The Strain: Season 1, Episode 6

The Strain
Episode Title: "Occultation"
Channel: FX
Director: Peter Weller
Writer: Justin Britt-Gibson
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Horror
Runtime: 60 min
Rated: TV-MA
Original Air Date: August 17, 2014

Thomas Eichorst is a nasty, nasty bad guy. Every week he ups the creepy-factor.  If they're using practical effects to get his face to look like that I bet it's frustrating for Richard Sammel to go through that kind of make-up process for what amounts to three minutes of screen time, but to the viewers it's worth it.

Not quite as action packed as last week, this episode of The Strain doesn't do as much to move the story forward as it does show us the strengths and weaknesses of our prospective heroes. It seems that very soon Vasiliy is going to become the main cog in Setrakian's machine. He has the perfect outlook for dealing with the coming crisis. These things are vermin, no different from rats and must be exterminated. He shows us he's up to the task, and then does the same things Eph has tried; warn his family away from the coming disaster.

On to...another character's dysfunctional homelife/family. We still haven't been introduced to a family that doesn't seem like a situation constructed solely for the possible drama, and I think they have plenty of choices already. There's parental disapproval, marital problems, dementia-ridden mothers, cancer-suffering wives, and petty thief brothers; could we please have at least one character that is drama free at home?

Gus and Jim undertake a special mission for Eichorst that left me scratching my head, hopefully there's a reason given for it. In the aftermath of that, Gus is in trouble again, but it seems like things might be breaking down fast enough that he'll be the least of the authority's problems. Speaking of Gus, I could have done without that cartoony punching sequence to the stomach, it was almost laugh out loud bad, I'll try to remember to keep an eye on the writers of episodes a little more closely and see if that kind of campiness is going to be a hallmark of Britt-Gibson's scripts

Conclusion: I know there seem like more gripes here than praise, but overall this episode kept doing most of the things they've gotten right so far. Peter Weller has directed two straight episodes and has done a fine job, although I'm still not sure who is going to end up doing the bulk of the directing work I wouldn't be disappointed with any of the choices presented thus far.

Rating: 6.75/10