Guillermo del Toro's The Strain on FX

[markpud]

This was a nice episode, it really ramped up the stakes (see what I did there?!) and brought together all the potential good guys.

Spoiler

TBH it was a bit of a stretch that "hacker girl" just happened to be in the same gas station.... but we got lots of good "exterminating" and I think Setrakian was ready to adopt Vassily once he came on-board so quickly, asked him for the rules and believed him far more than Eph has upto now.

Nice at the end to see that the rest of the city was more or less still going about it's business despite this localised carnage. I know the phones/net are down, but are there no TV news crews reporting on what must be a big spike in deaths even for NYC!

 

[ctg]

Oh, I forgot totally update my thoughts on this one. Sorry. I've been so busy on Mrs Ctg coming home after spending 226 days in the hospital for this year.

But...

... I loved the petrol-station setup. It was brilliantly done even though it was quite obvious they were going to get stuck in it for time being. But I didn't see Samwaise Gamgee going out so soon. But even then I was giggling like a small child when he showed up with a scratch even though it's amazing that so small nick can infect one person. Thing is those parasitic worms aren't exactly so small that they would be hanging in the saliva, or at the sharp end of vampires pincer. Bacteria or viruses would be more believable, and the transmission through the bite. But I accept Guillermo's idea even if it's implausible in the real world.

Old Man is still my favourite character.

 

[Jesse412]

SPOILERS

Episode 9 "The Disappeared" The flashbacks scenes continue to be good especially the scene where the Master confronts young Setrakian. Dutch Velders' emotional breakdown felt a little forced. The Gus scenes also continue to be good. The scene where Eichhorst pulls the bullet out of his own leg made me cringe. The Master's face reminded me of Max Schreck in F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu.

 

[ctg]

Ninth episode felt a bit weak compared to rest of the season, and especially compared to last episode that spent most of the time in the petrol station. Maybe the reason is because they chose to split the episode in way too many parts and then focusing on the non essential bits. I especially would have loved to find it out more about Gus, and where he's heading after he was forced to shoot his mate in the face.

Did that do the trick? Don't know as most of the vampires that had got the head-treatment has been receiving it at soon as they had been sucked dry. But this time he had already turned and those vampires don't get killed unless their head is severed. However, that same thing happened to the vampire in hacker lady's apartment, and even though that one dropped on the floor, with his skull busted open, we saw Eickhorst digging a bullet out from his thigh.

So, the question in my mind is: does older vampires become more powerful overtime, or are we just lead to believe those with wounds in the head while get back in the game sooner than later?

 

[markpud]

I'd think a head-shot is usually terminal. That's the genre rule and they seem to be sticking to it here

Spoiler

with Jim last week going down with a head-shot and hacker-girl's neighbour.

Didn't Setrakian say that a bullet can wound them if it hits bone (e.g. Eickhorst's leg) so guess taking out the brain should be permanent damage.

I enjoyed this week too, they have taken it up a notch over the last couple of weeks in terms of vamp action.

Spoiler

I'd almost forgotten about Gus and his sick friend, wondering how he will fit back into the scheme of things? Quick nod to Bolivar on the newspaper that was used for kindling..

 

[ctg]

A head-shot on a classical vampire would do nothing. Same thing would go with a werewolf, and therefore, you would have to literally remove a head from the vampire shoulders with a bullet. But since a 9-mm bullet would be incapable on inflicting such a wound (on one shot), you would have to do american cop style, and shoot massive amounts on ones face before one would be decapitated.

I'm saying this because if you look at the petrol-station scene, you'll notice couple vampires with head wounds, and one with a burned face. So taken those instances in the account, I would say Gus's mate might taking a nap before continues his rampage in the New York City. But, how much the brain plays in the virgin vampire's life is another question.

 

[markpud]

Maybe I shouldn't use the walking dead as my basis for the rules of everything

Guess we'll find out which way the show is going, if they revisit any of the shot in the head characters in the coming episodes!

 

[ctg]

Yeah, and you know I shouldn't take these shows so seriously; as they are, after all, just shows, and the vampiric regeneration is just a hypothesis!

 

[Ashaman]

I was taking a look on some books in my library yesterday (mainly trying to put back what my 22 months old daughter was taking out ) and I found out that I had read at some time the Strain and didn't even connect it in my mind with the series. I tried to remember anything from the book but could not really. Not very optimistic about this series but gonna give it a try at some time ;-)

 

[ctg]

That's terrible, and at the same time it's similar thing to what many other people has said about the books. In fact, if you care to explore the forum you'll find out that there is a thread on the books and the people in it are saying it wasn't especially dashing, but the thing is Guillermo isn't a novelist in his heart. He is a film maker and the trilogy was meant to be a television series in the first place. And now he is saying that instead of three seasons his aim is to make five. So what the last two seasons will hold is a complete mystery.

 

[Ashaman]

Hey ctg. Now that's interesting. Have u read the books? Do u believe that the series is that much better?

 

[ctg]

Hi. I haven't read the series. Sorry, but I absolutely love the televised version of it, which should be quite evident from my replies.

Does it deserve own sub-forum? Maybe. But the thing is I only have so much time and energy. And at the moment there aren't that many people interested on it, but we see what happens when it comes out in UK and rest of the world.

 

[Ashaman]

Ok ctg i'll give it a try ;-) . Thnx mate

 

[Jesse412]

SPOILERS

Episode 10: "Loved Ones" The flashbacks showing what happened to Kelly for the most part felt unnecessary and wasted half the episode. The scenes where Vasiliy Fet and Dutch Velders go to confront Eldritch Palmer weren't much better. The highlights of the episode are Kelly attacking her neighbor and her meeting the Master which was unexpected. Eph having to shoot the boy and finding Kelly's necklace was a pretty powerful moment.

 

[markpud]

Vasily/Dutch's adventure was literally pointless. That's not quite true as it allowed some development for Eldrich's minion (character name eludes me) to let them go. But as they left I believe they ran past a room called "evil lair's communication suite" (something on those lines!) where they could have gotten into the network!!!

I didn't mind the time jump storytelling device to allow us to follow Kelly from her own POV and from Eph's. But interweaving with the B story was confusing since that one was happening linearly..

So, here's to her "glorious fate"

 

[Jesse412]

SPOILERS

Episode 11: "The Third Rail" was better than the last. It starts off slow but picks up about half way through. The Gus scenes were pretty good. The subway scenes were slow at first but got kind of good when that vampire was electrocuted. Zach was pretty stupid leaving the pawn shop to get Anne cigarettes. It was cool to see Gus show up when he did though. Hopefully he joins the group soon. The special effects makeup used for the Master looks pretty goofy. Loved the scene where Setrakian takes the sledge hammer to the Master's coffin. Great ending.

 

[ctg]

I absolutely loved lure that the Master used on Ef to get him into his lair. I wouldn't had gone as far as they went when they ventured into the metro tunnels. So I have to raise my hat to the producers because they really amped up tension in this thrilling episode. It was very well done. And like Art School Dropout says at above, the electrocucted vamp was supremely well done, and I could feel that electricity crackling in the air while the victim burned crispy. But then again it was nothing compared to the light-bomb turning Master's lair guardians to smouldering husks!

The Strain is a wonderful series and I can only look forward as there are two episodes remaining in this season. But what I really would like to see are the Faction Vampires. When they're going to step forward and show themselves, and therefore seeing that they weren't standing at the Master's lair makes them even more interesting, because it's now quite obvious that they're against the Master's plan.

I also thought that Master looked pretty silly in his clown mask. They should had used Cthulhu monsters or made his head more nosferatum because at the moment his face is almost too cheesy. And that's no good for the main antagonist.

 

[BAYLOR]

Loved the Master's nasty little trap. Two more episodes, I can't imagine how this season is going to end but Im thinking it's going to be quite impressive. Im in not a a fan of short seasons but i have to admit for this show the short format works quite well here.

 

[markpud]

It's interesting that the more we see of the Master the less we seem to like his look. Having Guillermo Del Toro on board should have guaranteed an awesome looking creature, but it doesn't quite work for some reason..

Clearly they weren't going to get the Master with 2 episodes of S1 left, but there was really good tension. I don't think I'd have gone crawling through that tunnel if there was *any* other option!!

Good episode though, looking forward to the next one... I'm actually happy with short season for many shows these days. Less "padding" needed to allow the season arc to progress at pace.

So is the next one going to be a montage of the Master trying to fix his coffin and curing his finger/claws for preventing him holding a screwdriver?!

And what of Eikhorst. Nowhere to be seen whilst his Master's lair was breached? That gun shot must have really affected him, but I'm sure he'll show is face again soon.

And will "old man" get his wish for immortality granted before all his organs fail? Or his henchmen desert him...

 

[Jesse412]

SPOILERS

Episode 12: "Last Rites" The Setrakian flashbacks continue to be interesting. The Gus scenes with Jamie Hector from The Wire were pretty good and I wasn't expecting Mr. Quinlan to show when he did. Bolivar finally returns during Eichhorst's attack on the pawn shop and kills Anne. Nora having to decapitate her own mother was pretty brutal. The flashback reveal that Setrakian had to kill his own family and that the infected heart in the jar belonged to his wife Miriam was excellent. Palmer finally becomes a vampire. Really looking forward to the season finale!