Now he infects the others by direct contact and then we wait for sundown, just like them.