dibrinocarla I loved this series. This was the best part of 2017. Write another one. Please.

petra_ste Looking back at it objectively, The Strain wasn't that great, especially in the last two seasons of its four years run. Plot was haphazard and included some truly strange developments, like the ludicrous season three finale. Horror occasionally took a backseat to melodrama, mostly involving the Goodwather family. Still, this series created by Guillermo Del Toro can be enjoyable for horror fans who liked, say, Stephen King's Salem's Lot or 30 Days of Night; while I often found it below its potential, it never really bored me.The Strain follows a vampire epidemic spreading in New York since the arrival of the Master, an ancient monster smuggled in the city by a corporate leader (Jonathan Hyde). Facing the Master and his minions are, among others: aged vampire hunter Abraham Setrakian (David Bradley), who has a decades-old feud with the Master's second-in-command Eichorst (Richard Sammel); epidemiologists Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll) and Nora (Mia Maestro), who initially struggle to accept the supernatural origins of the plague; Ephraim's wife Kelly (Natalie Brown) and son Zach (Ben Hyland/Max Charles); human/vampire hybrid Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones); pest control specialist Fet (Kevin Durand); hacker Dutch (Ruta Gedmintas); former gangster Gus (Miguel Gomez).The show does some things very well, enough to earn a certain amount of goodwill; the pretty good first season does much of the heavy lifting. There are interesting characters (Setrakian, Quinlan), solid performances (Bradley, Sammel, Stoll, Durand, Penry-Jones) and compelling storylines (like the flashbacks about Setrakian's past). The monsters' visual design is effective, as was to be expected considering Del Toro's involvement; going against Twilight-inspired "sexy vampires", the creatures here are horrible, bloodthirsty parasites, using a proboscis-like stinger to attack their victims and oozing white worms carrying the contagion. There are genuinely creepy moments, like the Master's appearance in the pilot, the transformation of the first victims throughout season one, Setrakian's backstory, season two's prologue; then The Strain undergoes a minor genre shift and becomes more "action with monsters" than horror.Storytelling is messy. Different plot threads sometimes feel aimless and disconnected, like at the beginning of season four. The way authorities behave during New York's downfall is absurd; still, I'm willing to overlook that, as it was probably due to monetary constraints (i.e. they lacked the budget to show a full-scale military intervention). Less acceptable is the conclusion of a major storyline involving an ancient book of lore (the "Occido Lumen"); without going into details, imagine Frodo and Sam walking up the slopes of Mount Doom and suddenly figuring out a simpler way to destroy the Ring. This show does have a weird attitude towards setups and payoffs: a certain plot element is developed for several episodes, then suddenly dropped. Worst of all, everything involving Zach Goodweather in the last two seasons is alternatively groan-inducing and hysterical; I won't spoil what happens to him, because it's so preposterous that it would sound as if I was trolling. Compared to other plotlines, which are sometimes erratic but mostly competent, Zach's seems like bad fanfiction.If you don't enjoy horror, this show will not change your mind; likewise, this is not for those who prefer cerebral, understated horror with emphasis on atmosphere. Still, The Strain may have some appeal for more tolerant action/horror fans willing to overlook its flaws for some neat characters and moments.6,5/10

alipeeples S2 I'm hating the fact that Zack need so much protection and that he is so ignorant it makes my blood boil I think they should have killed Zach off at least Nora wouldn't have gotten the virus. Its all Zack fault I hate the kid, kill him off or in my opinion he should have never been in the show to start with. Zach is a waste of space.

ed321 I love American TV. From the 1950's Sgt Bilko to Breaking Bad. American comedies and dramas are arguably the best in the world. Recently that reputation has been cemented by the likes of 24, Breaking Bad, The Wire, West Wing, The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Stranger Things and The Strain.I watched Series 1 & 2 DVD Boxset of the Strain and was blown away. The acting, the production values are first class. It combines good story telling with on-the-edge-of-the-seat action. These are not cardboard stock characters but well developed characters that you root for in each episode. OK there are some plot holes that could have done better but this fantastic and looking forward to watch the rest of the series.