The Strain on FX - starts July 13

[Darth Snoopy]

Reading book 3 and **** got real!

Series premier tonight!

 

[Matt S]

Just got home from work; gonna catch the 10p repeat here. Hope its close to the book.

 

[Scareb]

Well......that was pretty meh.

 

[jrice73]

I thought it was pretty damn fun. I would say that first episode was less than a quarter of the first book. With only three books in the trilogy, I'd say this series won't last but three or four seasons. Hopefully, we get to see it all unfold. I loved how the second novel unfolded and led into the third one.

 

[Scareb]

I don't want to get too into it just yet for those who haven't seen it but my biggest gripe was there was no creepiness to it whatsoever. I read the first book in bed before going to sleep and even though I had read the first comic volume before the book, and knowing it was vampires, I was genuinely creeped out. Like hearing strange noises. They left nothing to the imaginstion, especially introducing the master within the first 5 minutes. Probably my favourite part of the first book was the entire airplane part and the events following it.

I know it's your typical "book vs movie/tv complaint" but there's just so much that they changed. It's like FX looks at their audiences as idiots and has to give everything away off the bat otherwise it'll be too confusing for them.

 

[azurepred]

Don't know or care about the books. The first episode was bad ass. It defn had creepy vibes to it. The "cabinet " was super creepy and bad ass looking at the same time. It reminds me of the sideshow reaper. Love the old man too. There is defn a blade 2 vibe going on as well.

 

[jrice73]

Don't know or care about the books. The first episode was bad ass. It defn had creepy vibes to it. The "cabinet " was super creepy and bad ass looking at the same time. It reminds me of the sideshow reaper. Love the old man too. There is defn a blade 2 vibe going on as well.

Yeah, I was thinking I had seen that motif before on a statue from Sideshow. Makes sense cause GDT is such a Sideshow fan too. Agreed on the Blade 2 vibe. Blade needs to show up and send these bloodsuckers straight to hell. David Bradley's Setrakian is fantastic in my opinion. He really captures what makes this old vampire hunter so damn endearing. And his narration is pretty damn cool too.

 

[Scareb]

My gripes with this episode (book spoilers kinda)

Spoiler

Everything is happening way too quickly. It seemed like it had only been a couple of hours since the corpses were taken off the plane before they awoke and returned home. The father had time to have a funeral for his daughter returned home. Also on that note her being able to talk. HATED THAT. I would of been happy with this entire episode just being the first 24 hours and them dealing with everything before events occur but I guess you have to hook people fast as most have the attention span of a gnat. Hated that they showed the master in the first 2 minutes and explained away what happened. Or that he was just lying on the floor in that tunnel. Why can't they simply hide him, have him lurk in the shadows. No one gets a clear view of him in the book for a while. They should of just had the flight crew standing in the galley right before they go silent and say "hey, do you smell dirt/ammonia?". Then again in the tunnel. I liked this part in the sense that they killed off the bishop air traffic guy instead of a random baggage handler. But to have him walk up to this writhing mass. Why not have him in the shadows, guy walks up and all he sees are the masters eyes. His tongue whips out and gets him in the neck, drops to knees. Then on his side as master finishes and you just see one giant fist crush his skull. I was kinda hoping they were gonna send all the bodies to different notches? I know they sent it to a chief medical examiner but can't remember If anywhere else. The chatting via iPad was a good idea and made sense. I wish they had shown the demon like face that showed up on the corpses under blacklight. Setrakian was great in the show. Just as I pictured when I read. I wish the can was actually a staff like sardus as the current one would be useless. Eichorst was also perfectly cast. The eyelids got annoying though and I'm starting to think it will be the new giveaway vampire sign instead of red eyes and unnatural movement.The ditching of the eclipse didn't bother me that much as it only plays a certain real part in the story.

I wish they had given Gus a van with a wall blocking him from the contents. For one it added to the creepiness of what he may be driving and also any cop could of looked past his shoulder and seen the coffin. Last gripe was telling about Jim Kent almost immediately.

I realize that they can only do so much with TV but I just think cramming the first half of the strain into one episode was overkill. I mean we know next to anything about the characters. I also hated that they gave up all that sense of creepiness and suspense and replayed it with shock value reveals.

I'm gonna continue to watch and try to turn off the book in my head.

 

[Matt S]

I don't want to get too into it just yet for those who haven't seen it but my biggest gripe was there was no creepiness to it whatsoever. I read the first book in bed before going to sleep and even though I had read the first comic volume before the book, and knowing it was vampires, I was genuinely creeped out. Like hearing strange noises. They left nothing to the imaginstion, especially introducing the master within the first 5 minutes. Probably my favourite part of the first book was the entire airplane part and the events following it.

I know it's your typical "book vs movie/tv complaint" but there's just so much that they changed. It's like FX looks at their audiences as idiots and has to give everything away off the bat otherwise it'll be too confusing for them.

I have yet to watch this one, going to soon; having read the first two books twice each, I am pretty familiar with the story, and so this is my biggest concern with any adaptation. Introducing the master within 5 min seems way too quick......will let you all know what I think once having seen it

First ten minutes was rough; really cheesey acting and dialogue. it got better, fortunately. Spoilers, so

Spoiler

The master is creepy looking. Don't recall him bashing in heads like that, but it looked cool. he had no reason to prevent the vamp numbers this early on in his overall invasion plans. He does become very numbers driven in book 3 so it does fit. That air traffic controller dude's acting was god awful....

originally I heard Del torro planned this as a 5 year type story, but wonder if that's changed with the FX deal they way they are rushing through the story. Little changes here and there, but nothing really missing. Overall, once we got past the cringe inducing first ten minutes, it was quite enjoyable. Setrakian is perfect . Eph and Nora seems to have decent chemistry. Frankly, if anything, they downplayed the science side of the books a bit too much to my liking. And keep in mind we've not seen the main attraction yet. hope the FX looks great on regular vamps.

On a personal note, I really hope we get flashbacks to a young Setrakian that were in the books. Hell, I can see entire episodes in that past timeframe myself.

 

[Darth Snoopy]

Other than the first episode feeling a bit rushed to me, it was a solid start IMO.

 

[Scareb]

I have yet to watch this one, going to soon; having read the first two books twice each, I am pretty familiar with the story, and so this is my biggest concern with any adaptation. Introducing the master within 5 min seems way too quick......will let you all know what I think once having seen it

First ten minutes was rough; really cheesey acting and dialogue. it got better, fortunately. Spoilers, so

Spoiler

The master is creepy looking. Don't recall him bashing in heads like that, but it looked cool. he had no reason to prevent the vamp numbers this early on in his overall invasion plans. He does become very numbers driven in book 3 so it does fit. That air traffic controller dude's acting was god awful....

originally I heard Del torro planned this as a 5 year type story, but wonder if that's changed with the FX deal they way they are rushing through the story. Little changes here and there, but nothing really missing. Overall, once we got past the cringe inducing first ten minutes, it was quite enjoyable. Setrakian is perfect . Eph and Nora seems to have decent chemistry. Frankly, if anything, they downplayed the science side of the books a bit too much to my liking. And keep in mind we've not seen the main attraction yet. hope the FX looks great on regular vamps.

On a personal note, I really hope we get flashbacks to a young Setrakian that were in the books. Hell, I can see entire episodes in that past timeframe myself.

Spoiler

I believe the bishop basement guy was meant to replace the baggage carrier chick who is the first on the scene and gets weirded out and leaves. Just like bishop, she keeps hearing a buzzing and eventually follows it out back behind some blue rockets or dumpsters where she comes across the masters coffin and I believe it even says the master crushes her head or rips it off. Something to that extent. I like how they handled it inn the show. They crammed so much into that first episode that they didn't need to introduce a new character just to have her killed off.

I'm also hoping we see young setrakian in the camps and some of his backstory. I can't not see them doing it though. It would leave too many unanswered questions.

 

[The Ween]

I really liked it. I'll have to give it a couple more shows though to see if it's worth getting invested in.

 

[amvmm]

I liked it! Already dropped The Last Ship and The Leftovers. It was good to see Sam from Lord of the Rings again!

 

[jrice73]

Spoiler

I believe the bishop basement guy was meant to replace the baggage carrier chick who is the first on the scene and gets weirded out and leaves. Just like bishop, she keeps hearing a buzzing and eventually follows it out back behind some blue rockets or dumpsters where she comes across the masters coffin and I believe it even says the master crushes her head or rips it off. Something to that extent. I like how they handled it inn the show. They crammed so much into that first episode that they didn't need to introduce a new character just to have her killed off.

I'm also hoping we see young setrakian in the camps and some of his backstory. I can't not see them doing it though. It would leave too many unanswered questions.

We will indeed see the flashbacks in the concentration camps as an actor has been cast to play the young Setrakian.

 

[XDUCKETTX]

Solid first episode. Excited to see Lance Henrikson is listed in the credits for voice work (The Master).

 

[jrice73]

Solid first episode. Excited to see Lance Henrikson is listed in the credits for voice work (The Master).

Agreed. With Lance's work years ago On Near Dark, that is too friggin sweet!

 

[Matt S]

Lance as the master's voice? Interesting......and cool.

Trust me all: you digging the show, you will dig the books too!!! Fett (not Boba) will be a very cool character

 

[Scareb]

As I understand it from an article, lance Henrikson isn't the sole voice of the master. They're mixing multiple voices for when he speaks but I believe they said that lance is the more prominent voice.

 

[Matt S]

As I understand it from an article, lance Henrikson isn't the sole voice of the master. They're mixing multiple voices for when he speaks but I believe they said that lance is the more prominent voice.

That makes perfect sense for the master, cool.

 

[rabid_wolf]

from the first episode and upcoming preview I see a lot of parallels and concepts taken from Salem's Lot and modernized (which was one of the scariest and best vampire movies I saw late night on TV as a kid in the 80s)