I’m surprised that I didn’t write a review for The Strain sooner since I love it. I’m a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro, and his tv series, The Strain, is The Hot Zone meets the vampire apocalypse. The Strain brilliantly taps into the immigrant rich city of New York to give a wealth of stories with mostly riveting characters. The Strain poignantly evokes the past to add a textured urgency to the heroes’ battle, which has not been successfully accomplished since the original X-Men directed by Bryan Singer.
The Strain materializes our subconscious societal fears such as the ruthless lawyer/dangerous mother versus substitute hired mother who unintentionally sacrifices her own child for the well being of her charges; the toddler-like tyranny of the ailing elderly mother as she endangers those who care for her with her deluded demands; the custody battle gone seriously awry; the reckless rock star who can do anything with no consequences; the police arresting two criminals when they are finally protecting others and the guy who instinctually creeps everyone out and always has someone chained up in the basement. del Toro is a master at suspense, character development and tension. He takes scientific jargon then marries it with the superstitions of our ancestors told to us late at night when we were children.
The Strain takes the best parts of the vampire mythology then yanks the rug from underneath our feet just when we think that we understand what is happening. The Strain isn’t perfect, especially Corey Stoll’s “hair” and the obligatory kid with asthma. Also episode 12 had an unnecessary flashback that was scarier to imagine and did not need to be shown, especially since the scene was hauntingly alluded to in episode 2. You may get tired of everyone being dense to what is obviously happening around them and ignoring warnings from people who are constantly right, but I’m willing to sign a waiver on those flaws. If you love vampires, epidemics, apocalypses and del Toro, then The Strain is must see TV, and I can’t wait to start season 2.