The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

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Episode 4 of 13


Previous Threads:

Episode 3
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/621...7-27-14-a.html

Episode 2
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/621...7-20-14-a.html

Episode 1
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/621...7-13-14-a.html

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

LOL at the name of this episode, considering the ambivalence this show has managed to cultivate.

Keith Gordon? Damn, another fairly big-name director migrates to cable. There is the token del Toro autopsy on something nonhuman. The make up effects continue to be top notch and really spooky, that sequence with Ansel in the shed was genuinely creepy. It's unfortunate that the high cinematic production values have to surround such subpar writing. The dialogue is still cringe-worthy.

Token gratuitous shot of a woman in her bra simply because it's cable.

The plot seems to FINALLY be getting into motion. So we just established that Eph loves his son more than anything in the world and would do anything for him, and now he punches someone who did the same. At least he and Nora seem to have finally grown brains and are accepting what's going on. The evil super-hacker from Wikileaks can show the entire Internet down? Really? There's a limit to my suspension of disbelief here, Guillermo.

The woman feeding things to her evil flesh-eating husband? I'd say this would make for an interesting side story if I hadn't seen it in 1,000 different horror flicks.

Hey, it's Marlo from The Wire! The idea of mixing The Wire with urban gothic has lots of potential for style and for allegory, but much as I like del Toro, David Simon he isn't. Though Hogan might have a nice ear for the street type of dialogue, I'll have to read some of his stuff besides this one day. That second audiobook CD has to show up on eBay sometime, I though you could get anything there. It's clearly an attempt to bring together a very modern urban aesthetic with some Gothic flavor. Now it's finally actually showing some sign of moving forward after spending the last three weeks dragging its feet, maybe it'll actually work.

Apparently on basic cable, you drop the S-bomb, but still not the F. What is with the sickly green colors? I know how clichéd it is, but I admit I still fall for the spooky kids stuff. Great scene entering the basement with the kids' music. Must every supernatural story have the one I sits that the monsters are still human and killing them is wrong and there "has to be another way?" Does Nora split off from Setrakian and Eph and object to everything like this in the book? I don't remember. Wonder why they've moved the concentration camp stuff to next week? Maybe a particular director needed to all of the stuff on that particular set? Wonder if they'll do Sarduk's backstory too?

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

He migrated a long time ago. I noticed his name directing a number of "Dexter" episodes over the years. He hasn't done non-television work in over 10 years (The Singing Detective). Too bad because I liked his films ... they had style and always seemed to bring something interesting to the table. And I thought it was a cool story how the nerdy kid from "Dressed to Kill" was having success on the other side of the camera.

I think a lot of these criticisms - poor writing and unbelievable plotting - are exactly how they were in the books. I think I was more forgiving with them there because I could be done with a book in a week. But for tv, everything is stretched out over months and it allows the faults to fester in my brain.

It's been like that for a while. Plus now you get away with gore on tv that would've had to be trimmed for a movie to avoid an X rating in the 80's. But god forbid someone says the f word or shows a boob.

Is there some kind of legal issue preventing those things being shown. Or it just a matter of some daring executive having the stones to break that barrier? I suspect it's more the latter since we've had unedited airing of movies with those things (like Schindler's List on network television). And how much different is a channel like Turner Classic Movies (which shows all movies uncut) than FX?

Well, in the book

The series seems to be following the book's pacing ... which means things are picking up. I liked the story more once we got past the character-introducing exposition and all the heroes were on the same page with what they were facing.

Why not move the concentration camp flashback to next week? There's only so much you can do in one week.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

The pacing in this episode was significantly faster than the prior 3, but the dialogue is cringe-worthy and some of the characters are just frustratingly annoying.

In the last episode, that one guy's wife sees him drinking the blood from the dethawed meat from the fridge. Clearly, something is wrong between that and the way the guy looks like walking death. Yet, her reaction is so casual about the whole thing. The buildup to him eating the dog was uneventful, since all they were missing was arrows and signs saying that he was going to eat it -- given how cheesy and sinister he sounded when he said he wanted the dog to stay behind. I thought the scene where the wife confronted him in the shed as he's basically frothing at the mouth and he's telling her to leave was hysterical. Her reaction was so completely nonchalant. She came off as a complete moron.

On the plus side, no Eph and his family drama this week. Could've done without the gangbanger subplot, but overall this has been the most entertaining episode so far. They just need better writers.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

They kill a dog - Fuck you. Kill an entire city for all I care, but you don't fuck with the pets, man.

It was a special effect man. They killed a fictitious dog on a fictitious television series. The dog is fine. It's in its trailer eating Milkbones ;).

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

I hope we don't have to wait until the season finale for

That doesn't fully happen until into the second book.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

I think that it's where some directors who've left the theatrical side of things (maybe not by choice) have decided to go to get work. Kevin Hooks, Joe Chappele, John Landis, John Dahl, Stephen Hopkins, Danny Cannon, Johnathan Mostow, and a few other just off the top of my head. Maybe they prefer the artistic freedom there too, I shouldn't make assumptions.

It's true, but it's also a pacing issue: you can jump around in time and put down a book at your leisure. TV has to move at a specific pace, and I think that by doing all of the stuff from the book, it's dragging like crazy. They should've restructured the narrative a bit for TV.

I've started watching 24, it's pretty sad how disturbing sequences of brutal torture and violence are shown pretty regularly, but the most profane thing anyone can say is "damn it." Really, being more comfortable with showing violence than sex is frankly backwards. It also has a big "THIS PROGRAM CONTAINS NUDITY!" warning at the head when it shows nothing explicit, and in this case does it (or doesn't do it) in the case a completely non-erotic medical examination sequence.

I think it's simply that they're frightened of scaring advertisers away. I think that sadly, audiences are genuinely more likely to blanch if they see sex and swearing than violence.

TCM doesn't have any commercials, so it doesn't have to kowtow to advertisers. Plus, since Ted Turner is so wealthy, I think he can pretty much show whatever the hell he wants. And TCM, to be fair, also don't have nearly as much original programming, they're a different kind of network. I can to some extent tolerate when movies are edited for TV, but I can no longer abide by cropping. It's incredibly stupid that a scope film should be cropped down to 1.78 now that people own widescreen TVs.

That's why I was wondering,

Assuming people haven't bailed out at this point.

Well, as the book starts with Sarduk's backstory, I was wondering how they'd shuffle the various flashbacks around, that's all. It's a TV show, there're sets and budgets to consider.

In the book, she's so messed up and damaged that she can't function without her husband in some for or another, and even though she knows what's happening, she enables it.

Who is that creepy looking fellow?

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

Eddie Murphy in A Vampire in Brooklyn.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

Great episode, but I still want to see more of the master vampire (or whatever he's called)

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

I have not read the books, only some of the spoilers here (which I don't usually do) ... and knowing where this is headed is actually making me enjoy the slow burn more. As long as things are moving, there is no hurry.

The autopsy scene was frigging awesome and funny. For those of you mentioning the language, you forgot to mention his dick fell off!

Can anybody explain to me what the Hobbit's job is? He isn't a doctor, he seems to have no medical knowledge, and is basically a snivelling less-evil version of Igor.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

One thing I don't understand is why the master and Eichorst seem to have their full faculties, while all the new vampires seem little more than mindless beasts.

Well, the vampire collective basically have a hive mentality and are controlled by The Master. As to why Eichorst still does, I haven't read the book in a while and don't remember.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

"Controlled by the Master" and "mindless" are not obvious synonyms. Eichorst is clearly different in some way.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

I will admit this episode was much better than any before it.

Yes, he is. I'm sure they explain it in the novel, I've just forgotten. There is another similar Nazi vampire in on of the later books who's also autonomous. Why isn't there a Wiki for the novels, LOL? The vampires also all return to their "dear ones," or basically those they loved when they were alive, this furthering the spread of the epidemic. The Master can exert control, but mostly he uses the hive mentality to use the other vampires to see things and acquire information, though he can direct them if he wants.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

I'm loving the show. Style over substance in every respect. Hell, you want substance, read the 3 books.

Have you tried the library? That's where I got all three Books on CD.

I have a local library which has it, but I want to own it. It was obviously a very limited library-exclusive production run. Why they did release the other two, I don't quite get.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

pulling that worm thing out of the body was pretty good special effect.

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

the director of Blade II should sue for damages. the damned vampire things are nearly identical!

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

Not sure if serious...

Re: The Strain (S1E04) -- "It's Not For Everyone" -- 8/03/14
 

Not serious.

;)