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[TV Review] “The Strain”: Episode 1.09, ‘The Disappeared’

Published

10 years ago

on

“The Disappeared” represents a lot of what’s wrong with The Strain’s first season. It’s a bothersome step to the left in terms of character, plot, and exposition. The moments of horror are genuinely terrifying but fail to elevate the episode past the point of mediocre.

The obvious issue in this episode is the heavy focus on Eph’s relationship with his son. The actor playing Zack is bothersome in his performance. I just really wish TV would stay away from child actors, since this is a constant reminder that one of the supposed strongest relationships in the show is so terrible.

Speaking of terrible why the hell would our group of heroes decide to slpit up this week after the hell they lived through last week. It defies all logic and pushes the show into a more make believe world where people don’t seem to react to the world around them.

Hell most of the dialogue is atrociously referencing exposition this week. With most characters dumbfounded and reacting to the chaos of the city around them like it’s something completely normal.

The flashbacks are the only saving grace of the week. They push to add even more to Abraham and Eichorst’s relationship and push the overall conflict of the series in an even more interesting direction. There were a couple reveals inside that added a great deal of complexity to the time in the concentration camp. And the scenes with The Master were terrifying. The immense stature of that creature makes any scene he’s in dominate you.

Everything with Vasily and the hacker girl felt forced bordering on unnecessary. I didn’t quite understand the motivation for having those scenes between them. Especially when the vampire came into her house and she just looked at him with wide eyes. Jesus woman, you just say legions of these things descend upon a gas station. It defies logic.

Which is the biggest problem with “The Disappeared.”  Everything defies logic. Nothing has consequence and everything just feels like it’s stalling to carry us into next week. Don’t even get me started on the sex scene between Nora and Eph. I thought it was profoundly useless and completely out of place. But I digress.

The show was hitting it’s stride only to take a maddening detour in what could be the worst episode of the series. Everything really chugged along this week and barely held my attention. I wanted new developments, I wanted more conflict, and I wanted that insane action from last week. Instead I waited forty minutes for the one scene between The Master and Eichorst.

Let’s hope next week is better.

Stray Thoughts:

–       The bread truck is a amazing set. I just love seeing Abraham take himself so seriously surrounding by loaves of bread.

–       Nora’s mother is the worst, and the feeble attempt at comedy with her as so groan inducing.

–       Are we really to believe anything that our characters did this week, Jesus Christ, these are supposed professionals and they’re acting worse than sexed up teen archetypes from 80’s slashers.

What did you think of “The Disappeared” ?

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

2 days ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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