In the eighth episode of the second season of The Strain, Eph must protect Zack against a surprise intruder into Red Hook.  Gus convinces the Guptas to make a difficult choice.  Fet and Setrakian set out to acquire the Lumen but discover they are not the only potential buyer.

This episode is an interesting one, as it mostly feels like those moments where you’re screaming at the movie or television show over the idiotic decisions that are made.

Here’s the good. The make-up is pretty cool for some of the things that are going on. And, there’s some moments where various characters realize that games are being played and they’re likely being screwed over, or played. Really, the quiet moments are some of the best of the episode, and I particularly liked the Red Hook intruder aspect. How that was done was really cool.

The bad is the moments, and there’s a few, where decisions make no sense. The fight over the Lumen feels dragged out, and where so many other things are taken by force, why isn’t this one from the beginning? Then, there’s the fight at the end. Leaving the door open and having your back to it? Going down stairs that are open? Really!? That whole thing felt like a scene limited by budget as opposed to story.

Overall, the last few episodes have been solid, this one though feels like a step backwards a bit. Oh well, can’t be all winners.

Overall rating: 7