The Strain (FX) [** Spoilers **]

TwoShedsJackson

Good episode this week. Finally they have dumped the nobody-cares plotlines about the main characters' family members and are getting on to the serious business of beheading vampires.

Another classic this week with the guy who worked in the garage freaking about who was going to pay for some tat, whilst not fazed by vampires being splattered all over the place.

TwoShedsJackson

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

Good episode this week. Finally they have dumped the nobody-cares plotlines about the main characters' family members and are getting on to the serious business of beheading vampires.

.

I'm sure that Ffff's family will come back into it when yer man the replacement who is now presumably a tongue-sticker comes back to the house with Fffff's wife and son.

FlyingIrishMan

Stopped watching after episode two, worth getting back into?

red dave

FlyingIrishMan wrote: »

Stopped watching after episode two, worth getting back into?

Yes. Just don't come back complaining :P

mafaa

Sean Astin on The Strain, Prosthetic Makeup, and His Most Iconic Roles

TwoShedsJackson

FlyingIrishMan wrote: »

Stopped watching after episode two, worth getting back into?

Yes - just don't expect realism of any description, and fast forward any and all scenes involving an attempt to develop a main character by showing their family, and you'll be grand.

pixelburp

Ha, Fet's little expression 'huh, why not' when he chose the Premium Gas made me chuckle; he really is a much better lead and has more personality than Eph; the conflict between Fet and the doctor really highlights the poverty of writing too, when it relies so much on tropes and cliché: the nominal white 'good guy' has to have a whiter than white morality, thus Eph bleats compassion even in the face of overwhelming evidence of hopelessness. Fet instead takes action and that instantly makes him a more compelling character to front the show.

this is not a show for analysing too much. it's watchable because it's perfectly mindless fare that somehow is watchable. everybody loves a show with a dark force of sort sort that stirs our primeval fears versus a hapless band of disparate quasi-heroes.

mafaa

Interview: 'The Strain' co-star Richard Sammel on Nazis, vampires and how he's like Jean-Claude Van Damme

Basq

It's patchy and acting is very questionable.. but the latest episode was great fun!

Dyr

That reveal at the end of the epsidose, Wow. Such monster. Much terrify.

What a let down

Mr E

The Master looked AWFUL.

If anyone has seen the reality show Faceoff (where budding special effects artists have to 'create' a monster/makeup in a few hours), the Master reminded me of what they knock out when under time constraints (plasticky/rubbery and horribly fake looking).

Venom

Have to admit considering how good the normal vamps look, the master was woeful looking :eek:

I hope the series moves Setrakian and Fet to the forefront as the two main leads totally suck. Both performed the autopsy on the pilot, know the vamps are not human anymore yet continue to balk at the idea of killing them ffs.

Birneybau

Hahahaha, the Master was fecking terrible, like a bad guy from the Power Rangers or Dr. Who before they started throwing money at it again.

I'm on the verge of walking away from this, I really am. So much better stuff around at the moment.

CastorTroy

That must've been therapeutic for Eph. Probably didn't even check to make sure Matt was a vampire before attacking him with the shovel.

You'd think his ex would be somewhere close by waiting for their son. I mean if she was home and did fight off Matt, then surely she'd be watching out for her son so he didn't encounter him

The Master

Mr E wrote: »

The Master looked AWFUL.

Birneybau wrote: »

Hahahaha, the Master was fecking terrible

Birneybau

Just imagine added pigginess.

Skerries

I think Eph's wig should get a credit in the show as it was on form in the last episode

mafaa

Corey Stoll contracts THE STRAIN – Exclusive Interview

Birneybau

mafaa wrote: »

Corey Stoll contracts THE STRAIN – Exclusive Interview

Any opinion on the show or just links?

mafaa

Birneybau wrote: »

Any opinion on the show or just links?

as per post #66 absolutely no complaints about the series ; love to share by providing links

pixelburp

Tbh, not sure what value is offered from just link linking vacuous interviews ad nauseum both here and in other threads. And with the greatest respect to Corey Stoll, his role is hardly a meaningful, layered one worth discussing.

Mr E wrote: »

The Master looked AWFUL.

If anyone has seen the reality show Faceoff (where budding special effects artists have to 'create' a monster/makeup in a few hours), the Master reminded me of what they knock out when under time constraints (plasticky/rubbery and horribly fake looking).

I dunno, I thought the make-up was OK, just the actual appearance lacked the shivering fear and awe the Master is supposed to instil in people. Just a touch too far on the side of 'goofy'. Otherwise the SFX have been pretty decent to be fair.

Episode was ok, but the convenient inability for the vampires to hit their target, except of course when the script demands it, constantly irritates. It's the director's fault really, the scene with Matt & Zach highlighted this issue, it was static and lacked any tension.

Spon Farmer

I thought this would be on SkyGo.

Anyone know if Watch usually take a few days to add a show or if it isn't available by now it won't be at all?

smcgiff

mafaa wrote: »

Corey Stoll contracts THE STRAIN – Exclusive Interview

Very misleading Link title. Not sure if a deliberate play on words, but would have been a spoiler (giving away plot ahead of shows) if it had been true.

not so good episode. why would the master single out Eph's wife for special treatment?

pixelburp

glasso wrote: »

not so good episode. why would the master single out Eph's wife for special treatment?

Cos the director of the Centre for Disease Control put him in charge! :pac:

Eph's a truly terrible lead, and I had kinda hoped the translation from page to screen might breath some life into the poorer characters, the actors perhaps bringing some swagger or hammy charisma to paper over the material. Nope! I'll get through the rest of the season, on the off chance things pick up near the end, but knowing things only go downhill I won't stick around for any subsequent series. It's a very poor show.

JP Liz V1

Spon Farmer wrote: »

I thought this would be on SkyGo.

Anyone know if Watch usually take a few days to add a show or if it isn't available by now it won't be at all?

It starts on Watch Wednesday September 17th at 10pm

gandalf

I think Eph's wig is doing a great job, unfortunately its performance is being held back by the actor playing Eph!

I am enjoying this show but with a better script and better lead actors (apart from the lad playing Eichorst who is just eating up his scenes) it could have been really really good.

And at least the wife's character might get interesting now she has been turned!

squonk

I thought some of this week's episode was quite creepy! I liked how they showed the wife's journey to vampire! Eph is pretty poor alright and I missed having the old man (can't remember his name) around this week. By the way, is everybody clear now that the blonde one and her 'crew' took down the Internet? It's been mentioned way too many times at this stage! For me the show hasn't really reached anything that I could describe as terrible. I still find it quite entertaining. If things go downhill it'll be a pity but perhaps the screenwriters might veer off a bit and deal with the limitations of the book?

CastorTroy

So what you're saying is the hacker doll and her crew took down the internet? Must've missed that. Now if only Setrakian would explain what these creatures are.

Dutch has to die soon. Hopefully. She's the worst character in it.

3 episodes left yet Gus still hasn't joined the group, which I'm assuming he will. I actually like him.

Is the rocker dude still around? Don't remember him being killed off.

Think that's one of the big problems with this show. They have so many differnt stories to cover but concentrate too much on Eph's group sitting around. Like what happened Gus after escaping? What about that vamp SWAT team?

Gbear

Mostly pretty good I thought.

There is a persistent carpet bombing of every trope in the book though - cringey tech-nonsense, plot armour, plot-driving stupidity and miscommunication from characters, all the main characters conveniently turning up in the same shop...

It's still pretty solid though.

Interesting to see what the vampire vampire hunters are all about. One whisper about them and that's been it.

CastorTroy

CastorTroy wrote: »

So what you're saying is the hacker doll and her crew took down the internet? Must've missed that. Now if only Setrakian would explain what these creatures are.

Dutch has to die soon. Hopefully. She's the worst character in it.

Fet seems intent on getting into her panties, even though it seems that she prefers the ladies herself.

Dyr

I'm having difficulty remembering anything that happened in this episode except the silly "showdown" with monty burns or whatever his name is

Spon Farmer

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

It starts on Watch Wednesday September 17th at 10pm

Okay thanks.

A TV site showed the start date as 12th and I was sure that the TV spots said the same.

Cheers

JP Liz V1

Skerries wrote: »

Eph's wig is very distracting

Yes it is hard to get past Corey Stoll's wig

sweetie

JP Liz V1 wrote:

Yes it is hard to get past Corey Stoll's wig 

I think it looks very natural!!

CastorTroy

Yeah I didn't know he was bald until I saw everyone talking about his wig

Chocolate Lions

He's bald? Wait a minute, I just googled him. He's that guy from house of cards! I never once made the connection. Wtf. He's much less punchable when bald, I actually liked him in house of cards.

sweetie

CastorTroy wrote:

Yeah I didn't know he was bald until I saw everyone talking about his wig

Chocolate Lions wrote:

He's bald? Wait a minute, I just googled him. He's that guy from house of cards! I never once made the connection. Wtf. He's much less punchable when bald, I actually liked him in house of cards.

I knew I'd seen him somewhere and then it dawned on me. can't believe they couldn't have a bald lead character!

Birneybau

sweetie wrote: »

I knew I'd seen him somewhere and then it dawned on me. can't believe they couldn't have a bald lead character!

I imagine, as the Vampires are bald, that it differentiates him from them.

red dave

If you Google "Corey Stoll's wig and The Strain" it's explained why.

They said

Eph having a head of hair to shave off would work better for when trying to not get noticed in public. Although that might be a red haring and he might become a Vamp.

I haven't read any of the source material so I dunno.

sweetie

just binged over the weekend on all ten episodes so far and am loving this!

duridian

The Master is ruining this for me. I can overlook all the other suspension of disbelief/coincidental things in this show, but the face on him is laughable instead of frightening.

not the best episode really - in particular the mother with Alzheimer doesn't do anything for the plot and is just annoying. 2 episodes left this season - let's see how it goes.

Dyr

red dave wrote: »

If you Google "Corey Stoll's wig and The Strain" it's explained why.

They said

Eph having a head of hair to shave off would work better for when trying to not get noticed in public. Although that might be a red haring and he might become a Vamp.

I haven't read any of the source material so I dunno.

maybe the wig gets infected, that'd still be scarier than the master.

squonk

Couple of weak points in this week's episode. Leaving bratley with PufferMom was bound to lead to trouble. Personally if I was the kid I'd have opened the gate and let the mother off to a better life as a vampire. She's deadwood at this stage.

Eph going through the tunnel and then wandering off just because he heard VampireMom's voice was just retarded! He's got a group with him. He's a CDC doctor so a relatively intelligent guy yet how the hell does he turn into a goon with an IQ of 20 all of a sudden?

I did feel sorry for Esse finding Mamasita Vampire but we now have another axe wielding vampire killer doing the rounds to it's pretty good.

What happened to Hacker Chick? I thought she was still with the dream team?

Birneybau

squonk wrote: »

Couple of weak points in this week's episode. Leaving bratley with PufferMom was bound to lead to trouble. Personally if I was the kid I'd have opened the gate and let the mother off to a better life as a vampire. She's deadwood at this stage.

Eph going through the tunnel and then wandering off just because he heard VampireMom's voice was just retarded! He's got a group with him. He's a CDC doctor so a relatively intelligent guy yet how the hell does he turn into a goon with an IQ of 20 all of a sudden?

I did feel sorry for Esse finding Mamasita Vampire but we now have another axe wielding vampire killer doing the rounds to it's pretty good.

What happened to Hacker Chick? I thought she was still with the dream team?

There is no point in looking for logic, it's not there.

Chocolate Lions

I skipped through this one a bit, especially parts with the old woman. I think I'm pretty much out. The characters are such dumbass clichés that it could be a spoof. It started well I thought, kind of bad but kind of good, but it's gone down hill from there. And it has the worst lead character in this Eph guy that I've seen in a really long time. It's like they took all of the worst parts of Jack from Lost and distilled them into this guy. At least Jack could pull that stupid constipated face, it really sold the idiocy.

CastorTroy

So Eph doesn't believe his son's ready to hear his mum is dead but will leave him alone with an old woman with Alzheimer's that her own daughter and professional carers have trouble looking after.

I think get rid of Eph, Nora and the kid and just have the old man, rat catcher and the ex con team up.

The hacker left last week.

Who did Eph think he saw first time in the tunnel. Thought he said Heather. But I assume he thought it was Kelly.

duridian

CastorTroy wrote: »

Thought he said Heather. But I assume he thought it was Kelly.

"Hey there" I think it was