[The Strain] New York is full of Draculas

Harry Dresden

The Strain is a new tv series from FX. It's an adaption from a novel series of the same name by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro. Yes, the director who did the Hellboy movies and Pacific Rim. The series starts off by a plane landing in New York with its passengers and flight crew dying from a mysterious virus and it's up to the Fringe Division CDC to investigate.

Here's the thread to talk about the mysteries within mysteries the show gives us, speculations on the vampires (or whatever they are) and everything else pertaining to the series.

Posters can discuss the books but they must be kept in spoilers about the books separate from tv spoilers. Tv watchers don't need to know that shit if they don't want to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiN8Edb4X2w

Bubby

Premiere was great. Good to see Sean Astin getting work again, and several scenes were signature Del Toro. Looking forward to Robin Atkin Downes aka Kaz from MGS hamming it up as "The Master".

BloodySloth

I was waiting for a thread on this, but didn't have the ambition to make an OP myself.

The first episode was badical and, perhaps, too cool for school. I love the mix of old school dracula monsterness with enough weird new horror to freshen up the entire concept.

Jam Warrior

Ooh. Didn't know this was getting a series. I wonder how long before it hits the UK.

Also if it keeps going I hope it veers away from the second book ending and third book. Talk about going off the rails.

ICUb

First episode was really good! They've set up an interesting story/mythology, can't wait to see it expanded on.

Mojo_Jojo

Well, it can't be any worse than the books!

AManFromEarth

Jam Warrior wrote: »

Ooh. Didn't know this was getting a series. I wonder how long before it hits the UK.

Also if it keeps going I hope it veers away from the second book ending and third book. Talk about going off the rails.

Del Toro said the big events from the books will happen in the show, but he'll let the show get there units own time.

Which.

Hrmmph

BloodySloth

As far as I understand, The Strain was always supposed to be a show, and he only wrote the books to get the support necessary to convince someone to do the story on TV.

Apothe0sis

"You touch your face once every 3 minutes"

I counted, only three face touches across all characters over 65 minutes.

I also counted and I only touched my face 3 times.

#jussayin

Echo

In 2006, del Toro pitched The Strain as a television series, but negotiations broke down when the network president at Fox Broadcasting Company asked him to make it a comedy.

Fox. 8->

Trace

I... can't imagine how that conversation went.

Marauder

Echo wrote: »

In 2006, del Toro pitched The Strain as a television series, but negotiations broke down when the network president at Fox Broadcasting Company asked him to make it a comedy.

Fox. 8->

This....that.....that cant have really happened, could it? I mean, how can you be the president of any broadcast network and think thats a good idea??

Harry Dresden

Marauder wrote: »

Echo wrote: »

In 2006, del Toro pitched The Strain as a television series, but negotiations broke down when the network president at Fox Broadcasting Company asked him to make it a comedy.

Fox. 8->

This....that.....that cant have really happened, could it? I mean, how can you be the president of any broadcast network and think thats a good idea??

It is Fox.

NotYou

I enjoyed the premier but had one major problem. WTF was with the guy doing the autopsies of people that mysteriously died, not wearing a hazmat suit, all alone, and not I dunno... AT THE CDC IN A LOCKED ROOM WITH TONS OF SCIENTISTS WEARING PROTECTIVE GEAR. Apparently wear this guy works, no one is working the front desk to notice a few hundred zombies just wandering out the door. So lame.

Kyougu

There were tons of logic gaps in the pilot.

I'm usually not one to be bothered by stuff like that, but man, there were a lot of examples of people acting a certain way just to push the plot along.

Fakefaux

I read the first book but never picked up the others because the main characters were frightfully dull. From the reviews I'm seeing for the pilot that hasn't changed much.

Big Dookie

I also read the first book, but haven't bothered with the other ones because I've heard some bad things.

That said, I always felt it would make a better TV Shoe or Movie than a novel, so I'm glad to see it. I thought the premiere was pretty okay. I hope they aren't afraid to make their own show independent of the books.

Apothe0sis

How are we supposed to feel about the gangsta/delivery man?

It seems like we're supposed to think he's sort of an ok dude/is a diamond in the rough because he cares about his family.

But he seems exceptionally obnoxious to me,

And why do they insist on putting kids in shows for family drama times? Who ever finds them anything but a chore? Do we identify more with the protagonist because he has a child?

tinwhiskers

I feel the show maybe played out its hand a little fast in the pilot. There's not a lot of mystery left here. You've seen the monster, you know what it is (Vampire-Zombie), you've seen the 'old guy who knows the truth', the evil guys he fought before, you know the reason the old guys are doing it, the "I don't have time for this shit" protagonist and his "won't that bitch feel stupid for leaving me for another man when she see how potent I am" wife.

Windburn

tinwhiskers wrote: »

I feel the show maybe played out its hand a little fast in the pilot. There's not a lot of mystery left here. You've seen the monster, you know what it is (Vampire-Zombie), you've seen the 'old guy who knows the truth', the evil guys he fought before, you know the reason the old guys are doing it, the "I don't have time for this shit" protagonist and his "won't that bitch feel stupid for leaving me for another man when she see how potent I am" wife.

I actually prefer when shows do that. It reassures me when they get the obvious plot steps out of the way early. That's not to say they won't drop the ball after that, but I'd rather not be awaiting the seemingly inevitable for several seasons.

electricitylikesme

Windburn wrote: »

tinwhiskers wrote: »

I feel the show maybe played out its hand a little fast in the pilot. There's not a lot of mystery left here. You've seen the monster, you know what it is (Vampire-Zombie), you've seen the 'old guy who knows the truth', the evil guys he fought before, you know the reason the old guys are doing it, the "I don't have time for this shit" protagonist and his "won't that bitch feel stupid for leaving me for another man when she see how potent I am" wife.

I actually prefer when shows do that. It reassures me when they get the obvious plot steps out of the way early. That's not to say they won't drop the ball after that, but I'd rather not be awaiting the seemingly inevitable for several seasons.

Yeah I found this to be a feature, not a bug. It was all "hey guys, we actually know what the score is in our show and aren't just making it up as we go". Plots with momentum are good - if you introduce all that stuff over a couple of episodes then it's a chore because you just know there'll be a big monster and some white guys at the top waiting for their cut.

Harry Dresden

Apothe0sis wrote: »

How are we supposed to feel about the gangsta/delivery man?

It seems like we're supposed to think he's sort of an ok dude/is a diamond in the rough because he cares about his family.

But he seems exceptionally obnoxious to me,

And why do they insist on putting kids in shows for family drama times? Who ever finds them anything but a chore? Do we identify more with the protagonist because he has a child?

He's gotta be expendable. I don't see him living very long.

Harry Dresden

tinwhiskers wrote: »

I feel the show maybe played out its hand a little fast in the pilot. There's not a lot of mystery left here. You've seen the monster, you know what it is (Vampire-Zombie), you've seen the 'old guy who knows the truth', the evil guys he fought before, you know the reason the old guys are doing it, the "I don't have time for this shit" protagonist and his "won't that bitch feel stupid for leaving me for another man when she see how potent I am" wife.

There's a mystery, it's only not about what that is entirely. The pilot showed up what he looked like, partially, and that there are other monsters in the city in a corporation. We don't know that entity's name, what their motive is and what exactly they're doing with the passengers.

Dac

Oh man. This is actually pretty good.

From some of the promotional material I thought this was going to be some Last Ship oh-no-disease-wipes-out-the-world thing.

And then spooky monsters happened!

I'm hype! This is like Hellboy-style supernatural shit, only in a weekly TV series. Hell yes, I need this in my life.

see317

Just watched the first episode via on demand, followed quickly by setting the DVR to pick it up as it airs.
Looks like it ought to be a fun way to put the monster back in vampires.

Cabezone

I will say this as a book reader...the mystery is not that there are vampires...it's HOW there are vampires.

Cabezone

Just FYI....they plan on 3-5 seasons...3 books...if ratings tank I expect 3 seasons...if it's popular..I expect 5.

Cabezone

see317 wrote: »

Just watched the first episode via on demand, followed quickly by setting the DVR to pick it up as it airs.
Looks like it ought to be a fun way to put the monster back in vampires.

I've always preferred the monster vampires.

Cabezone

Apothe0sis wrote: »

How are we supposed to feel about the gangsta/delivery man?

It seems like we're supposed to think he's sort of an ok dude/is a diamond in the rough because he cares about his family.

But he seems exceptionally obnoxious to me,

And why do they insist on putting kids in shows for family drama times? Who ever finds them anything but a chore? Do we identify more with the protagonist because he has a child?

You feel how you feel.

Minor Book spoilers:

Most of the characters are not real heroes. Just folks living their lives. Delivery dude is a pain in the ass, so is the main character.

As for your last question...yes...many people identify more with characters with children.

tinwhiskers

Cabezone wrote: »

I will say this as a book reader...the mystery is not that there are vampires...it's HOW there are vampires.

???
...I'm gonna guess it's the worms.

Nobody

DVRed the first episode to watch with the wife, was initially worried she may have issues with it

That is until:

the vampire kills the guy in the airport and then zoidbergs away (her words on that one).

Dac

Nobody wrote: »

DVRed the first episode to watch with the wife, was initially worried she may have issues with it

That is until:

the vampire kills the guy in the airport and then zoidbergs away (her words on that one).

Okay, well, I'm never getting that out of my head now.

Harry Dresden

Dac wrote: »

Nobody wrote: »

DVRed the first episode to watch with the wife, was initially worried she may have issues with it

That is until:

the vampire kills the guy in the airport and then zoidbergs away (her words on that one).

Okay, well, I'm never getting that out of my head now.

That scene was amazing.

Echo

Nobody wrote: »

DVRed the first episode to watch with the wife, was initially worried she may have issues with it

That is until:

the vampire kills the guy in the airport and then zoidbergs away (her words on that one).

Either vampire guy has anger issues, or it was to prevent him from rising as a vampire himself or something.

WOOP WOOP WOOP WOOP

Dac

I assumed the vampire-thing did that to hide the fact that what killed the people on the plane was still out there. Destroying the neck along with the head hides its mark pretty well, and might confuse the unwary long enough to allow it to slip out.

Crayon

Cabezone wrote: »

see317 wrote: »

Just watched the first episode via on demand, followed quickly by setting the DVR to pick it up as it airs.
Looks like it ought to be a fun way to put the monster back in vampires.

I've always preferred the monster vampires.

Yeah, if this turns out to be more Nosferatu and less Twilight I'll be happy. I didn't particularly enjoy the opener, but it does have potential at least. In as much as I love Del Toro, I never read the book and the show didn't make me really want to read it either.

Nobody

Echo wrote: »

Nobody wrote: »

DVRed the first episode to watch with the wife, was initially worried she may have issues with it

That is until:

the vampire kills the guy in the airport and then zoidbergs away (her words on that one).

Either vampire guy has anger issues, or it was to prevent him from rising as a vampire himself or something.

WOOP WOOP WOOP WOOP

didn't the old guy tell them to cut the heads off the corpses? I'd figure he didn't want to reveal himself by leaving a new vampire outside of the plane victims.

see317

And guess who just got the trilogy of books when he stopped to pick up some laundry detergent.
If you guessed see317, you're right.

Now I have to decide if I should read them and be spoiled as to the show, or watch the show and be spoiled on the books.
First World Problems.

DasUberEdward

hm guess i'll watch this tonight

Apothe0sis

Vampire nazis taunting elderly badass jews about deities undermines the gravitas of both.

Edit: Also it is amusing that both the vampire nazi and the hispanic family call each other "Jew".

Naphtali

I'm honestly surprised it took the entire episode to get back to the "gee what happened at the morgue?" plot