The Event Episode 1.18 Strain

In Murmansk, Russia, a cargo truck carrying a coffin enters a port. A man in a hazmat suit named Forwood opens the coffin to reveal a corpse. He cuts into the corpse with a blade and reaches into the chest cavity. Meanwhile, at the White House, Martinez drinks from a coffee cup that Jarvis has tampered with. Moments later, Martinez collapses in the middle of a staff meeting!

Doctors wheel the barely responsive Martinez to a hospital room. Later, a doctor tells Sterling and Jarvis that the President has suffered a massive stroke. Sterling goes to Martinez's bedside where the ailing President tells Sterling he must not let Jarvis ascend to the Presidency - no matter what. Martinez says he knows Jarvis is behind this somehow. Moments later Christina arrives. Seeing the First Lady's concerned face clearly upsets Jarvis; for the first time, he's seeing the human cost of his actions.

Outside, Chief of Staff Peel tells Sterling that per the 25th Amendment, the Cabinet must appoint the Vice President to acting President. Sterling tells Peel that Jarvis is behind the President's sudden illness; Sterling just needs time to prove it. In the Sleeper Community, Sophia tells Vincent not to gloat over their takedown of Martinez. Vincent stiffens and tells Sophia the news: the Sleepers have recovered the super weapon. When Vincent asks how Sophia plans to utilize this super weapon, Sophia cryptically responds that Jarvis will help - he just doesn't know it yet.

In the Sleeper Community, Leila calls Sean to tell him that the Sleepers are planning something big involving Murmansk and someone named Irina Bogdanov. Michael interrupts the call and warns his daughter that if she betrays the Sleepers, Michael will not be able to protect her. Luis interrupts and tells Michael they must report Leila's actions to Sophia. After all, Leila dialed 911. In order to protect Leila, Michael kills Luis. On a train, Sean convinces Vicky to come with him to Murmansk. He searches for Irina Bogdanov's name online and realizes it's the name of a ship.

In the port of Murmansk, Forwood slices into the corpse's lungs and accidentally cuts himself in the process. His safety compromised, Forwood begs a crewman to let him out of the sealed room. The crewman hesitates but eventually opens the door.

At the hospital, Christina sits by Martinez's bedside. Dr. Reed explains that Martinez's brain is swelling and he might not survive. Back at the White House, Sterling shows Peel surveillance footage of Jarvis spiking Martinez's coffee. Jarvis' back is to the camera, blocking a clear view, so for now the footage is useless. Later, Jarvis demands to be made acting President since Martinez is incapacitated. Peel delays the process but knows it's only a matter of time.

Sophia phones Jarvis and asks why he hasn't received Presidential authority yet. Jarvis explains that Martinez isn't dead yet. Jarvis had to petition the Cabinet and must wait for them to ratify his request. Sophia tells Jarvis to be patient; soon Martinez will lapse into a coma and then he'll die. Sterling and Peel continue analyzing surveillance footage and see a quick shot of Jarvis removing a sweetener packet just after the President collapsed. There's only one flaw in Jarvis' plan: when the President fell, his coffee spilled. Sterling rushes into the room to check the carpet but it's already been cleaned. Another dead end.

In the Sleeper Community, Michael and Leila hide Luis' dead body in their home. Leila thanks Michael for his help, but he responds by scolding his daughter. She's a Sleeper, not a human, and therefore, she must stop contacting the outside world. Suddenly, Sophia knocks on the door. Michael quickly hides Luis' body before joining Sophia on the porch. Sophia tells Michael she needs his help to track down Luis; it seems Luis hasn't been answering his phone. Michael agrees to help.

At the port of Murmansk, Vicky and Sean watch the heavily guarded boat. They sneak onboard and make a shocking discovery: inside a sealed room, dead crewmen litter the floor. Vicky and Sean put on hazmat suits and enter. Inside, they see a very old corpse with missing lungs. Suddenly they hear a thud: they're not alone!

Vicky and Sean ambush a crewman who claims he's a hired hand. All he knows is that this corpse has the Spanish Flu. Vicky demands to know where the lungs are. The crewman admits that someone has boarded a flight and intends on transporting the lungs to America! Meanwhile, at the White House, Peel realizes that he and Sterling don't have a strong enough case against Jarvis. Jarvis becomes acting President, while in a hospital room Martinez convulses wildly. In despair, Sterling makes an amazing discovery: some of the President's coffee spilled on Sterling's shirt! There may still be a way to prove Jarvis poisoned the President!