The most intriguing developments are still coming from that aforementioned strigoi squad, led by the highly capable Quinlan (Stephen McHattie). Their background gets fleshed out a little more, and the unholy alliance being forged between them, Setrakian and poor, usually extraneous Gus (Miguel Gomez) works oddly well. There’s a terrifically daft sequence in the third episode that involves them storming an enemy-controlled building and clinging, like gun-toting bats, to the bottom of a rising elevator. It’s that kind of visual that makes The Strain truly solid popcorn viewing.
Needless to say, people aren’t tuning in for master-class acting, and the performances are just as hit-and-miss as they were last year. The scariest aspect of The Strain is still probably Corey Stoll’s hair, and though it looked like his protagonist Eph Goodweather was about to descend into self-destructive alcoholism at the end of last season, the series seems more concerned with advancing the overall plot than carving out a deep arc for him (which seems like the smart play, given how many characters are infinitely more interesting than Eph at this point). Stoll wears the role well, but still unremarkably.
Most of the other actors are sturdy enough, though Max Charles, replacing Ben Hyland in the role of Eph’s son Zack, isn’t given much to do other than whine and pout, an unfortunate turn given how he seemed to be starting to develop a thicker skin toward the end of the first season. As Gus, Gomez also seems to be struggling with some of the more ridiculous lines, though it’s hard to fault the actor given just how ridiculous some of the material he’s given really is.
The only actors who are consistently great to watch are Bradley, playing up his Van Helsing veteran for every last dignified one-liner, and Kevin Durand and Ruta Gedmintas as Vasiliy and Dutch, who display a surprisingly heated chemistry as they grow closer. And in a smaller capacity, Richard Sammel’s Eichorst does smirking nastiness better than almost any other character on television right now. Those four are on The Strain‘s tempo every step of the way.
Still, the actors are all going to get on board eventually, and it’s great to see The Strain embracing its more lurid, sensational side. A vampire pandemic thriller set in modern New York City is inherently conducive to some absolutely crazy sequences, and with less misplaced solemnity waterlogging the proceedings, the show will hopefully start to maximize its adrenaline rushes and carry out its most gruesome visions.
