The Strain

[tippy4]

I watched the first five episodes of this new FX show this weekend.

Is it just me, or is this a remake of 'Salem's Lot?

You have Barlowe and Straker-like characters....and they even call the head bad guy The Master........

[Shannon]

You mean you have Dracula and Renfield-like characters ... lol

[ICry4Oy]

As near as I can remember they are following the book quite well. So far I am enjoying it a lot!

[Lookwhoitis]

I'm really digging it too. del Toro is a fantastically talented creator.

[WeDealInLead]

I'll have to get it on DVD when it comes out. I don't have cable and I don't know where to watch it online.

As for the 'Salem's Lot comparison...if this follows the book at all, The Strain will make Barlow and Co. look like the Three Stooges.

[RUBE]

I did think of Salem's Lot as well while watching it. I also thought of Fringe since they both start with an event on a plane. Anyway, it is pretty good and has really good effects for a TV show.

[Jimimck]

Yeah I'm enjoying it. Loved the books and think they are setting the story up quite well so far.

[dnemec]

So it closely resembles the books? I have them on the "to be read" shelf, but delayed reading them when I started watching the show. I didn't want it to be another UTD situation where I keep watching and saying things like: "Well, in the book, it happened like this..."

[Merlin1958]

UTD has gone completely off the rails, so no worries there!! LOL

[tippy4]

We have some new players in the game....interesting.

[Jimimck]

Yeah I enjoyed their introduction. The series is making me consider the limited editions of the books as I'm remembering how much I enjoyed the story.

[Heather19]

I'm really enjoying the show as well. I think I still have a few eps to catch up on though. The books have been on my to-read list since they first came out. Maybe I'll pick them up soon.

[dnemec]

Yeah I enjoyed their introduction. The series is making me consider the limited editions of the books as I'm remembering how much I enjoyed the story.

Who published the limited editions?

[Lookwhoitis]

Yeah I enjoyed their introduction. The series is making me consider the limited editions of the books as I'm remembering how much I enjoyed the story.

Who published the limited editions?

Lonely Road Books.

Strain (v1) is out (and sold out)

The Fall (v2) is forthcoming (and sold out)

[Merlin1958]

Yeah I enjoyed their introduction. The series is making me consider the limited editions of the books as I'm remembering how much I enjoyed the story.

Who published the limited editions?

Lonely Road Books.

Strain (v1) is out (and sold out)

The Fall (v2) is forthcoming (and sold out)

I coulda swore they were all out. I read them. Maybe I'm nuts.


http://www.amazon.com/Guillermo-Chuck-Strain-Trilogy-Collection/dp/B00BEDRTN8/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409452874&sr=1-9&keywords=the+strain+guillermo+del+toro

[Jimimck]

Talking about the signed limited editions by LRB Bill. Only one has been published so far.

[Dan]

I coulda swore they were all out. I read them. Maybe I'm nuts.



They are and you are! Just kidding, it's a great series, though.

[Merlin1958]

Talking about the signed limited editions by LRB Bill. Only one has been published so far.





I coulda swore they were all out. I read them. Maybe I'm nuts.



They are and you are! Just kidding, it's a great series, though.

Oh, well I am "Confused". It says so in my profile!! LOL Seriously, my bad I didn't see, better yet "process" the reference to LRB immediately.

[webstar1000]

Loved this show guys!

[Merlin1958]

Loved this show guys!

Yeah, they did a fairly good job with this series so far. I'm encouraged for more.

[RUBE]

I was fairly impressed with this show but I wish it would have been a mini-series instead of a regular series. I think it would have been stronger with them wrapping it up with a final showdown this week not dragging it on for seasons to come. I guess time will tell.

[Merlin1958]

I was fairly impressed with this show but I wish it would have been a mini-series instead of a regular series. I think it would have been stronger with them wrapping it up with a final showdown this week not dragging it on for seasons to come. I guess time will tell.

I hear you, but there is three books worth of story to be told.

[Heather19]

I liked the show at first, but by the end I was getting pretty bored with it. Maybe a mini-series would have been better. For those that have read the stories, how do they compare? Does this season only cover the first book? Or is it like The Walking Dead/Under the Dome where it's not even comparable?

[Still Servant]

Eh. This is my reaction upon completing The Strain. It certainly wasn't an awful series, but overall it failed to grab me on a weekly basis. Some episodes were very strong, other were pretty weak.

I think my biggest problem with the show was Corey Stoll. I would have liked to see a stronger male lead. I think he was somewhat miscast. I can't fully put my finger on why.

Also, the big bad vampire at the end looked like a costume and mask you might find at one of those pop-up Halloween stores that show up this time of year and take over an old Barnes & Noble.

[Merlin1958]

Eh. This is my reaction upon completing The Strain. It certainly wasn't an awful series, but overall it failed to grab me on a weekly basis. Some episodes were very strong, other were pretty weak.

I think my biggest problem with the show was Corey Stoll. I would have liked to see a stronger male lead. I think he was somewhat miscast. I can't fully put my finger on why.

Also, the big bad vampire at the end looked like a costume and mask you might find at one of those pop-up Halloween stores that show up this time of year and take over an old Barnes & Noble.

I don't know about some of your thoughts there, but yes, it had its good episodes and its bad ones. To me, it was a little 50/50 good/bad, but worth a watch for season two at least. It is a little "borderline" at times and then "wham" surprises you. I'll give it another shot, mainly b/c I read the books and would like to see what they end up doing with them.

[WeDealInLead]

Finally getting to this...I've watched the first six episodes. Solid stuff. Maybe the "bad" episodes are still to come. I agree about Stoll not being the best lead. He's better at playing sleazy baddies. I was right about these guys making the 'Salem's Lot duo look like the Stooges, wasn't I? That feeding time scene with the chain was pretty brutal.

[Jimimck]

I enjoyed the whole series, and when I heard people talking about the "bad" episodes it got me wondering if I was just enjoying the show because I enjoyed the books so much.... But either way I'm looking forward to season 2.

[WeDealInLead]

Done. 8/10. Here's my review, copied from Amazon: I dug the original trilogy of books by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan; I dug the comic adaptation on Dark Horse (click on my username to read the review); and I'm really liking the TV adaptation as well. The show sticks pretty close to source material and though some of the cast are not how I imagined them, this is still an exciting and gripping show.

Some of the dialogue feels a little clumsy at times and some action scenes don't necessarily have the urgency they should have. That is just a minor complaint about a show that gets better as it moves along. The premise is pretty simple: vampire takeover of United States that starts in New York City. There is nothing romantic about these vampires, we're just meat for predators a few steps above us on the food chain.

Characters are introduced individually (neat technique) and as their paths start to cross, things shift swiftly into overdrive. Flashbacks to Setrakin's youth and the introduction of the Master provide further insight into this ancient creature and depths of pure evil. What I find interesting about The Strain is how flawed--maybe even unlikeable--most of characters are. That just makes an already bleak future even worse-is our fate truly in the hands of this group?

While this isn't a top class TV show of The Wire, Orphan Black, True Detective and Breaking Bad caliber, it is nonetheless a solid show that has promise enough only to get better with season two. It's an interesting story with great pacing. It's like an updated version of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot.

[tippy4]

Season two is underway. I have mixed feelings about it.

Apparently the world now knows that vampires exist, but they don't seem that upset.

[Still Servant]

Season two is underway. I have mixed feelings about it.

Apparently the world now knows that vampires exist, but they don't seem that upset.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Many people seem to have the mindset of business as usual. I'm a few episodes behind and while I'm enjoying season 2, it's not quite as strong as season 1.

[killjoy72]

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Many people seem to have the mindset of business as usual. I'm a few episodes behind and while I'm enjoying season 2, it's not quite as strong as season 1.

+1

[tippy4]

Am I the only one watching this show?

Season Three is about four episodes in now....really liking it.

[Jimimck]

Am I the only one watching this show?

Season Three is about four episodes in now....really liking it.

I just watched S3E1 the other day. Yeah I agree, its a fun show to watch. Fet kicks arse, and I'm a fan of Eichorst too :evil:

[Cook]

Am I the only one watching this show?

Season Three is about four episodes in now....really liking it.

I should jump back in, I'm still in season two.... I think ?
I'm still in season one of breaking bad and season three of walking dead and on top of that it's football season again :)

[Jon]

I have always been tempted by this series but feared disappointment. I have also refrained reading this thread in order to avoid spoilers.

I'm guessing, by the length of this thread, the show is a hit.

I will give it a try.

[Jimimck]

Am I the only one watching this show?

Season Three is about four episodes in now....really liking it.

I should jump back in, I'm still in season two.... I think ?
I'm still in season one of breaking bad and season three of walking dead and on top of that it's football season again :)

I didn't watch Breaking Bad when it was on either. Then watched all five seasons in about four months. It is now one of my top five shows ever.

[Br!an]

Am I the only one watching this show?

Season Three is about four episodes in now....really liking it.

I should jump back in, I'm still in season two.... I think ?
I'm still in season one of breaking bad and season three of walking dead and on top of that it's football season again :)

I didn't watch Breaking Bad when it was on either. Then watched all five seasons in about four months. It is now one of my top five shows ever.

I just watched it on Netflix for the first time. I binge watched all 62 episodes in three weeks.

I'm now going through withdrawals. :wtf:

[tippy4]

The plague has spread across the globe now......

[BrandoRex]

Season two is underway. I have mixed feelings about it.

Apparently the world now knows that vampires exist, but they don't seem that upset.

I think that mirrors the way that most people know about most of the bad things that are going on in the world and don't seem that upset. We are becoming more desensitized as a society to big issues but increasing more offended by trivial issues, like Kim Kardashian being robbed (Oh my!) or internet forums (present company excluded of course).

Whether or not it's intentional or not, that's what I'm seeing in the show. I don't think the show takes itself that serious but I enjoy it a whole lot more than I thought I would.

If the show had come out before The Walking Dead, I don't know if it would have done so well but that's debatable.

[tippy4]

Season Four premier last night.

I thought it was so-so.

[tippy4]

The series has now ended.

All in all a good show, but the final season was not as good as the previous three.