The Strain

season 2  FX  Sundays 10pm

season 3 as well as  previous reviews for the delightful summer creepy chocko Gore thriller. (Wooo that was a mouthful)

 

& here it is

season 2 episode 1  1 1/2 hour premier

WE start with a story in Romania which I’m guessing is how ‘The Master’ came to be. The predecessor of the master apparently hangs his balls from his neck, WTF? I  couldn’t help but chuckle at that and mention it, looks like an oversized Turkey!  Oh & that was all sorts of gross (not the neck.. a scene sometime after it) Something tells me that the young boy in this is NOT going to turn out to be like Chandler Riggs character on the Walking Dead. He’s definately a darker, more reckless character. I wouldn’t be surprised if this kid gets ‘worms’ if you know what I mean! I do think though f they do go in the fashion of the boy being a dark character that it would be a nice change.  aside from the kids on the Whispers (which really may not know any better) there’s no kids on tv (at least in shows I watch) that have this really dark side, I think they’d have a ball getting that angst out, esp tweens! Now that I’ve finally been able  to type this up and watch some more epiosdes I think this season is going pretty fast. I swear it’s like the show comes on than its over in minutes (it feels like it goes by in 15 minutes) which is a good thing. Who wants to watch a show that they equally watch the clock for it to be over as well?

The premier was directed by the book’s author himself Guillermo del Toro.  We get some back story on how the master came to be, and some ‘gore’ in this scene which is a total gross out. Unlike  Lost Boys with chinese food and vamp glamour (maggots Michael, You’re eating maggots how do they taste?)  these parasites that turn you into the vampires are not just maggot looking but wormy as well.   I won’t even explain the gory part as we don’t need you giving your screen  a puke bath (especially if you are at a public area) .

I read a review saying it’s missing the richness and sense of discovery of last season. I don’t  agree with that one bit. there’s still mythology with the master (as mentioned) and how Abe got his cane (just let that sort of joke hit you.  I swear I didn’t do it on purpose but  but got a chuckle out of it )

We know our hero is flawed father Ephram  who in the past wasn’t always there for his son or wife, while working for the CDC. With the help of Nora the two are now instead of trying to make a cure for the plague they are working their ‘potions’ toward infecting the vampires.

from ‘building’ the playground in season 1 we now get to play on it. We have a sandbox of plotlines to follow (if we didn’t I think there wouldn’t be enough to keep the audience) They don’t get confusing  or mixed up. Abraham is down in the dumps after his failed mission in the season 1 finale. His vampire killing intell wasn’t all correct. Sunlight =kills vampires… Master smoked but didn’t turn to ash; though he is gravely hurt.

Samantha Mathis plays a new character in season 2 a council woman for Staten island  who brings a war on the vampires. Cleaning out the trash so to speak, she has volunteers or military going house to house to check rescue humans and kill the vampires; those rescued humans are taken to her HQ and tested to see if they are infected or not.  She learns a little

information from Nora and tried to get help for her nephew as well.

kevin Durand’s rat catching Ukrainian  comedic relief is still a hoot and hollar. I think there were quite a few good ones in episode 4. Speaking of which  the beginning of which we are treated to an old fashion black & white movie with some luchador in it. Vamp Mama Kelly has scuttling blood hound children at her feet now, thanks to those blind kids, and they are fast!

“The strain knows how to do gross but needs to work on the engrossing part”

I don’t know about you but I define ‘Engrossing’ as being into the show, like the rest of the world does not exist when it’s on. I’m more than engrossed in every episode. Heck I bite people’s heads off (almost literally) at the slightest interruption when they bother me while watching! (Sometimes I just ducktape them up though). Another way is though it’s an hour long show, it feels like half an hour so I say that’s engrossed.  Is it the same for you?

Yeah I’d say it is,  though I think it’s best by ‘disk’ (about 3-5 episodes per session)

Here’s season The Strain Season 2

as of Episode 7 looks to be a backstory on the vampire warrior/hunter or at least for the prologue. I think his name is Fang and seems to be teaming up with Abe?

e. 8 Intruders

Huston (or whoever) We have a problem, the vampires are costuming themselves to fit into human society again. Well at least mamma vamp got the wig, contacts, and cover up going.

Now did i hear that right? The Vampire Hunter Vampire’s name is  Fang or have I also heard Quintin?

Well Abraham has found that Silver book, Occio Lumine (sp?) that has how to kill the master and all that in it.  I love the binding as well as the detail work on the book. However the props department made it, I have to give them a thumbs up. I wonder if they used wood or some sort of metal to make it.

Well it’s about time we’ve had a death to our main cast, and it’s someone I somehow knew would be or at least hoped for and therefore was not surprised in the least by it.

and if you have not caught the first season The Strain Season 1 on  Amazon or Strain: Season 1 on DVD & Blu-ray