Booga, booga, boo!!!! Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night? Are you a fan of the frightful tales of vampires and creepy Science Fiction? If you said yes to any of this then I am happy to point out that this evening finds the return of “The Strain” which starts its second season on the FX Network tonight. I’ve used the same poster as the first season post so scroll down and read more about the shows premise and then I will return.
The Premise:
A plane lands at John F. Kennedy International Airport with the lights off and the doors sealed. CDC epidemiologist Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), Dr. Nora Martinez, and their team are sent to investigate. On board they find 206 corpses and four survivors. The situation deteriorates when all the bodies disappear from the morgue. Goodweather and a small group of helpers find themselves battling to protect not only their own loved ones, but the entire city, from an ancient threat to humanity.
Cast and Characters: Main
Corey Stoll as Dr. Ephraim “Eph” Goodweather, the head of the CDC Canary Team in New York City
David Bradley as Professor Abraham Setrakian, a Holocaust survivor turned New York pawn-shop owner
Mía Maestro as Dr. Nora Martinez, a member of the CDC Canary Team
Kevin Durand as Vasiliy Fet, a once-solitary rat exterminator of Ukrainian descent
Jonathan Hyde as Eldritch Palmer, an elderly billionaire invalid
Richard Sammel as Thomas Eichhorst, an undead vampire acolyte of the Master
Sean Astin as Jim Kent, a CDC administrator who works with Eph and Nora
Jack Kesy as Gabriel Bolivar, a philandering rock star
Natalie Brown as Kelly Goodweather, Eph’s estranged wife
Miguel Gomez as Augustin “Gus” Elizalde
Ben Hyland (season 1) and Max Charles (season 2) as Zach Goodweather
Ruta Gedmintas as Dutch Velders, an internet hacker
Recurring Cast:
Pedro Miguel Arce as Felix, Gus’ friend.
Adriana Barraza as Guadalupe Elizalde, Crispin and Gus’ mother.
Anne Betancourt as Mariela Martinez
Inga Cadranel as Diane, a Brooklyn native and Kelly’s best friend.
Francis Capra as Crispin Elizalde, Gus’s brother
Roger Cross as Mr. Fitzwilliam, Palmer’s caregiver and head of security
Jayden Greig as Keene Luss, Joan Luss’ son.
Leslie Hope as Joan Luss, an attorney and one of the outbreak’s few survivors
Daniel Kash as Dr. Everett Barnes, the director of the CDC.
Regina King as Ruby Wain, Bolivar’s intelligent and accomplished manager
Robert Maillet (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes) as the Master, an ancient vampire
Stephen McHattie as Mr. Quinlan, the head of a band of undead hunters.
Melanie Merkosky as Sylvia Kent, Jim Kent’s cancer-stricken wife.
Drew Nelson as Matt Sayles, Kelly Goodweather’s live-in boyfriend.
Chloe O’Malley as Audrey Luss, Joan Luss’ daughter.
Jonathan Potts as Captain Doyle Redfern, pilot of the flight and one of the outbreak’s few survivors.
Kim Roberts as Neeva, Joan Luss’ nanny and housekeeper.
Nikolai Witschl as Ansel Barbour, one of the outbreak’s few survivors.
Joaquín Cosío as Angel Guzman Hurtado, known as “The Silver Angel”
PiercingMetal Thoughts: Alright. I only knew about “The Strain” from my compatriot Skeleton Pete so I thank him for making sure I was on point for the first episode when it originally aired. Now as far as this show goes I can only say, holy mother of wowzawow, what a creepy and spookifying thrill ride this was. For those who don’t know much about it I will not spoil it for you but will say that it does feature a very unique and interesting take on vampirism. This is not “True Blood” and thankfully no where near “The Vampire Diaries” either. Instead this is a show that often found me on the edge of my couch cushions screaming “no, no, no, no!!!” as activity played out and cast members went not so boldly into that dark night. If you are a fan of jolting horror, this is a great one and its timed perfect since “Penny Dreadful” just finished its second season on Showtime. Fans of the genre please find a friend who has Showtime and offer them pizza and beer or soda depending on your age so you can watch this show too. I will be tuning in for sure on Sunday night and you should too. If you watched this series with the first season I would love to hear your thoughts and while I have embedded the Wiki link for the program I advise against clicking it on the night it airs to avoid plot spoilers.
Official Wiki Entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Strain_%28TV_series%29