The Strain: BK, NY
July 16, 2015 10:12 AM - Season 2, Episode 1 - Subscribe

Agent Ephraim investigates new cases about Master in NY City.

The A.V. Club's review: "The Strain is very much a visual show, and the image of the rising Children of the Night is just one of a handful of great visual moments in 'BK, NY.' There’s Eichort standing in front of the bus, his sinister smile lit up in the headlights. One of the better shots takes place in a storage facility, where Setrakian has stored a number of his old files. He’s asked Eph, Nora, and Fet to help him bring them back to their hideout. Once in the storage unit, they find a couple that aren’t infected. Ruining their peace and quiet, an army of strigoi descends on the group. The following shootout is beautifully shot. With the light turned off, we only get glimpses of the swarming strigoi when a gun fires and lights up the cramped hallways of the storage facility. It’s tense and claustrophobic, which is a good thing for your horror show to be."
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (12 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Kyle Fowle at The A.V. Club gives this a 'B-' which amazes me because it was a corker of a season opener; perhaps because I've been watching Under the Dome my standards have been lowered. This opener was exciting, it was wonderfully paced, we caught up with everyone (as much as you can catch up with one-dimensional characters) and a whole lot of fun.

There were some brown trouser moments, like in the storage facility when the lights went out - twice! And that ending - chills.

Great show, looking forward for some good kitschy vampirey fun this season!
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:15 AM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]


(Note to self: do not sit down to a bowl of spaghetti during The Strain. That opener - with the wormapocalypse? Ugh. Yelling at the TV!)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:15 AM on July 16, 2015 [4 favorites]


Eh... I would go even lower than B-. It's encapsulated a lot of the same problems as the whole first season: sooooo much expository dialogue, nonsensical setting and worldbuilding, and Eph just being a character with the depth and appeal of an empty pizza box soaked in garbage juice.

On the other hand, you have occasionally brilliant scenes like the opening sequence that sets up the master, and some of the storage locker fight.

I'll keep watching, but I was really hoping that the show would elevate itself in its second season. There's still time, obviously, but I remember spending all of last season saying to myself 'oh, ok, they have to set stuff up and then they'll go full awesome cheesy b movie!'
posted by codacorolla at 12:58 PM on July 16, 2015 [2 favorites]


GdT directed the prologue I think.

So the Master needs a new body: who's that going to be? One of Our Heroes?

Also wondering now about the prologue: was the wormpocalyse simply pale-vamp infecting him for fun, or was that actually the previous passing of the Master's wormy essence into his current body?

The storage locker fight was very video-game influenced I thought: lights go out, noises, lights go on, monsters. I also liked the lampshading of the first locker being full of mannequins.

I'm a little confused by one thing: at the end of the last series, it seemed like society in New York had completely broken down. Epidemic, vampires roaming the streets, survivors huddling together, quarantine. But then this episode we seem to be back to basically business as normal: schools still in session, real-estate deals still proceeding, press conferences. Apocalypse or not: it can't seem to quite make its mind up.

Abe continues to be reckless about venturing alone into poorly-lit basement tunnels.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 2:29 PM on July 16, 2015 [4 favorites]


I'm a little confused by one thing: at the end of the last series, it seemed like society in New York had completely broken down. Epidemic, vampires roaming the streets, survivors huddling together, quarantine. But then this episode we seem to be back to basically business as normal: schools still in session, real-estate deals still proceeding, press conferences. Apocalypse or not: it can't seem to quite make its mind up.

Same here. I thought for sure I remembered New York being in full collapse mode at the end of last season. I don't know if that's me being inattentive, or the show having inconsistent direction.
posted by codacorolla at 3:09 PM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]


[happy wave] Haven't had a chance to watch yet, but I've found myself actually looking forward to the return of this S...trainwreck, mostly because you people made these threads so enjoyable last summer. But also because it's sort of charmingly, er, Eph-ed up, y'know, like how you have a special soft spot for the awkward clumsy puppy of the litter rather than the smart confident one who doesn't really need your fondness.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:20 PM on July 16, 2015 [2 favorites]


I was happy to see all my little dipshits again, and so happy that the Anti Vampire Vampire Commandos are also dumb as dirt. Should we show these people we're forging a tender alliance with out before our masters torture and exsanguinate some poor schmuck in a slave suit, or let them stay for the show? Oh, stay, by all means.

Also I liked when The Master turned into Mr. Creosote.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:12 PM on July 16, 2015 [3 favorites]


Guessing we aren't having show-only vs books included discussions for this, since it's not that popular... Thrilled to see the Feelers emerging at the end of this episode! They are by far one of my favorite bits in the book.

Re: the vomit-transition of The Master into Sardu's gigantic body during the prologue/intro sequence -- yep, as the old body wears out, he must pass his parasite collective consciousness into a new host body.

NuZack is still an annoying asshole. Good job I guess, since he's also insufferable prick in the books. Eph's wig appears to have a bigger budget this season, exciting!

The Ancients looked terrible but still were sufficiently scary for me. If I hadn't read the books, I would've been confused by them referencing 7 Ancients but only showing 3 in the Gus interview and feeding scenes. I guess think of that chamber as Vamp Force One: it would be dangerous to have all 6 assembled together at once, and the Master's gone rogue as the 7th renegade Ancient so of course he wasn't there.

More Fett + Setrakian buddy adventures, please! Looking forward to Gus setting up his post-apocalyptic NYC vamp crime syndicate this season. No gang lord ever got the keys to the island of Manhattan dumped at his feet by the Undead before, and Quinlan's squad of ninja daywalkers look like promising enforcers.

Here's hoping they disperse with the pretense of civilization limping along with a contained outbreak soon. As others have noted above, it really detracts from the already ridiculous premise showing people dropping kids off at school and getting coffee with SARS masks on when we know the city should effectively be under martial law after last season's finale.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 5:44 AM on July 17, 2015 [3 favorites]


I just can't quit this show.
posted by Dr. Zira at 7:41 AM on July 17, 2015 [5 favorites]


perhaps this makes me a bad person, but I do like Eph better when he's drinking.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 3:33 AM on July 18, 2015


(Note to self: do not sit down to a bowl of spaghetti during The Strain. That opener - with the wormapocalypse? Ugh. Yelling at the TV!)

Yes, this was great/horrifying and I immediately regretted laughing at The Master last season.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:32 PM on July 21, 2015


Gross wormy vomit or not, The Master is still the goofiest looking villain ever.
posted by MsVader at 7:09 PM on September 13, 2015 [1 favorite]


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