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S01.E11: The Third Rail


Tara Ariano

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Word to the person that room issue with wardrobe.

Before even thinking of stepping into ANY tunnel underground, a trip to a clothing store like Modells would've jumped off.

Plus Mr. I Know these tunnels like the back of my Hand, show me the closest exits to daylight.

Correction, that took issue.

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The Master sort of looks like the bastard son of The Joker and a condom full of skim milk to me but as done by Jim Henson.

 

I think I'm done with using up my capital allotment on him, it's back to lower case for you master..........

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Eph can just fuck off. I am so tired of him and his holier-than-thou crap he keeps spouting to Fet. Maybe Fet just processes things differently than others.That doesn't make him wrong. I got what he was saying when he said that all that stuff in the tunnels was not what defined a person. If someone said that my iphone defined my life,  I would be a little taken back. Nora was ok this ep. Helpful, not dismissive like usual.

Kid was stupid, but not as stupid as I thought he was going to be. I thought he would think of somewhere his mom might be, and run off to rescue her, it's not like anyone told him she might be dangerous and most likely dead. This is really not the time to be keeping anyone in the dark about was is going on. Full Disclosure People!!

I thought the Master was better this ep, maybe the mouth moving helped me a little.

Edited by Arynm
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I'm kicking myself for watching this drekky show.  It had tons of potential but it just kinda sucks.

Amen.  It's almost turned into background noise for me.  Does anyone know if it's supposed to have a second season?  I hope not...I hope they end it all in this run....

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Amen.  It's almost turned into background noise for me.  Does anyone know if it's supposed to have a second season?  I hope not...I hope they end it all in this run....

It's been renewed. My level of optimism will depend on the next 2 episodes. I'm a see-it-through kind of viewer, at least until the end of a season.

 

Maybe they'll use the time between seasons to go back to the creature shop for the master's look and make other improvements.

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I just can't believe TPTB sat around looking at the Master and thought, "Yep, that's what we're going for! That's perfect!"

Especially when one of those powers that be happens to be Guillermo Del Toro. The man is responsible for Hell Boy II and Pan's Labyrinth. Granted he likely doesn't have the budget of those 2 movies but I find it so hard to believe that he couldn't find a competent makeup artist to do better than that. The man has an eye for horror. His monsters scare me on the regular.

 

joanallenpan.jpg

 

I will still be watching but will admit that the show has lost some momentum and the fun guilty pleasure aspect the past 2 episodes. 

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My main problem with this episode was that it suffered from the complete lack of tension that comes from "Invulnerable Show Leader-itis." I was never worried about Eph because we know he's probably fine.

 

This was even more apparent when the Master didn't kill or maim (or INSTANTLY INFECT) him!  I mean, come on, show. Eph should be dead. The Master should have casually drained him -- and would have, if it had been any other reason than "we can't kill him because he's the star."

 

When Eph was rummaging earth in Master's coffin while wearing just thin gloves, and then Setrakian started banging on that coffin with a hammer, the only thing I could think was "THIS SOIL IS FULL OF WORMS, YOU IDIOTS!!!".

 

Thank you. The inconsistency on this point is bugging the crap out of me. We saw that the box is infested with the worms, the soil itself is even more so, and yet here Eph (WHO KNOWS THIS!) is throwing around piles of infected dirt like Veruca Salt in the wrapping section.  It just bothered me so much it took me right out of the story -- yet again, Eph should be infected, dead, boom, case closed.

 

Eph can just fuck off. I am so tired of him and his holier-than-thou crap he keeps spouting to Fet. Maybe Fet just processes things differently than others.That doesn't make him wrong. I got what he was saying when he said that all that stuff in the tunnels was not what defined a person. If someone said that my iphone defined my life,  I would be a little taken back. Nora was ok this ep. Helpful, not dismissive like usual.

Kid was stupid, but not as stupid as I thought he was going to be. I thought he would think of somewhere his mom might be, and run off to rescue her, it's not like anyone told him she might be dangerous and most likely dead. This is really not the time to be keeping anyone in the dark about was is going on. Full Disclosure People!!

I thought the Master was better this ep, maybe the mouth moving helped me a little.

 

I think the Master as a creature design almost works. I don't love it, but I do find the stretched face kind of scary. The glowy eyes are a nice touch too. But the hands look kind of Muppety to me and take me out of the scene.

 

Onward. I like Corey Stoll a lot, but I don't like Eph, and I do feel like he's hitting some false notes in his performance choices. I'm curious if this is due to the director or to Stoll, but he's just playing everything with his asshole dial set to 11, and it's ludicrous in this situation. I just can't believe Eph would be that unsympathetic to Fet, for instance, who is such a nice guy, not to mention a valuable team member.

 

Meanwhile, I just felt like the writing is still so artificial and bad. People don't react realistically and instead do things just to amp up the tension (in other words, they're basic horror movie people, making the stupidest decisions time after time). Zack running back into the shadows in the store was just so dumb -- he saw that the couple was simply there to loot -- he should have simply run out, not gone where he KNEW there was probable danger. And then when he went down into the crawlspace, THEN couldn't crawl back up, dropped the phone, and jumped down to get it, I actually yelled "OH COME ON!" at the television. No way a real kid would do any of that. Never. Nobody would have gone down there without a massive case of the stupids.

 

And the physics of the vombie annoyed me in that scene too, as it apparently vampsped up the ramp without making a single noise (which isn't how we've seen these vamps, especially baby vamps, move) rather than chomping on the tempting little boy right in front of it. Gah. Just, no.

 

Meanwhile, I just cannot bring myself to care about Nora's mother -- I should feel sorry for her with the dementia but instead she's frustrating, petulant and unlikable, and I just don't buy that this is what Nora as a character would do with her (bring her into the team). She endangers them and I think the addition of her character is a mistake. I also thought leaving an unstable and demented old woman in a basement filled with guns and sharp things was a recipe for disaster -- I was waiting for her to attack Zack or something.

Edited by paramitch
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Nora was ok this ep. Helpful, not dismissive like usual.

 

She was better but still too much about Eph.  She was freaking out going through the tunnel and getting to the other end and worried where Eph was.  Um looking for his WIFE.  Actually his dead wife whom he apparently cares for more the you his alive girlfriend.  And it seemed like for just a minute she and Fet kinda clicked?  She had his back in the tunnels and I don't know it just seemed like they had a moment.  Maybe I am giving it more credit than I should.  But they need to stop making her so needy for Eph who pretty much ignores her like all the time.

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Meanwhile, I just felt like the writing is still so artificial and bad. People don't react realistically and instead do things just to amp up the tension (in other words, they're basic horror movie people, making the stupidest decisions time after time). Zack running back into the shadows in the store was just so dumb -- he saw that the couple was simply there to loot -- he should have simply run out, not gone where he KNEW there was probable danger. And then when he went down into the crawlspace, THEN couldn't crawl back up, dropped the phone, and jumped down to get it, I actually yelled "OH COME ON!" at the television. No way a real kid would do any of that. Never. Nobody would have gone down there without a massive case of the stupids.

Meanwhile, I just cannot bring myself to care about Nora's mother -- I should feel sorry for her with the dementia but instead she's frustrating, petulant and unlikable, and I just don't buy that this is what Nora as a character would do with her (bring her into the team). She endangers them and I think the addition of her character is a mistake. I also thought leaving an unstable and demented old woman in a basement filled with guns and sharp things was a recipe for disaster -- I was waiting for her to attack Zack or something.

I'm not surprised a sheltered kid from the burbs hid when he saw the looters. He like most kids are also taught that stealing is bad, so even though the shit has hit the fan, it's hard to shake the feeling of doing something wrong. Plus, PLOT! I think that pink cell was his mom's phone so because he believes she's alive and out there he ain't letting that go.

Eph is way out of his element and his man feelings are taking a beating. He's used to being the Alpha, and instead must listen to who he once thought was a deranged old man raving at the airport, and a city rat catcher.

It's like just take out the measuring tape already. We know Eph, you got some book learnin' and such ugh

As for Nora, I would expect the character to do no less. What was she supposed to do? She wasn't going to leave her mother. It's actually what I also think Gus would have done with his mama if she hadn't been turned. Anyway Nora will have to make the decision to put her down at some point, because you just know the inevitable infection is coming. I actually thought she was going to come across Satrakian's heart in a box and chaos would ensue.

Come back vombie hoodie crew!

I do love this show.

Edited by Sofie Fatale
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I'm not surprised a sheltered kid from the burbs hid when he saw the looters. He like most kids are also taught that stealing is bad, so even though the shit has hit the fan, it's hard to shake the feeling of doing something wrong. Plus, PLOT! I think that pink cell was his mom's phone so because he believes she's alive and out there he ain't letting that go.

 

The fact that the phone was his link to his Mom made it understandable for him to want to save it, but I really questioned whether he'd risk his life for it. But my main beef was with the logic that he'd run back into the shadows to begin with. I also was kind of angry with him for not running out and alerting the looting couple to the vamp in the back -- he could have saved their lives.

 

As for Nora, I would expect the character to do no less. What was she supposed to do? She wasn't going to leave her mother. It's actually what I also think Gus would have done with his mama if she hadn't been turned. Anyway Nora will have to make the decision to put her down at some point, because you just know the inevitable infection is coming. I actually thought she was going to come across Satrakian's heart in a box and chaos would ensue.

 

 

Just to clarify, I'm totally not saying that Nora would have (or should have) abandoned her Mom.  I do think she should have tried to find a safe place to get her mother to, out of the city (and out of the story).

 

I do enjoy the show though, in spite of my complaints. It's not always well-written or acted, but I kind of get a kick out of the ooky classic horror aspects, and it's a fun and genuinely creative take on the vampire mythos (even if that itself seems very inspired by Goyer's Reaper vampires in Blade II).

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Del Toro is not directing these episodes (he only did the pilot, I believe), but he's hands on with all the visual effects/makeup/gore. That reminds me, I need to put something in the "Strain in the Media" thread. Follow me there!

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I imagine as the director del Toro was more responsible for the look/mechanics of those, so at least he's cribbing from himself.

 

That's a great point, and I had meant to ask whether anyone knew if that was the case. I definitely think that Del Toro was inspired at least in some general visual creature-design ways by the Reaper vamps from his work on "Blade II" to jump off and create the vompies for "Strain." The similarities were just so striking to me -- especially the fact that the faces all kind of 'unhinge' before feeding in a shocking and violent (less traditional-vamp) way.

 

Meanwhile, I keep waiting for our crew to arm themselves in body armor. As with "Walking Dead," I'm annoyed by the amount of uncovered skin when the heroes are vampire-hunting and the creatures are so infectious. Although I get that SWAT gear isn't the sexiest thing for your cast to be wearing. But still.

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Even just a little duct tape would work for me.  Wrap some duct tape around the sleeves, make a duct tape necklace to make neck sucking more difficult and give the characters a chance to fight off the tongue thing.  Duct tape is easy to find.  Zach could have picked some up on his cigarette run...if only his dad communicated with him about the threat.  But no, these characters have to wiggle around in a tiny tunnel hundreds of vamps have crawled through, dig in dirt bare-handed, and rely on the luxury of the bad guys wanting to have a villain talk rather than immediately killing them, all while making sure the female doesn't trip on her stacked heeled boots. 

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In regards to Vamp Lord Muppet not draining or turning Eph.

This one is big on Hubris and loves the sound of it's voice.

Waxing poetic about taking everything he loves away from him, like with Abe.

Only way that can truly destroy Eph, is for him to remain human.

That scene reminded me of how Rubber face made a similar speech to the young Setrakian.

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I found this show to be an interesting watch up until this episode. People doing some of the most stupid stuff ever. I can't believe that they are still alive. Then the reveal of the master was it. I mean that has to be one of the silliest bad guys ever. I was rolling on the floor laughing my ass off, he was too funny looking for words. Sorry designers, your decision to make the master look like that was one of the worst decisions EVER. The folks on SyFi's face-off can do better than that clown. I will catch the remaining shows just so I can have a good laugh.

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(edited)

When they came to that big crowded chamber, the first words out of my mouth were immediately: "That's a lot of monsters." One or two seconds later, Vassily said the same exact thing. I love moments like that.

Edited by CletusMusashi
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