Unfortunately the show itself just didn't hold up, and fell apart due to a plethora of individual failings, the foremost being dismal characterization. The monsters (zombies, vampires, what-have-you) had about the same emotional appeal as half the cast. It fell into many of the same trappings as The Walking Dead, (at the very least the first season, the only one I made it through) an easy comparison due to the subject matter. The characters were far from entertaining but the script nevertheless plunged their individual problems into the forefront repeatedly regardless. With both shows, the only entertaining aspect is the monsters themselves, and any of the living and conscious on the screen made you long for the dead.
There's a lesson to learn from this show that all script writers, especially those in the horror genre, should take note of; unless you're watching a show that's specifically character driven, the individual lives and issues of the characters are going to quickly make the viewer lose interest unless they in some way advance the plot in relation to the monsters. The viewer knows what they're getting into, and zombies/vampires is the name of the game - not the protagonist's agonizingly tedious divorce proceedings. I understand the characters need some degree of depth, but it breaks that show-don't-tell rule or storytelling - I don't want you to explain to me flat-out the man's traits, I want to see them come through and develop on their own in relation to the main plot, the one with the monsters and the horrible evil strain of disease, worms and nightmare fuel.
Each character is given their backstory, never interesting and rarely relevant. Lets take the doctor; named Ephraim Goodweather (I actually have just learned that now, and his name is undoubtedly the most interesting part of his persona) he's a recent divorcee, struggling to maintain his relationship with his now ex-wife and son as he battles his alcohol addiction and difficulties entertaining the audience. The first few episodes drone on about these problems, but quickly become such a non-issue and so far from the plot-line you could easily have missed the entirety of these developments and not only still follow the story but maintain an equal level of understanding. The same trappings follow for the other doctor, Nora Martinez. Her mother, suffering from the old-age-crazies, is put in a home and... and... you know, I believe I may have just tuned out the majority of it. I've watched the whole season and remember little more than that one fact about her. It wouldn't be such a tragedy if it weren't for the fact these side-plots have taken up a tremendous level of airtime for the program.
The rest of the cast fares no better, chock-full of almost comical stereotypes. First, the main evil is a former (maybe current?) Nazi, and leader in the infamous Stoneheart Group. Yes, the Stoneheart Group - I believe they may be an affiliate of Evil Inc. and a conglomerate with Antagonists 'R' Us.
Then there's Augustin Elizalde, the Mexican gangster who hangs with his homies and is fresh out of juvy, but also loves his mother and brother - a role that's been played by so many in exactly the same way he could be systematically crafted from clips from other television programs. All he's missing is having all but the top button on his plaid shirt buttoned up, but instead he opts simply for the typical gangster white wife-beater. There's also the emo-rocker; disrespectful and dark, long black hair and pale. We've all seen this character back in high school, but the difference in the show this time is he has found success in his lifetime. The last of these offences is a personal favourite. Stereotypes in television have been so powerfully engrained that the idea of "throwing the idea on it's head" and having it as the opposite of what's expected has become a stereotype in and of itself. This is seen through the hacker - but wait! He's not a fat slob who lives in a basement? It's not even a he?! It's, in fact, a hot blonde British woman!?
Sheesh.
Now, if the plot was a little better it could make up for some of the atrocious character creation, but unfortunately it has a few slips and falls along the way in that regard as well.
Namely;
Namely;
1. The aforementioned stereotype-breaking-but-still-stereotypical blonde chick actually has somehow broken the internet. I believe the writers may have been taking the IT Crowd too literally.
2. The vampires vary in killing quality so frequently to the point it's a little ridiculous. While often times they're super strong and shoot their tongue-infecting attack with pinpoint accuracy, it seems to have serious difficulties hitting main characters - or even trying to hit main characters, for that matter. In the season finale, they were literally standing in front of them waiting to be dismembered.
3. This rag-tag bunch of misfits that have gotten together are all remarkably accurate with firearms. "Aim for the head!" has been a stunningly easy rule to follow.
4. Apparently technology is the only means of communication and the city seems incredibly calm in spite of the world-ending circumstances surrounding it. Looting seems at a minimum, and the resistance fighters are limited to apparently just the main characters. In a country where guns are only as far as your nearest Walmart, you would think they'd be able to find a few like-minded individuals who don't yet wish to see the world burn.
5. The complete denial of the vampires by the citizenship for the first half of the season is beyond baffling. The best example? Our Mexican friend clubs a vampire over the head as it's busy giving his brother a nasty tongue-lashing (infected tongue pun!). Upon finding the corpse - a monstrosity that hardly resembles a human - the cops are seemingly more concerned with the minority committing a violent crime and take him to jail. As for the other corpse, the man the gangster tried to save, we presume the cops turn to each other and say "man, these meth-heads look weirder every day."
6. The sheer fact that the army has not yet been involved in any shape or form is maybe just a little questionable. Considering a bunch of civilians have taken down a great number of these things singlehandedly with hardly a loss, you would think just a handful of trained professionals would be able to wipe this clean in a manner of minutes. Perhaps the Stoneheart Group is more far-reaching than we had thought? I'm suspecting a connection to Jack Donaghy and the Sheinhardt Wig Company.
7. This is hardly a plot failing, but at one point when the doctor is on the lamb from the government, he goes incognito by donning a toque. That's it. Just throws on a toque, and suddenly he's in disguise. Perhaps everyone just thought he was Canadian.
8. The main doctor's child is the most unshakeable kid on the planet. He has seen the end of his livelihood, people murdered before his very eyes, and now the shooting of his suddenly vampiric mother. Only the last one has made him tear up a little. My prediction is he is secretly a zen-master, waiting to unleash a flurry of punches while imparting ancient wisdom. It's only slightly more far-fetched than number nine on this list.
9. Seriously, that girl broke the internet.
For all its failings - and there are many - The Strain does have a few things going for it. It does a decent job at building intrigue; a small band of professional and seemingly good-guy vampires is an interesting angle, and the main monster's intentions I could stand to learn a touch more about. These are things I wish to see more of, rather than delving further into the court-cases of our doctor's custody battle. The zombification of the mother in the family is the greatest blessing to this show as it (likely) ends that story arc. Although, perhaps, a spin-off series of a vampire mother fighting to keep her son might just work. We can call it Mombie - "she wants brains - but also her kids back!".
I did mention earlier something critical to the horror genre. People don't flock to it for the characters. Yes, movies like 28 Days Later can add a plot to it and turn good into great, but at the core if I'm tuning in I want to see some blood and gore and move on with my day. When it actually does come though with it, The Strain is a friendly reminder of just how far television has come. The monsters look great, the gore is at least fairly realistic, and the production quality reminds you of a movie more often than not. If you subtract the rather goofy-looking main evil, it looks pretty top notch. In truth, he looks a little like what the hacker should have been.
