The Strain - FX

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Childs

Lifer
Jul 9, 2000
11,313
7
81
The finale was terrible. The should have had the master outright kick their asses than have everyone act really dumb. Hacker chick knows she needs head shots but continues to shoot the nazi in the arms. Old man just starring at the master. He waited so long I was expecting the sun to come down and the master would get a second wind or something. That or the old man was going to die of old age. You would think he would have went all Ninja Scroll on the master, but he let the master pimp slap him...more than once! hahaha And the CDC guy doesn't kill his wife, but shooting her in the arm is what gets him to break his sobriety? Not the city full of vampires with hentai tongues? I dunno, maybe this story just doesn't translate to TV.
 

RPD

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
5,046
550
126
Just watch it on the dvr... Mixed feelings, so sunlight hurts him but doesn't kill him, but only him? Are the elders in the same boat?

That kid.. Needs a back hand. Faking an asthma attack to get pictures??? Because there's no way those are on a computer or cloud drive right? Also don't like how he and his dad are so hesitant about realizing hey SHES NOT HUMAN AND WILL KILL YOU (in regards to the mom).

Maybe I'll pick up the books and finish it before the next season.

(I'll second with why aren't they burning the damn box??)
 
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Skel

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2001
6,213
671
136
Has anyone read the books the show is based on? If so how close does the show follow the books? Oddly this is the first show based on a book I've seen here that the readers haven't come in lording their inside knowledge on.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
Has anyone read the books the show is based on? If so how close does the show follow the books? Oddly this is the first show based on a book I've seen here that the readers haven't come in lording their inside knowledge on.

Think they believed he would go up pretty quick in direct sunlight like the normal ones do.

This other vamp faction doesn't seem to have the same facial deformities that the master and his german buddy do, wonder what the reason for that is?.

Haven't read the books, so don't have any hard details but I imagine there are multiple vamp factions, and the truce is probably something along the lines of so they didn't have to keep killing ech other, controlling the number of vamps in each faction, and prevent wiping out their food supply.

Based on some Wiki and Reddit reading, it appears that the Ancients (including the Master) can really take just about any human shape, because it boils down to what host they took. The Master took a frail host that had gigantism.


Also in the book, they have said the showdown with the Master at that point had been far more up the alley of what we should have expected: they had fought hard with the Master and cut him up quite badly. He escaped by voluntarily jumping out the window, and defiantly stood there exposing that while he burned and smoked, it did not phase him.

The writers of the show kind of screwed it up, but they still gave Setrakian the right attitude at the conclusion. It is difficult to actually land killing blows on his very nimble and strong body, and he appears to have so much strength that he can withstand the power of the sun/UV for extended periods of time. I think it is preferred to NOT burn, but he can handle it for a bit of time.

I imagine if the writers had the master stay on the ground like that simply as a different way to showing defiance. He roared and ran away AFTER the group finally made a move to slay him, but I wonder if that was to signal that he was going to simply stay put simply to fuck with them, until they finally made a move that he needed to evade.

They waited, I'd argue, because they entirely expected that he was dying. I think Setrakian was basically saying last rights of some sort, and he was making a move to land a killing blow when Master finally moved.
Shoddy writing for the moment, and in general the fight scenes have been rather terribly written and choreographed, and some suspect this has budgetary reasons.

Perhaps Season 2 will get some improvements in that regard. Season 1 was probably finalized in script prior to getting the green light for Season 2, so they were probably a little modest in some aspects. They might invest more with further approval.

They haven't given any details about the hunter/bodyguard for the Ancients, but I've surmised that, from some accidental spoiling of details by skimming the wrong sections of wiki, he's got some interesting aspects to his story that I excited to see revealed in the show.
What they haven't really shown is any other members of the crew. I think the chief hunter is unique, whereas the others may simply be sentient vamps under his charge.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
The problem, destrektor, is that if the master is able to withstand the sun for some prolonged period of time, them breaking holes in the windows wouldn't have stopped him dead in his tracks. In fact, the entire showdown was stupid. The master made no moves to actually combat the old guy or Eph and his kid. He just kind of stood their like "um, I'm scary!"

Overall, bad form.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
The problem, destrektor, is that if the master is able to withstand the sun for some prolonged period of time, them breaking holes in the windows wouldn't have stopped him dead in his tracks. In fact, the entire showdown was stupid. The master made no moves to actually combat the old guy or Eph and his kid. He just kind of stood their like "um, I'm scary!"

Overall, bad form.

Well it probably still hurts - he can simply accept it. That's my take.

And again, I think the entire scene was changed from the book. I don't think they went about breaking windows, I think they actively fought the guy. It has been said that they cut him up something fierce, and he escaped the onslaught of knives by jumping through a window and laughed/roared at them while his skin smoked.

Note, I do agree that final showdown was bad form. It would have been much better if they better translated the book scene into the show, but for whatever reason they chose to make it dumb.
 

Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
10,371
762
126
The problem, destrektor, is that if the master is able to withstand the sun for some prolonged period of time, them breaking holes in the windows wouldn't have stopped him dead in his tracks. In fact, the entire showdown was stupid. The master made no moves to actually combat the old guy or Eph and his kid. He just kind of stood their like "um, I'm scary!"

Overall, bad form.

Too be honest, I was expecting more...much more.
I still say this whole season could have been done as a mini-series of 4 hours, and nothing at all would have been lost.

I was waiting for the master to at least kidnap the kid...and for the old man to at least cut an appendage off the master.
Heck, why didn't Mr. exterminator bring more TNT, then toss a few at the master, instead of wasting 2 sticks?

And yeah, the bit about the kid faking he needed his inhaler was down right stupid. Mom! MOM! Mom:moans and groans. Ugh.


Time to see what freak show is all about now.
 
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smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
I am waiting for Freak Show to start, because I haven't seen the previous season and it will be available on Netflix right when it starts (I hope). Then the GF and I can binge watch it while we watch Freak Show.
 

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
13,936
3,231
146
This show is close to being good, but the writing is just plain bad. Goddamn are the special effects cool though.
 

John Connor

Lifer
Nov 30, 2012
22,757
617
121
I don't understand the vamps in the sewer where the light was shing and they couldn't get through. How did they get down through the sun light to begin with?
 

lupi

Lifer
Apr 8, 2001
32,539
260
126
They were in further out portions of the sewer and th open cover prevented them from getting back to the new lair.

And I agree about the final fight as I mentioned, below it was almost purely a result of not being as good of a reproduction from the book than intentionally poorly designed.
 

John Connor

Lifer
Nov 30, 2012
22,757
617
121
They were in further out portions of the sewer and th open cover prevented them from getting back to the new lair.


It looked like there was a wall behind them. I'll have to watch that part again. It's the best part too.

 
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pontifex

Lifer
Dec 5, 2000
43,804
46
91
that whole scene with the vamps and the light from the manhole didn't make sense. yes, they burn in sunlight but its not like instantaneous. I don't see why they couldn't just run through it. they'd be minimally exposed...
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
that whole scene with the vamps and the light from the manhole didn't make sense. yes, they burn in sunlight but its not like instantaneous. I don't see why they couldn't just run through it. they'd be minimally exposed...

For those vamps, I think it is just that they are pretty stupid. They have only their primal instincts left, and no real reasoning abilities. They know "sun hurts, don't touch sun". And, even as the old man stated, it wouldn't hold them forever. Eventually, they'd push through.
 

Childs

Lifer
Jul 9, 2000
11,313
7
81
that whole scene with the vamps and the light from the manhole didn't make sense. yes, they burn in sunlight but its not like instantaneous. I don't see why they couldn't just run through it. they'd be minimally exposed...

It could just be a base animal reaction. The pain must be significantly more than getting shot. Whats strange is that if they saw the manhole and the hunters, the master did as well, but he didn't seem to care. He could have ordered them through, ordered them to go around. Have someone lock the door. lol Its a dumb show in a lot of way, but whatever.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
It could just be a base animal reaction. The pain must be significantly more than getting shot. Whats strange is that if they saw the manhole and the hunters, the master did as well, but he didn't seem to care. He could have ordered them through, ordered them to go around. Have someone lock the door. lol Its a dumb show in a lot of way, but whatever.

We were told the master sees through the eyes of those he controls, but how much and how often hasn't been said. It might take something like intense pain (being attacked or killed) to draw his attention from the dull "omg a human! must feed!" constantly coming from the hundreds (thousands?) of vampires.
 

lupi

Lifer
Apr 8, 2001
32,539
260
126
The basic ones in the office building fried pretty quick in the sun, imagine those at the sewer opening would have the same type of reaction.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
I hope Sausage Fingers McVampire is improved. You'd think with a budget they wouldn't have such a terrible looking main villain.
 

SAWYER

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
16,742
42
91
This show is so cheesy(but like the story) and the master looks like a Jim Henson puppet, I literally lol'd when they first showed him. The vampire hit squad is so corny but I like the show. It hasnt reached Under The Dome or Falling Skies level bad yet so I wont get watching as of now
 
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