The Strain - 1x05 Runaways - Review

Wonderful

Lines are drawn, at least temporarily, as Eph and Abraham go on the hunt for the other vampires. Nora, still shaken by the moral dilemma she faced last episode, decides to visit her institutionalized mother for some comfort. The exterminator Vesily (Kevin Durand) discovers why the rat problem has been escalating. The Rock Star has gone full vampire and the annoying lawyer is next. Things are starting to get good...for the audience, not the characters in the show.

Of course this is a good thing for us that bad things are finally making themselves known. All the slow burn build has finally reached a point of combustion. This episode marks the collision course and turning point of the series as it becomes clear that this is the one that will secure viewers.

The episode starts off with Bolivar, the Rock Star Survivor from the plane incident, going full vampire and draining the life out of two victims while his manager does what any sane person would do: nothing. If that didn't read as sarcasm, it was suppose to. Bolivar's manager played by Regina King is more concerned about not being connected to the murder of two people than reporting to the authorities that she just saw her client suck the blood out of someone. It seems a little too convenient that the revelation to the world that Bolivar is a vampire will be kept secret for a little while longer, but at least it shows that the monsters are becoming more active.

After having a nice breakfast with Abraham along with some flashbacks dealing with Abraham's first encounter of the vampire menace during the Holocaust, Eph has fully committed to the cause of killing off the creatures but requires evidence to get the CDC on his side. Abraham agrees to let Eph film their next target, yet there is an air of skepticism from Abraham that anyone would believe Eph even if he did film it. Their target, Ansel, one of the four survivors from the plane incident. In the house they discover that his wife (who fed him their neighbor in the last episode) has commit suicide after being unable to cope with what is happening to her family. I'm partially glad that this happened simply because it would've been annoying to see the story of someone trying to keep their monstrous loved one alive because they can't bare to kill their significant other. There are many films and TV shows that have already played with that storyline, and I'm glad this show isn't one of them. Eph and Abraham dispatch Ansel and his neighbor with silver weapons as Eph films his proof.

We learn a little bit about Nora in this episode as it is revealed that she had her mother institutionalized. I don't know if it is ever explained why she was, but I believe it has something to do with memory loss. Nora does continue to struggle with the dilemma of wanting to eradicate the disease but not by killing. While the backstory of her mentally ill mother doesn't really add much to her character that we don't already know, it does give her someone to voice her opinions to without getting harsh criticism.

Vesily, our lovable exterminator, finally encounters the monsters that have been causing the migration of rats in the city. This just adds him to the list of people who will probably join Abraham's cause in hunting the vampires. And speaking of vampires, that annoying Lawyer Lady who survived the plane incident seems to be a late bloomer in becoming a monster. Her housekeeper is smart to take her kids away the minute she started sniffing their necks when she was hungry. I'm really hoping she turns full vampire soon so that she can die already.

But this episode all about Eph and how he fully commits to his job. There was no interactions with his family, and it is interesting to note that while doing "the right thing" he keeps calling Nora to asks is she's okay instead of his family. In a state of fear and full dedication, it has become clear where Eph's priorities lie. And it shows here that he is definitely in this fight to save mankind. Even if the very government he works for does not believe him. And yes, even after showing them a video, they still don't believe him. But that doesn't matter, because Eph is on the hunt now.

And with a strong affirmation of where people stand in this episode along with the horror elements, one would think nothing terrible can happen in this episode. Unfortunately the worse part of this episode was the cliffhanger ending. It didn't feel like a cliffhanger as much as the previous episodes and could've easily been a really lame season finale. But it does what it does. Set you up for wanting more. And after this episode, you'll definitely be wanting more.

SCORE: 8.9/10 - This is the episode we've been waiting for!
STATUS: DEFINITELY CONTINUE TO WATCH

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The Strain - 1x04 It's Not for Everyone Review

The title sums up this show

All I can say is... It's about damn time that Eph, Nora and Jim's part of the story gets interesting. After having their first encounter with a fully developed vampire, the CDC trio dissect the creature to understand what is already in plain sight. Gus enters the picture once again as a man struggling between being a good person and being a criminal. The villains of the evil corporation continue to be evil. A wife of one of the four survivors makes a drastic decision concerning her now vampire husband. And Abraham Setrakian shows off his vampire hunting skills.

This really is the episode people have been waiting for. Where the action begins to ramp up and the horror begins to stack up. By action I don't mean action action, I mean the pace of the show has finally reached the point we want. And this episode was all about the horror, instead of trying to discover what is already known.

But for the sake of still wanting to discover what is already known to the audience has to be fully realized by the main characters in this episode. The beginning picks up right where the other left off and serves as a Vampire Anatomy 101 class. We learn that the virus completely rewrite the human body into an entirely new creature that only resembles human. It also explains why the genitalia falls off. The design and the science of this vampire is fascinating. It takes cues from how viruses acts and blows it up into a true predatory scale. This thing was designed for one singular purpose: to drink blood. It is not trying to have sex with you, it doesn't have the means to do so. It just wants to kill. Kill and drink blood. And maybe if it gets lucky, spreads the worm parasites to other hosts. This creature may have more in common with the modern zombie of spreading a disease, but with this the results are more terrifying and gives a plausible reason for the spread. While not an entirely original take on how a vampire spreads its disease, the anatomy change is refreshing in not having them turn into beautiful creatures. I welcome these menacing beasts over sparkling vampires any day.

Of course it is at this point that Eph (Corey Stoll) has made up his mind about what to do with the problem: Find them and kill them. This motive becomes amplified once Jim (Sean Astin) confesses that he was responsible for letting the "coffin" through the blockade and into the city. This puts a strain (see what I did there) on Eph and Jim's friendship with Nora even calculating if she wants to forgive Jim for what he did. But when there are monsters out there, it is not easy to make excuses for someone who let them in. And it is only getting worse

Ansel, one of the four original survivors from the plane incident, has mustered enough strength to keep himself chained in the shed to protect his family from what he's becoming. His religious wife is definitely in shock and does the smart thing by taking their kids to her sister in law. After seeing the monster her husband has become, she can't help but still want to care for him even though he is a monster. This brings back the recurring theme that was mentioned in The Pilot episode. Love. Love is what keeps people together, but it could also be what destroys us. This is shown here as Ansel's wife sees an opportunity to leave him or kill him but decides not to. Instead she leaves him locked in their shed and decides to keep him alive by doing whatever it takes.

That phrase "whatever it takes" also seems to be another recurring theme as we see Gus does whatever it takes to keep up a living. Even if that means stealing SUVs. But Gus' little character development in this episode was merely just meant for him to cross paths with vampire hunter Setrakian (David Bradley). This meeting obviously will signify a future between the two of them, as it seems anyone Setrakian has encountered becomes entangled with doing, "whatever it takes."

It becomes almost a relief once Eph and Nora investigate another possible vampire metamorphosis only to walk into Setrakian's hunt. It is the moment that this show has been building up to and the pay off is not as strong as one might hope. But it doesn't stop the fact that we now see just how efficient and ruthless Setrakian is when dealing with Vampires. Eph has fully accepted the facts that these people can't be saved, while Nora tries to cling on the human need to help people. She believes there can be a cure, even in the face of monsters, she still believes there is hope. Which is admirable but in the scheme of things, it is completely logical why Eph has fully committed himself to the hunt. It is completely in Nora's character to act this way, though it does reveal the obsessive nature Eph has towards his work. If his work means he has to kill monsters, he will kill monsters. Like I said, even though it seems quick for him to change at first, his motive for doing so is in character.

One might notice that I haven't really talked much about the villains in this episode. That's mainly because all of a sudden I find them the least interesting part of the episode. A complete reversal of my way of thinking from The Pilot to the last episode. They did something, one of them talked to someone, but I did not care for what it is. I'm sure whatever it is will be explained next episode. But for now, I did not care. Mainly because the horror element dominated this episode, and it dominated beautifully.

SCORE: 8/10 - FINALLY!

STATUS: Continue to Watch - It has reached the point we've been waiting for

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The Strain - 1x03 Gone Smooth - Review

The title of this episode is clever, once you get it

The bodies from the incident have disappeared! Jim (Sean Astin) discovers he's entangled with the wrong crowd! Eph (Corey Stoll) loses his custody battle! Nora (Mia Maestro) finally asks the man with all the answers, Abraham (David Bradley), what the hell is going on? Vasily (Kevin Durand) is really good at capturing rats! And Eichorst (Richard Sammel) is his own make up artist!

To say that a lot happened in this episode is.... actually not quite true. But there is a lot of key moments here that should be touched upon. 

From the opening scene of this episode we see Eichorst's true form: a very noseless Nosferatu. The image definitely will remind people of Voldemort from Harry Potter, but fans of the vampire mythos will know that this is what vampires are suppose to look like. I've always wondered how is it that the vampires in this show turn into hideous monsters yet are capable of walking around like normal human beings. The answer: prosthetic makeup. However, given that Eichorst is an older vampire it is possible that this is showing us what the species could be. Mainly because besides from him and The Master, none of the other vampires in the show seem to have intelligence other than the need to feed. However given that The Master and Eichorst are older, it can be assumed that an older a vampire gets the less animalistic one becomes.

I am very pleased to report that this time it actually seems like Eph, Nora, and Jim are now worth watching. This is mainly due to their interactions with the other key players in this slow game for the world. Well, maybe not so much so for Eph. As I stated before, he loses custody of his kid. But this can be seen as a weird blessing for the plot as it freed him from that drama and forces him to focus on the real problem that is going on. Because of that, it leads Nora to hunt down the crazy man they sent to prison for answers. Abraham is definitely one of the two best characters in this series, and he is not pleased with Nora and Eph sending him to prison for telling the truth. He's even less pleased that when Nora asks him for answers, she's still in disbelief of him. You feel the frustration that Abraham is going through in order to try and lay out what has to be done, but he doesn't linger on it as he sees it as his responsibility in the end. With Jim's side, we see that he's been secretly working for the Stoneheart Company (aka bad guys incorporated) where he starts to fear his actions of wanting to help his sick wife may be the cause for the coming apocalypse. It is good to see our main characters actually becoming essential to what is going on, though that doesn't prevent them from still not being too interesting. Only time will tell.

But back to the characters who are interesting. Abraham is definitely a man on a mission. If you do not believe him within his own personal time limit, he views you as non-essential to his cause. It just goes to show the amount of determination he has in wanting to eradicate the problem before it progresses. This determination shows in how he was able to bribe a young hacker to find out all the names of the people on board the flight so that he can "pay his respects." He is so far the only character in the series who has a very personal and powerful drive that keeps him going that is essential to the plot. But then there is Kevin Durand's exterminator Vasily Fet. This episode showcases not only that he's an efficient trapper but also completely dedicated to what he does. I've said this before and I'll say it again, I will not be surprised if he turns out to be the vampire hunter that Abraham used to be when he was younger. One can almost tell that it is going to happen with just how skilled he is with capturing a rat, as well as knowing the backstory of the building his clients live in to inform them why the problem keeps happening. I look forward to the moment these two come together, because we all know that these two will definitely be the vampire wrecking crew.

Of course we can't get through this show without talking about the survivors. This time the primary focus out of the four survivors is on Ansel, the most normal guy of the group. He's not a lawyer, a pilot, or a rock star. He's just an ordinary guy. And seeing his transformation effect his family life is a disturbing one as he is clearly losing it. This goes so far as him drinking blood from a raw steak using his new vampire leech tongue that his wife didn't seem to notice. Rock star Bolivar on the other hand has been getting nothing but fan fervor for both his survival and biting a girl in the neck during a foursome. Unfortunately for him, his transformation has progressed even further to the point where not only does he loses his hair...but his penis and testicles. What's left? Well...now you know where the title comes from. It is unknown if he's fully embraced what he is, as he felt nothing watching his penis fall off and into the toilet. It does leave for a disturbing image. And while there was no signs of that bitchy lawyer survivor, we do spend a lot of time with the pilot survivor in this episode. He knows he's about to die from the number of vampire worms swimming through his body, and it is a heartbreaking scene to see that he knows it. However he appears to have transformed the fastest out of the four survivors. In the final scene of this episode, Eph, Nora, and Jim finally come face to face with the monsters that they are dealing with. And Nora learns what Abraham meant by doing what has to be done.

SCORE: 7.5 - The slow burn is about to erupt in flames

STATUS: Continue to watch - Shits about to get real

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The Strain 1x02 The Box - Review

Welcome home...

The government manages to cover up the plane incident by blaming the whole thing on carbon monoxide poisoning. You know, instead of the actual thing that is going on. Which is typical in shows to show that government as assholes that want to cover up the truth from the public, but at the same time given recent events involving planes and governments it becomes less far fetch. There is a need to ensure the world doesn't panic, but when watching a show when it is obvious the death is coming, it is frustrating.

The show picks up where the last one left off with newcomer Miguel Gomez's character Gus bringing the "coffin" across the bridge and into the heart of the city. Knowing nothing about the books I automatically assumed that his character is not important. From what was shown in the pilot he comes off as a very unlikeable character save for a little footnote at the end that shows he's actually a good son trying to stay good for the sake of his mother. That little footnote gets expanded in this episode that shows he really does these shady things for the sake of his mother and his older brother, who many people will remember as the guy who tried to steal silver in The Pilot. I predicted that his character was going to be killed off after he completes the mission, but instead it seems that he is just as important as the other main characters in the series. After looking at his little description for the show, it seems his character will become pretty useful in the future. Nothing spoiled me, but it'll be interesting to see his evolution into what his brief character describes what he will become.

Having said all that about Gus, I'm starting to see a trend here. The supporting main characters seem far more interesting than the actual main characters: Eph and Nora. In this episode we are introduced to Vasiliy Fet, an exterminator played by go to tall tough guy Kevin Durand. His small part in this episode was similar to David Bradley's Abraham in The Pilot. It was in small doses but heavily effective in showing him to be an interesting character. It was very obvious that Guillermo Del Toro wanted Ron Perlman to play this role, especially with the cat lover reference. It is pretty clear that there is a slight parallel between the exterminator and the hunter. I'm betting that Vasiliy will become a competent vampire slayer akin to the prowess of Abraham that was hinted in The Pilot. It is so obvious, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Because someone has to be the go to badass of the series. And Abraham can only do so much, as far as what we've seen.

We're given more depth around the villains in this episode as well. Thomas Eichorst (who many will remember as that one Nazi that gets killed by the Bear Jew in Inglourious Basterds) is a vampire revealed to be a Nazi...shocker. Who was also responsible for holding Abraham captive in a concentration camp...shocker. And is also responsible for making Abraham's wife the beating heart in a jar that she is today...shocker. It comes off as very cliche, yet a very likable cliche for this type of story. And plus it wouldn't be a Guillermo Del Toro supernatural horror show without Nazis. As another plus it adds something to Bradley's already interesting Abraham Setrakian. We now know who is it that he wants to kill the most and what really drives him to be the vampire hunter he is. It also points out what is really obvious: he's old. This plays in to him becoming the mentor of this series. When that will happen I'm not sure, as he is mostly sitting in a jail cell right now for being crazy...even though he's not.

Just like The Pilot, this show continues to excel in the slow burn horror. There is a lot of tension as well as frustration with the idiocy that the government officials are willing to do in order to cover things up. But with the tension it really comes from the survivors of the plane from The Pilot who are essentially ticking time bombs. We see it on the screen. We know what they will become, and the transformation is slow. From the small hint of the lawyer survivor discovering blood coming from her mouth, to the scene that is required in almost every vampire story: an orgy. To say a scene where the rock star survivor is having a foursome with three incredibly hot women wasn't a turn on but rather a genuine build of terror. I say this because in our cultural environment, having sex with a vampire is now sexy and hot. But in this show and with the type of vampires this show has, it doesn't become sexy. It instead seems like a massacre waiting to go off, and it won't look pretty. Luckily for the three naked ladies in that scene, he doesn't go full vampire and they manage to escape before he does. But the scene was refreshing in a sense that it brings back the terror of vampires as monsters, not these things that people should be fantasizing about having sex with. If a scene with three naked women having sex with a growing vampire can make me forget about the "sexiness" of the scene and instead focus on the ticking time bomb horror aspect, then this show has succeeded in getting vampires right.

Now, people may notice that I haven't really said anything about Eph, Nora and Jim (Sean Astin). Well, that's because I have to be honest that I don't really find their story interesting. Their performances are great, and I feel their frustration of wanting to discover what this thing is. But the story between Eph and his family doesn't do anything for me. The relationship between Eph and Nora is somewhat interesting, and I'm glad that it's not going to turn into a show where Nora is just hoping that Eph accepts that he wants to be with her. But in comparison to everyone else, they're much better as the supporting characters rather than the main. But since they are the main, I can only hope that it gets better. It does get better in this episode, yet still not enough for me to say I love these characters. Well I love Nora, because she's played by Mia Maestro. 

All in all this episode can only be described as the beginning of a ticking time bomb now that the survivors are out and about as well as the corpses have risen to wreak havoc. It ends with Eph and Nora discovering that the corpses are gone and a scene involving the cute French girl from The Pilot that really proves that this show excels at disturbing tension filled horror. 

SCORE: 7.8 - It is still finding its footing, and the horror is excellent

STATUS: Continue to watch for the secondary characters and the horror

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The Strain - 1x01 Night Zero - Review

He is here...

A plane lands and not a single passenger or crew member is alive. Or so they thought. That is the opening of Guillermo Del Toro's The Strain. If a Pilot episode beginning with a plane makes you think of Lost or Fringe know that while they're all related to current showrunner Carlton Cuse, this is a very different story. Different for those who are unfamiliar with vampire lore or perhaps horror enthusiasts just hoping for a return to the savage vampires of the ancient world. This Pilot begins with a lot of set up yet shows a lot of promise.

Being a Pilot it should be no surprise that this is mainly about establishing and world building. We are quickly introduced to the problem. Something killed 206 passengers on a plane while leaving 4 of them alive. And on that plane is a gigantic 9 foot tall wooden box with images of the grim reaper carved all over it. An already ominous sign that terrible things are set in motion.

Our heroes are Eph Goodweather played by Corey Stoll of House of Cards fame and Nora Martinez played by Mia Maestro. Both doctors and high authorities of the Center for Disease Control. From the beginning it is made clear that Eph is the everyman that we should relate to. He's good hearted and cares about this son. But at the same time we find him at a family crisis as his wife (played by Natalie Brown) is planning on divorcing him and taking custody of their son. Why would she want to leave such a caring man? Because of his biggest flaw: his extreme dedication to his work. He jokes that if he goes on vacation thousands of people die. And from the extremes of what he is introduced to in the Pilot, there is no chance for a vacation. His partner Nora has a romantic history with Eph, one that clearly establishes who the audience should expect to be the one Eph will and should eventually wind up with. It is a mutual attraction but Eph still remains loyal to his wife for the sake of his son while Nora has already accepted that they have to keep things professional. And with the danger that has surfaced, custody battles and romance should be the last thing on their minds.

The only one who seems to clearly understand what is going on is an Armenian Pawn Shop owner named Abraham Setrakian played by David Bradley. Many will remember him as Walder Frey from Game of Thrones as the man responsible for The Red Wedding. And while that one act completely removed memories of him being in the Harry Potter franchise, here he is no longer a side character or a villain but rather a hero. Horror aficionados and vampire geeks should know that Abraham is a direct reference to the legendary vampire hunter Abaraham Van Helsing. Given that this show feels like a modern retelling of Dracula then it should come to no surprise as what Abraham Setrakian's true occupation is and comes off as the most compelling character in The Pilot. He is a holocaust survivor, a vampire hunter, wields a sword cane, and talks to heart in a jar that is still very much alive. That last bit lets you know that there is a lot more complexity with this character if he's talking to the still beating heart of his dead wife. He will definitely be the one to watch in this series.

If you are looking for blood and gore, it is definitely there. It is not overdone as the episode is more of a slow burn thriller than a blood fest. But when it happens it happens in full force. The first clear view of the enemy is both horrifying and a promise of doom. It is the best representation of a vampire lord and brings the creatures back to what they originally were: MONSTERS! 

However as I stated, it is a slow burn and it is a pilot so it really is just about establishing. Characters are introduced to a problem and everyone acts accordingly as to how one in the real world would approach that problem. The performances are fine save for one airline worker at the beginning, yet this is still the start so only time will tell if all these characters can endure. It may not be the best opener that starts with a bang but what it does have is intrigue. Who is this monster? How did our vampire hunter came to be who he is? What are these bloodsucking worms inside the corpses of the dead passengers? Will Eph believe in what Nora is already starting to accept as truth. There are monsters in this world, and "He is here."

SCORE: 7.5 - An okay start but holds a lot of promise for the future of the series.

STATUS: Continue to watch

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