The Strain: It Infects the Brain, and Has Gone Down the Drain

Vampires. Such misunderstood fictional creatures and characters.

First you have vamps with porcelain skin that sparkles in the sun, that have no fangs. Then vamps that get pregnant and/or eat full meals. Or, vamps that cry blood and explode into a pile of gore upon their death. But now this!? Vampirism created by a worm, infecting the brain!?

Guillermo Del Toro, WTF!? Are you serious? This is beyond a new take on vampirism, but I'm not here to judge anyone or say the show is crap because it's not. It's just very...off originality. That's all.

Anyway, onto my reviews of seasons 1, 2 and 3 and may I say, that I hold nothing against anyone, especially for the cast for there are amazing actors that I like in this series.

Season 1: The series begins with a plane carrying a load of passengers that were somehow infected with worms (aka vamp worms) that came from an intricately carved wooden coffin filled with those so-called vamp worms. The plane landed with the interior covered with slime and goo, where the majority of the passengers were found dead while a few survived, infected. A team of Scientists from the CDC (Ephraim, Nora, and Jim) were called to the airport to investigate this...occurrence, which of course they couldn't immediately explain or identify.

Was it air born? Transmitted through blood? A contagious virus? Blah-blah-blah. Guesses, guesses.

In the meantime while the CDC are trying to determine the severity of the virus and determine it, an immaculately dressed older man (Thomas Eichhorst) is making his way around until he tracks down and orders a Latino man, (Gus) to steal and transport this coffin across the bridge into NYC. Among new faces introduced, you have a cane yielding Jewish man (Abraham Setrakian) sneaking into the airport to discover that the coffin had already been transported. Along the way, a MASTER revealed his presence as a cloaked Noferatu-like creature with creepy hands, seeking a new body to take up residence in and to contain all his WORMS. Yeah, that's not strange at all.

Days after the plane landed, the virus had fully taken over the bodies of those who survived on the plane, becoming what everyone will know them to be...STRIGOI. The virus then spread through the city through their disgusting tongue-stingers, injecting a "worm" into your system. Not you per say, but you know what I mean. And that gives a whole new definition into too much tongue while kissing. Ugh. It's disgusting. Especially when they experiment on a dead Strigoi, revealing their intestines which gives way to the revelation of how long their stingers really are. All the way down inside and beyond inside their stomach. Eewww! It's horrific. Anyway, characters like Eldritch Palmer; an old man with an incurable disease, were introduced along the way while others were killed off, of course.

Throughout the season, they're dealing with the mass spread of the virus, dealing with the infected roaming through the streets like blood thirsty maniacs. Well, actually they are but that's beside the point here. Also, the show introduces the oldest living Strigoi known as the Ancients who do nothing but sit on their stands in a room with a floor covered in blood, which flows down the drain.

The season ended, drawing in millions of viewers in wanting more. And it worked because myself and others I'm sure, are intrigued.

Season 2: This season continues with the cast, battling against the Strigoi. Blah-blah-blah...yada-yada-yada. Then, while all this is continuing and refreshing everyone's memory, it's revealed that there's a book...the Occido Lumen...a silver bound book with the Master's demise somewhere hidden its pages that, well...no can really read as it's in another language.

The whole season focuses on the search for this Lumen while the Master transfers his WORMS into the body of an ex-rockstar, whose parts flushed down the toilet in season 1. Okay, so no more Nosferatu creature in a cloak. Great.

Let's fast-forward a bit to where a new character is introduced. The mysterious Quinlan; a hybrid Strigoi that can walk and talk in the daylight, but still has the thirst for blood. Not to mention that he's a badass, sword yielding Strigoi. Cool. Throughout the season and in between all of this exciting detail, the Lumen was tracked down and found by Setrakian, who; not to mention, pumps himself and drops in his eyes a teenie-tiny drop of THE WHITE which is nothing but Strigoi blood. What!? No worms, Setrakian? Yeah...never mind.

The season ends with the police gathering those who are willing for a task force, trying to take back NYC and fight back against the Strigoi. All the characters scattered, going their separate ways to do whatever they think is best for themselves.

Season 3: SPOILERS AHEAD

This season is currently aired on FX and is probably going to end in a few episodes, but nothing's changed.

The fight HAS grown bolder. The Strigoi have become smarter and independent, regrouping and populating beneath the streets of NYC. The Master was finally killed by Quinlan by an easy decapitation (too easy) who set out to do what he thinks he was created for, and once the Master's body fell, it revealed a CRIMSON WORM, wiggling its way down the drain to God only knows where. A Crimson Worm is the source of all vampirism. Okay. Whatever.

And how do we know if maybe this worm didn't make its way inside Quinlan when he fell after killing the Master? Good theory that he may be the new Master and no one knows it? Hmm...you never know.

All the while, the Lumen finally revealed a way to block off all or any communication with the other Strigoi from the Master (which leads to my next point further in), and that's to capture it...and place it inside a lead and silver box.

Eph, the "CDC doc" captured a few Strigoi and revealed a ball of worms which look like nothing more than moving rubber bands, inside their brains. Inside their brains people! No experiments will block the connection leaving everyone still fighting against the Strigoi who have over run the streets of NYC to a full blown invasion.

And now, how are Fet (Kevin Durand) and Setrakian going to catch this CRIMSON WORM? Walk through the sewers calling out:

"Here wormie...wormie! We have a nice box for you!"

Hahahaha! Right, sure! But I wouldn't be surprised if it went down something along those lines, especially with Durand's humor. Now, I'm not sure how this season will end, but I guess we'll see what happens in season 4; the final season.

Will the worm be captured or killed?

Will all Strigoi perish?

Can there be a cure out there?

Will Eldritch Palmer finally die!?

And what is NYC's fate?

We will see.

So, next time you have a bad headache, think about what it might be. You just might have a vamp worm wiggling around in your brain. So, grab your heavy boots and/or fly swatter because if you see a CRIMSON WORM wiggling across your path...start stomping and swatting!

I love the show, don't get me wrong and I will be sad when it ends because as I said in the beginning, it's an entirely different take on vampirism and it's successful, so right on!

So all in all...my review of the series is a strong 4 and a half stars! And sadly, the worm gets 0 stars.