TV Show Review

TV Review: THE STRAIN: Season 2, Episode 10: The Assassin [FX]

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FX’s  The Strain The Assassin TV Show Review. The Strain: Season 2, Episode 10:The Assassin is not a bad pit stop in this series placed in New York being on the brink of a vampire infestation that actually rivals its bed bugs. The controversial decisions people are making ramp up the story this week and some of the insecurity circumventing the plot melts away. Think ‘icicle in hell’. Dramatically, this was the strongest episode of the three I’ve seen so far.

Justine “do your part in the war” Feraldo (Samantha Mathis) places a tax on the Upper East Side neighborhood in order to sell them police protection for 1% of everyone’s property value to be paid in gold, silver, or “approved commodities”. Neiman Marcus gift certificates do not apply. Everyone call your lawyers and crowd up the complaint line at City Hall. This is not going to be an easy pill to swallow, nor is it legal. What is so hard about setting up UV lights, anyway?

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 So, the mayor decides to ask old buddy Eldrich (Jonathan Hyde) for a sweet favor on an unannounced visit to his office while it’s being surveilled by Dutch (Ruta Gedmintas ) and Dr. Eph Goodweather (Corey Stoll) with some bad ass spy gear. Dutch did a bunch of favors for that gear? Lead the way. They race off to set up a sniper perch when they realize Palmer is going to be at the next town hall installation at Neiman. Eph had the shot more than once, but this little bird is still learning to fly, I mean, become a cold blooded killer with aim. Aim is crucial, and he didn’t have too much of it in the last episode either except that he performed surgery on a dude. I get the struggle here. It’s all in this guy’s head as he is still in his arc to overcome his own ethics. After missing his shot, hitting Coco (Lizzie Brocheré) instead, and an anti climactic race from justice, the assassins (plural) wind up in a holding cell. It’s kind of amazing how they managed to take the risk in the first place.

This episode made me want to watch it. There were two strong subplots that led to disaster for the protagonists, the first being the attempt on Eldrich, and the second being Setrakian (David Bradley) and club on the seemingly random quest for the Occido Lumen. Strigoi having a rave in an apartment? Strigoi lurking in old book shops? They are right where they need to be. Especially when they flood the jail where Eph has been left behind after Dutch was yanked right out to supposedly undergo a rough interrogation. My, my.

Coco becomes the Master’s (Robin Atkin Downes) new sugar baby after her bullet is removed from her chest. It’s quite the setup in Eldrich’s office of all places to have an impromptu makeshift operating room. The Master knows Eldrich will owe him again for saving Coco with a morsel of his blood. What is his lackey, er, disciple going to have to do next? Kill his beloved in a sick twist? I can’t wait to find out how deep this favor penetrates. It’s way more interesting than those two in bed.

Setrakian should know by now that it isn’t safe in this town. Maybe next week we’ll get to see whose legs the Occido Lumen walked away with.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of The Strain below in the comments section. For more The Strain reviews, photos, videos, and information, visit our The Strain Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter,Tumblr,Google+, or “like” us on Facebook.

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Stephanie King

I am a meticulous writer. Story is my strong suit. I do not waste time on political "critique" or paranoid "undertones" that might have been an inspiration to a story writer, but clearly are not a main or secondary theme. I can identify high concept, main and sub theme(s), protagonists and antagonists, secondary character roles, the turning point, the key, the antagonist's story thrust, the spine, twelve sequences, the climax, the resolution, and most importantly, the goal of any film. I am aware of the act structure which can be from three to five acts, generally. Aristotle elaborates in his Poetics on Plato's Republic on act structure.
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