THE STRAIN Is Contagious

Article originally published as THE STRAIN Review on Seat42F.

FX has done it again with THE STRAIN. What I mean by that is they’ve got yet another well-developed series full of fascinating characters, engaging stories, and an original premise. THE STRAIN does feel like many vampire movies of a certain vein (think: Blade), but there is absolutely nothing like it currently on TV, meaning there is no pattern for it to follow as it unfurls. This makes for a rich, unpredictable mix of ingredients which already feel special before they’re fully cooked.

THE STRAIN is based on a trilogy of novels co-written by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy), who is working on the show, too, having directed the first episode and writing screenplays for it. His style, creepy and dark, is prevalent throughout the pilot, “Night Zero,” which takes place in a single night. There is definitely a clear voice behind the narrative, one infused with talent and flair, and that comes through right away. If this quality can be maintained, the series should easily find its audience.

THE STRAIN begins on a plane. Something is lurking in the cargo hold that should not be, and by the time the machine touches down on the tarmac, all is silent on board. The CDC, led by Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll, House of Cards), among other agencies, swarm to investigate. What they find is a horrific situation that baffles their greatest minds and has no clear cause or prevention. Will they be able to start to unravel the mysteries before the situation spirals out of hand? Hard to tell, since the plot rockets away in the first hour, already moving quite rapidly.

They may get some help from a seasoned veteran of the ancient battle, Abraham Setrakian (David Bradley, Harry Potter, Broadchurch). Abraham appears to be a Holocaust survivor who has known his war isn’t over, but has been satisfied with the long cease-fire. He is compelled to come out of retirement when he senses the game is once more afoot, but since he is a grizzled old man with a thick accent, it might be hard for him to get the attention of anyone that cares.

Ephraim and Abraham seem to be our two primary heroes, and they could not be any more different, making it unlikely they’ll become fast partners, but that’s OK. This isn’t your typical two-people-stop-a-baddie formula. Instead, it appears a massive war is being teed up in the heart of New York City, a very populous place, making Abraham and Ephraim but two players in a larger plot, the focus in a vast scope. They may not even spend all that much time together, though both will probably be needed in whatever solution emerges in the end.

Both men are introduced in very telling scenes, showing different sides of their personas. We first see Ephraim rushing, perpetually late, to a custody meeting with his wife, Kelly (Natalie Brown, Bitten), whom he doesn’t want to let go, but whom he’s already lost. Abraham, meanwhile, takes down two thugs (one of whom is played by Veronica Mars’ Francis Capra, a recurring player here) who seek to rob him. Both of these show the men in ways we probably won’t always see them throughout the series, but tell us something inherent to their personalities, so is a cool way to begin with them.

The villains are complex, too, though less fleshed out from the start. Eldritch Palmer (Jonathan Hyde, Titanic) is the wealthy benefactor who lures the danger towards the Big Apple. He is assisted by the cold Thomas Eichhorst (Richard Sammel, Inglorious Basterds) and, strangely enough, a Latino street gang. They have a plan and have had time to carefully enact it, meaning the good guys are starting a few steps behind, so it may just be too late to stop Palmer.

With a terrific cast that also includes Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings), Mia Maestro (Alias), Kevin Durand (Lost), Ben Hyland (House of Cards), Jack Kesy (Morgan), and Miguel Gomez, it’s one of the most intriguing pilots I’ve seen this summer. The mythology is obviously carefully mapped out and it is genuinely scary, with major characters and countless extras sure to die in the coming weeks in this incredibly dangerous world. Watching THE STRAIN feels like viewing a grand film, rather than a TV show, with great visual effects and a large sense of purpose and drive. The story is finite and it’s going somewhere. I’m excited to see what that destination is.

THE STRAIN airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on FX beginning July 13^th.

BITTEN In a Good Way

Article first written for Seat42F.

SyFy’s new BITTEN is a show about werewolves. OK, cue the groan about the gluttony of vampire, werewolves, and their ilk currently on television. And that frustration is understandable, as even though each story is different there are also some overwhelming similarities. But BITTEN does seem different, at least initially, more about a woman trying to define herself than about the creature she sometimes becomes.

Laura Vandervoort (V, Smallville) stars as Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in the world. A year ago, she left her pack behind to try to make it on her own. Now, after she’s happily settled, living with a man named Philip McAdams (Paul Greene, Wicked Wicked Games) and getting to know his family, she’s called back to rejoin those she left behind.

It’s not that the pack imposes on her unnecessarily. Bodies are showing up in their area, bodies that are ripped apart, as if by an animal, and clearly killed only for sport, breaking one of the cardinal rules of the werewolf race. Elena is their best tracker, and with no one knowing who this new interloper is, they need her to help them find and stop the murderer.

And so Elena is torn. Should she return home to her pack leader, Jeremy Danvers (Greg Bryk, XIII: The Series), and his son, Clayton (Greyson Holt, Durham County), with whom she was once involved, or should she stay with the man she loves? Can she separate herself from the other wolves, or does she have a duty to those she once lived among?

It’s this primary crisis of conscience that makes up the series premiere, and while the outcome is a given, based on the premise of the show, it’s one that Elena doesn’t make easily, and certainly struggles with even after her mind is made up. In this, it’s a familiar story that is usually told having nothing to do with supernatural creatures, grounding the characters in a way that should be accessible to audiences.

While the cast is not that well known, Vandervoort has her share of followers in the science fiction genre. She is actually a good actress, despite her lackluster beginnings, and it was unfortunate V was canceled when she was just starting to show her chops. I do believe that BITTEN will be a good vehicle for her, and we’ll see some talent emerge that she hasn’t yet had a chance to show the world.

One thing that BITTEN may do differently than other werewolf stories, assuming it stays pretty close to the source material, which the network was kind enough to distribute along with the episodes, its werewolf population is very, very low. In the book, it is mentioned that only three dozen of them exist on the entire globe. This greatly limits the amount of characters that can be shown turning into animals, and shrinks the scope in a very manageable way.

It also means that there won’t constantly be more be more furry beasts showing up or exposing their race to the populace at large. Jeremy’s pack represents a significant chunk of all known werewolves, so they can control the story in a very finite manner.

I am anxious to see the development between Elena and Philip’s family. She has to hide who she is from them, and from Philip himself, which again, is something TV audiences have seen before. But the fact that multiple members of Philip’s family are a part of the cast, including his sister Diane (Natalie Brown, Sophie), whom introduced the couple, indicates Elena won’t be running away from the new life she’s established anytime soon.

Keeping a secret identity is likely to make BITTEN veer near the realm of comic book heroes, as much as it also serves the supernatural fans, and adds another layer to the proceedings. Will those normal characters learn about Elena’s nature and will they accept her? Or will she continue to be torn between the two realms, forever hiding, always on the brink of losing what she cares about?

I won’t claim BITTEN is the best new series on the air, or even a revelation for the genre. But I do think it has a strong structure and a great lead, with plenty of fresh elements to explore. In this, it could easily become a show worth watching, and I plan on setting a season pass for now.

BITTEN premieres Monday at 10 p.m. ET on SyFy.