The Strain‘s eighth episode kicks off right where the last one left off, the team in the subway figuring out they can’t easily defeat their enemy with bullets. They’ll need to take them on by simulating sun light some how. To get what they need though they need to break into a building where they meet the exterminator, Visily, who also has been having some vampire issues in his work.

Again, the series ramps up the scares, as the supply mission leads to a gas station where they’re quickly surrounded by vampires, forcing the team to do some battle. It’s a solid sequence, and I’ve noticed the series has been slowly increasing the threats as the vampire disease spreads. It feels natural and there’s not suddenly 100s of vampires attacking.

Not only has all of this brought our key players together, we also get to see the female hacker from the earlier episodes, and I totally forgot about her. But, as far as new connections, the most interesting is Visily and Abraham who quickly bond. Visily believing what’s going on, a believer, to Eph’s disbeliever. Visily brings an interesting perspective, as he is not only a believer, but he also looks at them like vermin.

There is some toe-curling moments, such as when a member is infected, and some impromptu surgery has to take place.

The episode is really the one that ramps everything up. There’s a choice of life and death with everyone forced to make some hard decisions about who and what they kill. There’s even a major death. Overall, the series is getting better with each episode.

Overall Score: 8.5

The Strain‘s seventh episode starts off with a solid scare as the vampire plague continues to spread, but what’s going on, and the extent of the issue is still not quite apparent to folks, especially due to cell towers being down.

From there the episode switches to Eph and Abraham discussing what is happening and how to stop it. Eph still isn’t quite sure how Abraham knows everything he does. What’s solid is that among all of the modern craziness we get flashbacks to just that, how Abraham has learned what he has. The scenes in the concentration camp is an interesting comparison to the craziness that’s occurring in modern times.

Not knowing where to go, Eph and his team seek out Jim to get a lead as to where they might find the Master, and through discussion Eph finally figures out Abraham has history with their adversaries.

What’s fascinating about this episode is that history. We get a pretty blatant comparison to Hitler’s Germany, and what the Master is doing as well. Reading the comics, the Nazi connection was present, but never so in my face. With the accents, and the flashbacks, the imagery use is much clearer. Often times we see vampire tales as a parable about disease, but here it’s clearly more than that.

Out of all of the episodes so far, this one is the strongest. It started off with scares, but by the end we’re shown something that’s so much more.

Overall Score: 8.5

The Strain‘s fifth episode quickly gets us caught up on Abraham’s history, and how he knows so much about what’s going on. We’re also shown some of the survivors, and how they’re handling their transformation, which is to say… not well.

The episode dances around the various forces gathering, both good and evil, but it’s success and strength lays with the interactions and learning more about everyone. This is the first episode where Eph and Abraham team up, learning from each other about what’s going on. It’s interesting mixing a man of science and the other who has seen horrors first hand. There’s also Dr. Martinez who we learn a bit more about her mother.

As a whole, the episode has a nice mix of action and scares. What it has a ton of also is heart. The center and strength of the story is the individuals and their lives. That what keeps the show going, and sets it apart from just being another show with vampires.

Five episodes in, and this is the strongest episode so far of a series that’s getting better as it goes along.

Overall Score: 8

The Strain‘s fourth episode ups the creepy factor after the events that ended the last one. Eph and his team have killed a person infected, and that means they now have someone to dissect and try to figure out what exactly is going on. That gives us some of the grossest moments in television that I’ve seen in quite some time, and we’re not even on pay cable.

Then there’s the issue with some of the infected who are out in society now. Some of that is pretty predictable, especially Ansel, whose actions are pretty set up. This isn’t all that bad, in that the show is still able to ramp up tension leading up to his “debut.” That actual debut isn’t what I expected, and there’s a nice spin to it. I particularly liked the inclusion of his wife’s religious beliefs and actions due to that. Both are nice spins on the expected. Ann-Marie’s religion also has a tinge of anti-vaccer for a bit of it.

The moment we’ve also been waiting for, Jim’s confession, happens, with some solid emotional responses from him and Eph. Where that partnership goes will be interesting. Overall, it shows that Eph is more alone than he expects in what’s to come.

Even with all of that, we still have progression on Eldritch’s story about his health and Gus’ decision as to whether to return to a life of crime.

But really, the episode ends on a high note, with some things we’ve been waiting for quite some time, the beginning of the battle and kicking of ass we’ve been expecting. The reaction from Eph and especially Nora is interesting. The first three episodes have been setting up what’s to come after this one.

Overall Score: 7.75

The Strain‘s third episode really ups the creepy factor with the transformations of the individuals picking up, and their lust to feed growing stronger.

Much like the first two episodes the third has been slow, but but the time we’ve gotten to the end, the payoff has really begun as Eph and his team begin to truly figure out what’s going on, and those infected feeling the need to feed.

The episode mixes up all of those changes with the personal stories of Eph, Jim and others. This episode really focuses on Jim, while we’ve learned why he allowed the coffin to go through. There’s also some movement on Eph and his custody battle, which seems to be going quicker than it would in reality.

The episode is one that almost gets us there for the payoff we’re waiting for. The vampires are about to start tearing things up, and seeing some of that begin to pay off is nice.

The episode gets us to the edge, and things hopefully will really kick off next episode, after the nice slow bid so far. Overall, the series has been a nice translation of the source material with the overall story rating better than the single episodes.

Overall Score: 7.75

The Strain‘s second episode picks up where the first left off, and also does not hold back at all when it comes to the gore, having the CDC and Dr. Goodweather attempting to figure out what crushed a man’s head. Then there’s an issue with the quarantined individuals being let loose.

The second episode is still setting up what’s to come, and the various players involved. The comic, and story, was very much an ensemble cast and we’re still just meeting, and getting to know everyone. No one person saves the world in this story, it’s a group effort, and a lot of those people aren’t exactly likeable.

One thing that plays out solidly in this second episode is Goodweather and how his personal life’s issues affect his work life. He has a family melting down, a son he’s trying to not let down. Goodweather is actually not super likeable, there’s something very grating about him. But, he has his moments, especially when dealing with his son. And then there’s something towards the end of the episode, that really opens Eph up a lot. This is a perfect example of the slow reveal of the show.

And that’s the show as a whole so far. This isn’t a quick show at all. Reveals come slowly and calculated. If you need a horror story with lots of quick scares, this isn’t it… yet. The show is as much about the virus, the terror that causes society to melt down, as it is about someone’s personal life melting down. And that goes for everyone whose life is explored.

What’s interesting for me watching the show is knowing a lot of what’s coming, but how it plays out on television is really interesting, especially since we’re seeing personalities come to life.

The show has been slow so far, but the payoffs are coming.

Overall Score: 7.75

The Strain is a horror thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself. The first episode kicks off when a commercial airliner lands and stands silent, Goodweather investigates the plane to find that the passengers are infected by a vile plague, setting up the chaos that is to come.

The television show is based on the 2009 vampire horror novel by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan which has three volumes released. Its been since adapted into comic books released by Dark Horse Comics. While I haven’t read the books it’s all based on, I have read everything Dark Horse has released so far, which is nice to compare it all to, as both that and the television series have a visual component. While they share a lot, the comic fans will have something to enjoy as the television’s pilot episode expands a bit upon what was in the comic, but is familiar enough.

The series, which airs on FX, is pretty brutal, with some gruesome scenes that I was shocked to see even on the channel. That’s great, as it tells me the viewer to not expect the series to hold anything back. What’s interesting though is seeing these characters, who I’ve only read their dialogue, play out on the screen. The personalities I envisioned were there, with some characters I thought being dicks, being portrayed exactly that way.

What the series really does well is handle the viral aspect of it all. The idea of vampire as virus has been handled in numerous stories before, but this one really does it well, especially with the use of the CDC as one of the driving forces. The idea of the virus, and terror of one spreading unforeseen is present throughout much of the episode, it’s a dread that works beyond well ramping up the tension with each passing minute.

What’s also nice is the series basically lays it out there as to what’s going on. The big bad is seen, how this particular pathogen is spread is somewhat explained. There are some dots that need to be connected, but overall, it’s there for us from almost the beginning. While we know what’s going on, part of the fun, and entertainment, is seeing how Goodweather and his team figure it out for themselves…. as well as seeing the greater conspiracy.

Much like a virus the episode sets up the seeds to grow and expand with a few plot lines and enough characters to keep us entertained and looking forward to where the series goes. As a debut goes, there’s more than enough to get me to come back for more.

Overall Score: 8