The Strain Official Thread Discussion
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https://www.avclub.com/a-strong-finale-closes-out-the-strains-final-and-most-p-1818481977
I WILL say this they went all out on sh*tting all over Trump for the final season.
How are you going to diss your dad for most of the series and then all of a sudden have a heart....makes no fucking sense at all
I WILL say this they went all out on sh*tting all over Trump for the final season.
If that was The Strain’s final message, it’d be a fitting end to a final season that pushed itself into more obviously political territory. But that’s not the final message, and there’s one single plot choice that remains baffling. After finally getting The Master into the tunnel, Fet prepares to sacrifice himself for the good of the city; a fitting end for the man who loves New York with all of its bumps and bruises. But then, Eph steps up and steals his moment. To be fair, it’s a choice that makes sense; Eph sees that Fet has more to live for, and on top of that Zack is still with The Master, knocked out in the service elevator while Quinlan and The Master battle it out under ground.
But then things take a turn. After The Master kills Quinlan, ending their centuries long battle, Zack refuses to kill Eph. Thus, a disappointed Master looks to turn his protégé once and for all by vomiting a bunch of worms into his mouth (an image I won’t necessarily miss seeing, to be honest). He’s too slow though, and Zack turns the gun on The Master and shoots him, but not before Eph gets the worms instead. As The Master takes over Eph’s body he tells Zack that they can now rule as father and son. That’s not Zack’s plan though. He apologizes to any part of his dad that may still be inside The Master, and then he sets off the warhead, saving the city and all of humanity with one flip of a switch.
That moment would have tremendous emotional impact if it was literally any other character flipping the switch. Zack’s journey across four seasons has been one of reprehensible behavior and incrementally increasing violence toward those around him. I was convinced the show wouldn’t seek to redeem Zack because, well, there seemed no logical way to do so. There was no blueprint for redemption in that specific character arc, and for me, it knocked a B+/A- finale down to the grade you see above.
And yet, despite the lack of blueprint for redemption, The Strain goes for it, and it’s hard to underscore just how disappointing it is. Rather than give Fet his heroic moment, or perhaps give Eph the touch choice of killing both him and his traitorous son in order to save the human race, Zack gets a moment of monumental heroism. He gets to be the savior, and it’s a truly disappointing, infuriating choice. I can’t see a way to justify giving Zack an final act of redemption after everything we’ve seen. It feels like convenient, sappy storytelling that doesn’t fit in with the more brutal, challenging turns the show took in its final season.
https://www.avclub.com/a-strong-finale-closes-out-the-strains-final-and-most-p-1818481977
But then things take a turn. After The Master kills Quinlan, ending their centuries long battle, Zack refuses to kill Eph. Thus, a disappointed Master looks to turn his protégé once and for all by vomiting a bunch of worms into his mouth (an image I won’t necessarily miss seeing, to be honest). He’s too slow though, and Zack turns the gun on The Master and shoots him, but not before Eph gets the worms instead. As The Master takes over Eph’s body he tells Zack that they can now rule as father and son. That’s not Zack’s plan though. He apologizes to any part of his dad that may still be inside The Master, and then he sets off the warhead, saving the city and all of humanity with one flip of a switch.
That moment would have tremendous emotional impact if it was literally any other character flipping the switch. Zack’s journey across four seasons has been one of reprehensible behavior and incrementally increasing violence toward those around him. I was convinced the show wouldn’t seek to redeem Zack because, well, there seemed no logical way to do so. There was no blueprint for redemption in that specific character arc, and for me, it knocked a B+/A- finale down to the grade you see above.
And yet, despite the lack of blueprint for redemption, The Strain goes for it, and it’s hard to underscore just how disappointing it is. Rather than give Fet his heroic moment, or perhaps give Eph the touch choice of killing both him and his traitorous son in order to save the human race, Zack gets a moment of monumental heroism. He gets to be the savior, and it’s a truly disappointing, infuriating choice. I can’t see a way to justify giving Zack an final act of redemption after everything we’ve seen. It feels like convenient, sappy storytelling that doesn’t fit in with the more brutal, challenging turns the show took in its final season.
https://www.avclub.com/a-strong-finale-closes-out-the-strains-final-and-most-p-1818481977
Ive got to say that it was a hell of ride with you Fam on this show... I absolutely love the fact that we all collectively Bitched about the show for 2 to 3 seasons and yet we didn't quit. We dealt with it until the end. You can say a lot about BGOL but can't say we are quitters... lol
I couldnt have said that any better.
Damn man! The death of Zack wasn't horrible enough. I can't believe they tried to redeem him. But then again a lot of stuff on the show didn't make sense. Maybe that's why I held on for so long.
It makes you wonder,if the network let the Del Toro and Hogan have some say in the process.....
VERY GOOD QUESTION
i completely understand
This thread couldve benefitted from a stretchwallz write-up 
This whole series summed you for me with
Joffery wasn't annoying... just extremely evil and sadistic, and believably so because Jack Gleason played the part just right. Zack was more annoying than anything else. Joffery's stock went up should he ever want to act again. Zack he might want to leave that shit off his resume.
he might want to leave that shit off his resume.
Joffery wasn't annoying... just extremely evil and sadistic, and believably so because Jack Gleason played the part just right. Zack was more annoying than anything else. Joffery's stock went up should he ever want to act again. Zack
Completely agree.. Zack's performance in the Stain is the type where you just say you got a twin brother.
The crazy batshit part is that we were bitching about the kid that played Zack in Season 1.. how is it possible to have two kids create the most annoying character in TV history.
I also want to pour out a little liquor to all the members that were hardcore posting season1 and 2 and then abandoned ship like they were first mutherfuckers to see the life raft on the titanic... while we the strong and the few.. were the Band determined to keep on playing until the ship went down.
Side note... now that Joffrey, Zack and Ramsey Bolton are dead... Who do we have left to collectively hate? IS IT JUST CERSI..
Damn I'm kind of sad now.
Side note... now that Joffrey, Zack and Ramsey Bolton are dead... Who do we have left to collectively hate? IS IT JUST CERSI..
Damn I'm kind of sad now.
Come on guys, Zach finding the light is quite possible, he was kinda shook after he turned his love interest. The whole beauty of the human spirit is to be able to redeem yourself and obviously die like in so many hollywood plots lol
Beauty of the human spirit huh, Zack turned the chic into his pet, and then there was this piece of shit
Beauty of the human spirit huh, Zack turned the chic into his pet, and then there was this piece of shit
Yeah but he felt bad, this was the beginning of his redemption...
yeah after nuking an entire city he was up in his penthouse playing guitar hero. He has no redeeming value, that ending was just bad writing
Glad we finally got to bury this one. Started with much potential and like a ugly runt animal you grew to love, it finally saw it's end. I'm at peace.
EH I kinda knew Doc was going to go down that shaft when, Dutch told him to convince Fet not too.
i wish zach was bad till the end and his dad just blew them both up. Would have been better to me.
really glad Gus survived though
Beauty of the human spirit huh, Zack turned the chic into his pet, and then there was this piece of shit
Alex from The Expanse got the worst death out of all of them
I think Quinlan kind of knew as well,that look on his face before they went to a commercial..he mustve known Eph swiped the detonator from him when he shook his hand
The damn Master also looked to have swiped that big worm from Quinlan and fed it to hoe ass Zak.
Ok I ain't the only one to have seen that...
I SWEARS they better not use that as an excuse for a sequel.
Cuz Jay...
Is the anyway to continue this series with the remaining characters?
Amd make it better?
I feel like somehow someway these damn writers were able to create something that in its awfulness...
We will be able to discus for years to come.
I think it's because when it DID work?
It ground breaking horror adventure tv.
AND their frequent failures ranged from middling to monumental
They were able to create fan favorite cult heroes and villains
And waste the prime talents of at least a dozen actors.
The effects went from b movie to top notch.
It was a mind-numbing cluster f*ck of epic proportions
AND I never missed an episode.
I would PAY to watch a series of Quinlin, the born and Gus and Fet.
Hold on for a minute...
what happened to that special forces brigade in the first season that trained Gus in the first place?
And honestly I do not HATE Cersi.
She is the iconic villain because as vapid and evil as she is?
You UNDERSTAND her.
Zack was a waste because he was so badly written and acted we never REALLY believed in anything he did.
You are right.
But YOU got that from the story.
You KNOW that is what they trying to show you.
The writing directing and acting failed to convey that honestly.
The art the beauty the greatness of shows like the sopranos the wire game of thrones...
All of those motivations emotions crisis of conscience are FELT
They are conveyed thru facial expressions body movements music dialogue...
And is still open to individual interpretation.
Even walking dead at its most frustrating is honest to ITS universe.
The Strain was never able to pull that off consistently.
Your sarcasm is on level 10 right now.
A series that goes into the mythology of the older vampires would be great.
Speaking of which... what the fuck was up with that. They set up this old school Vampire society like out of underworld and then they Fucking say... naw No need to spend time on that.
Like I wanted to know what made the Master so different then the other vampires and did all the other vampires have worms like him. Why were the Seal team 6 vampires so different them then the masters. There were tons of fucking questions that just got dropped.
Umm, of course the 3 stragoy held for study gets loose with new scientifically perfect mods, starts reinfecting people.
The new rich black dude become the new master. Fet the new half breed bad ass, and Gus the new fet.
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