THE STRAIN — “New York Strong” — Episode 301(Airs Sunday, August 28, 10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: (l-r) Kevin Durand as Vasiliy Fet, David Bradley as Abraham Setrakian. CR: Michael Gibson/FX
Warning: General spoilers ahead
Du, dun! Yes, I am crazy-excited because The Strain will be returning for season 3 tomorrow, and Sundays will be perfect once again. The hiatus this year has been particularly painful due to the season’s delayed start because of the Olympics, but the good news is it definitely appears to be worth the wait. I have screened the first 3 episodes, and if they are any indication of what’s to come for the rest of the season, I’m certain that long hiatus will quickly be forgotten.
So, my Strainiacs, what can I tease about tomorrow’s premiere without giving too much away? First, we get a brand new opening sequence, and from that, we see that Samantha Mathis and Joaquin Cosio have officially moved up to the big time, as their names now appear in the main credits. Of course, if you’re a fan of the trilogy, Cosio’s promotion shouldn’t be any surprise to you since “The Silver Angel” is one of the main characters in the books. But, Mathis is a little surprising, but it’s something I’m definitely excited about. Feraldo isn’t in the trilogy, but she brings a fresh new component to the television series, and so, I’m very happy to see that she’s getting an expanded role this season.
We also get a definite timeline. 23 days have passed since that ill-fated airline jet landed at JFK, and it’s been almost a full week since the events of the season 2 finale. Since then, the group has splintered off with each person focusing on a different task. For all of the Vasily Fet (Kevin Durand) fans out there, you’ll be happy to know that everyone’s favorite rat catcher has a very big presence in the premiere. Fet has been called in to help a team of Navy SEALs who have formulated a plan to clear out the tunnels and take out this “King Strigoi” that everyone’s been talking about. And, who better to help hunt a big rat than a rat catcher himself? Unfortunately, Fet learns that the U.S. government has pretty much “written off” New York City, and if the SEAL team isn’t successful in locating the Master in 2 days, they’re pulling out. Given how powerful the Master is, how successful do you think they are? If you’re a book-reader, you already know the answer to this question.
While Vasily is spending his days hunting the Master, Setrakian (David Bradley) and Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones) are busy deciphering the Lumen. Much like Fet, Quinlan too has a very large presence in the episode, and his interactions aren’t just with Setrakian. Now, for the part that all of the Vaun die-hards have been waiting for…Even though Vaun and his team met their demise last season, it seems those weren’t all of the sun-hunters. More of them have arrived in New York, and their leader is a strigoi by the name of Lar. And, why exactly have they come? To be blunt — the Lumen.
Photo Credit: FX Networks
It has been said that the Lumen holds the secret to the Master’s demise, and if that is true, unfortunately for the Ancients, that same secret would likely be a recipe for taking them out as well. So, obviously, the Ancients are desperate to find the book, and Lar and his team are there to help with that, as well as to protect them. Needless to say, I’m very excited to see that the writers found a way to get the sun-hunters back into the story, and I also think it’s a nice gesture to the fans who were so upset with Vaun ‘s sudden departure last season.
On to Eph (Corey Stoll) , he’s hitting the bottle pretty hard, and to be honest, is a walking mess. He stays half-drunk most of the day, but still manages to remain lucid enough to work on the bio-weapon, which, unfortunately, is losing its effectiveness against the strigoi. Are they adapting? Yeah, probably. Then, at the end of each day, it’s back to Kelly’s house, where he gets completely wasted clinging to the hope that Zack will somehow miraculously return home. Now, for the big question — what about Zack (Max Charles) ? Will Eph finally see his son again by the end of the episode? The answer is “No,” but on the upside, we aren’t kept in the dark, and we’ll all know by the end of the hour what the Master’s plan is and how Zack fits into it all.
The season 3 premiere of The Strain is titled “New York Strong” and airs tomorrow at 10/9c on FX. Also check out the below Comic-Con interviews where the cast and Executive Producer/Co-Creator Chuck Hogan teases all the goodness we have to look forward to this season.
PHOTOS
THE STRAIN — “New York Strong” — Episode 301 — (Airs Sunday, August 28, 10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: Corey Stoll as Ephraim Goodweather. CR: Michael Gibson/FX
THE STRAIN — “New York Strong” — Episode 301 — (Airs Sunday, August 28, 10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: Kevin Durand as Vasiliy Fet. CR: Michael Gibson/FX
THE STRAIN — “New York Strong” — Episode 301(Airs Sunday, August 28, 10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: (l-r) Rupert Penry-Jones as Quinlan, Kevin Durand as Vasiliy Fet.
CR: Michael Gibson/FX
THE STRAIN — “New York Strong” — Episode 301 (Airs Sunday, August 28, 10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: Samantha Mathis as Justine Faraldo. CR: Michael Gibson/FX
THE STRAIN — “New York Strong” — Episode 301 (Airs Sunday, August 28, 10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: (l-r) Kevin Durand as Vasiliy Fet, Samantha Mathis as Justine Faraldo. CR: Michael Gibson/FX
THE STRAIN — “New York Strong” — Episode 301 — (Airs Sunday, August 28, 10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: Corey Stoll as Ephraim Goodweather. CR: Michael Gibson/FX
VIDEO
Executive Producer and Co-Creator Chuck Hogan Interview
Richard Sammel and Ruta Gedmintas Interview
