The Strain (FX Series)

[High Priest Mikhal]

If you've not heard of this show, it's on FX. The premise is that an airliner from Europe lands with 206 of the passengers dead and four survivors. Onboard was an unlisted box covered in raised death motifs containing soil--or rather, something inside the soil. What's odd is that the dead are completely exsanguinated (i.e., sucked dry of blood), there's some sort of organic substance on the bodies that fluoresces under black light, an overwhelming smell of ammonia, and there are worms found in the cargo hold. Transparent worms that also infest the dead passengers and feed on hemoglobin (that's the iron-carrying substance in blood). Unfortunately the dead don't stay that way. Even bits and pieces, like, say, the heart (watch the first episode and you'll see what I mean).

Obviously it's a vampire show and one I have to give the creators and original author of the novel A's for originality for. Vampires as literal parasites, worm-like protrusions to suck blood instead of old-hat fangs, some real science behind what's going on. Personally, this is the first real vampire show I've taken seriously since Twilight; no shiny vampires here, just the ugliness of the old legends.

[Jal]

The vampires remind me a bit of 30 Days of Night, in that they're more feral, but really--they're unlike any other vampires. They're really unique, and the characters are great.

[High Priest Mikhal]

A year later the show took some really disappointing turns before the first season ended. The Master looks like a folklore vampire when they could have gone for real originality with something more like a humanoid worm. Interfering with all satellite-based communication networks (cell phones, Internet service) for Manhattan alone without affecting other systems is actually impossible in the modern infrastructure unless you blow the satellites themselves out of space. And the story took on a snail's pace in terms of substantial developments. I know they renewed it for a second season, but I won't be watching it. My suspension of disbelief took too many hits.

[Vorcoth]

They're the exact same vampires Del Toro used in Blade 2, just with worms and a longer tentacle-tongue. Original? Sure. But he's used them before in his other work.

The show is very well-written and a very well-acted.

I've just never been a big fan of science-vampires, and the vampires in this show are more like zombies, in my opinion - brainless, hideous, herky-jerky. With the exception of the master vampire, who isn't brainless or herky-jerky.

[Jal]

They're similar to the vampires from Blade II, but they're not the same.