The Strain

I’m not saying it’s bad, but it's not exactly good either – just average. What annoyed me the most was that I kept feeling like I’d seen it all before. For instance, the beginning with the dead plane is practically the same as Dracula's arrival in London in the 1992 movie starring Gary Oldman, the vampire killer is indistinguishable from Van Helsing and the main monster looks like the original Nosferatu. Plus, there are the standard clichés and illogicalities in the plot, which aren’t doing the series any favors. My personal gripe is that the creators didn't even bother to use the correct rank in the concentration camp scenes – an officer with the rank of major is addressed as a colonel. I know it's not a huge mistake but it was unnecessary. The only thing I liked in the whole first season was Corey Stoll's full head of hair. Otherwise, it’s an easy watch, which is okay with your brain switched off. (17.01.2017)

The first three episodes made me feel like I was going to see a significant improvement over the first season, but from the fourth episode onwards the quality dropped back down to what I was used to. Admittedly, there is a significant increase in action but there are also perplexing logic holes. The season deals with relationships that I don't care about as I basically couldn’t care less about any of the characters. The only person I find likable is Fet the exterminator. I don't know what went wrong, but the word "moron" seemed to light up over the heads of all the other positive characters. The plot stagnated like trench warfare and all the actions of those bright fellows were disgustingly predictable. (19.01.2017)

Unlike the episodes of the first series, I liked the first episode of the second season much more. I guess I got used to all the characters, who didn't seem good or original to me before, and the plot also had a more original impression on me. (17.01.2017)

After the second episode of the second season, satisfaction continues as after watching the previous episode, the plot seamlessly continues, the story develops, only it seems to me that the logic is lacking, the streets are full of people, yet some are desperately hiding in warehouses - strange. (17.01.2017)

I was basically satisfied with the third episode, the plot maintains its pace, I also liked the idea with the dropper, I just didn't understand the visit of Dutch to his ex's mother. This action seemed to me like a filler for free minutes. (17.01.2017)

The fifth episode of the second season brought more action, but also more logical inconsistencies. I somehow missed the meaning of shaving my head so that nobody would recognize the famous doctor from the CDC in me, and then waving the CDC ID card at every document check. Similarly, it seems strange to me why they dress in protective suits when dealing with ordinary infected individuals, but then touch and even kiss a relative who is also infected with their bare hands, really peculiar. (17.01.2017)

The sixth episode of the second season didn't impress me at all. Corey Stoll is terribly bald, his mission to expand the vampire anti-vermin is extremely unbelievable, and it mainly just involves repetitive beheading and brain-shooting. Even the wolf-spider pack is starting to tire me because they still haven't gotten Zach, who is not only annoying but can only be accurately described by the fitting English word "ugly." The plotline with Gus and Angel seems a bit unnecessary to me, it seems like the show creators didn't have anything to fill in the gaps. (18.01.2017)

The seventh episode is characterized by a heavy stagnation. It seems like something is constantly happening, but the story actually doesn't progress, and everyone talks a lot about nothing. Every time someone turns over a stone, a new or rediscovered character emerges from underneath, and the whole episode felt quite boring to me. (18.01.2017)

The eighth episode once again didn't bring anything new, the plot continues to go in circles without any progress. The writers try to improve the atmosphere of the series by weaving various intrigues, but in the end, none of it really works. Additionally, the number of characters is apparently too large, so not all of them can fit into one episode, and the plot is unnecessarily stretched out. It seems like it's high time for a few characters to meet a heroic death. (19.01.2017)

The biggest highlight of the ninth episode is the different opening credits and theme song, otherwise it is just misery and suffering. Red Hook is so perfectly isolated that no one can get into it except for someone who is so brilliant that they can get an inflatable mattress, land completely without any problems, and for example, shut down a vital power plant if they can get past the strong defense of four bored security guards. I won't even talk about the tactics of the security forces in the fight against the infected crowd... (19.01.2017)

The tenth episode is not as stupid compared to the previous part, but that does not mean it is good. It seems to me that the creators are unable to come up with a decent plot, so we have the main storyline, but all the side storylines seem unnecessary. The heroes always leave their hideout with a goal, there is some shooting, head chopping, and nothing important happens to anyone, the goal of the expedition is not achieved, and in the end, everyone gathers again at Feta's place. I used to watch the first season of Lost and it was similar there. (19.01.2017)

The eleventh episode was basically unnecessary, except for the funny retro passage with Eichhorst. The villain kidnaps one of the heroines, and during the pineapple scene, we can reminisce about the movie "9 1/2 Weeks". Even though he threatens her by humiliatingly sucking out her intimate parts, he traditionally fails disgracefully, and everything turns out well in the end. (19.01.2017)

The twelfth episode focuses more on the relationships between the main characters, which unfortunately I am not interested in at all because I truly don't care who will be sharing a bed with whom. I am more interested in a significant shift in the plot, but the story has gotten stuck in its own tail like an Uroboros. A glimmer of hope may have appeared with the incorporation of Gus's storyline into the main stream, well, we will see. (19.01.2017)

I didn't expect to give the thirteenth episode three stars after the previous experiences, but I did it with enthusiasm because Ugly Boy finally caused the death of someone from the main cast. On the other hand, I was surprised that the plot in the last episode of the series moved forward so insignificantly. (19.01.2017)