BLOODY GREAT
Dr. Goodweather (Corey Stoll, “House of Cards”) is determined to get his son back in the new season of “The Strain,” premiering Sunday.
It’s fun to be scared, ask any thrill seeker. It must be, given the recent surge in popularity of horror-drama series in prime time. From zombies to vampires and even serial killers, scary TV seems to equal good TV for millions of viewers.
The latest such series to capture the attention of TV audiences is FX’s “The Strain,” which returns Sunday, Aug. 28. The return marks the beginning of the third season of the acclaimed series based on Guillermo del Toro (“Hellboy,” 2004) and Chuck Hogan’s (“The Town,” 2010) trio of novels of the same name.
“The Strain” stars Corey Stoll (“House of Cards”) as Dr. Ephraim “Eph” Goodweather, former head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his allies investigate a mysterious outbreak caused by parasitic worms that cause a form of vampirism. Dr. Goodweather’s saga has captured the attention of millions of fans, who are no doubt anxious for season 3.
Unfortunately for fans, season 3 is comprised of just 10 episodes, instead of the usual 13. However, executive producer and showrunner Carlton Cuse (“Lost”) isn’t daunted. At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the executive producer explained this season would have a faster pace.
“We wanted to increase the narrative velocity of the show,” said Cuse. He went on to say: “This season is really an all-out battle for the soul of New York.”
As the season opens, New York has become a battleground where humans must fight just to survive. The federal government soon turns its back on the Big Apple, leaving humans to face off with the strigoi — the show’s vampire-like creatures — on their own. As the war rages on, Eph and the other heroes win some battles, but it remains to be seen who will ultimately prevail.
This season, loyalties within the group fracture when betrayal and paranoia threaten to tear them apart. As Eph struggles to cope with the reality of Dr. Nora Martinez’s (Mía Maestro, “Alias”) death, he resolves to get his son, Zach (Max Charles, “The Lion Guard”), back from the Master (Jack Kesy, “The Throwaways,” 2015), an ancient evil being who controls the strigoi. Eph manufactures massive quantities of his bioweapon while experimenting on strigoi and even considers betraying those closest to him.
Neither human nor strigoi, the origins of the mysterious Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones, “MI-5”) are explored this season as well, and fans are eager to discover more about the intriguing figure. Quinlan hopes to lure out the Master and take him down, which allies him with Eph, for better or for worse.
Samantha Mathis (“The Good Wife”) returns as Justine Faraldo, Special Director of Security for New York City — a.k.a. the “Security Czar” — a zealous, power-hungry politician who believes she’s the only person willing to do what it takes to win the war. When her plans go awry, though, she’s knocked off balance, which could have serious ramifications for everyone in New York.
Fan favourite Kevin Durand (“Lost”) also returns this season as Vasiliy Fet, who teams up with a group of Navy SEALS looking for the Master. He also rebounds from his breakup with Dutch (Ruta Gedmintas, “The Incident,” 2015), thanks to a beautiful police captain, (America Olivo, “Friday the 13th,” 2009).
All the while, the Master continues his quest to transform the world.
“The Strain” has amassed a loyal following, no doubt thanks to the talented team both in front of and behind the camera. Stoll came to the attention of TV audiences thanks to roles in “Law & Order: Los Angeles” and “House of Cards,” the latter of which earned him a Golden Globe nomination in 2013. Moviegoers may recognize him as villain Darren Cross in “Ant-Man” (2015).