This review contains spoilers.
The season 2 finale follows the heroes as they try to leave New York and decode the Occido Lumen. Eichorst has notified his master of Eldritch's betrayal from last episode. Eph seeks to get his son out of New York City in one of the last trains leaving the infected city.
This finale is not incredibly eventful. The finale is more of a recap to what the last few episodes had. The only thing of note that happens is Coco Marchand dies as a result of Eldritch's actions. This plants some seeds of doubt as he begins to fight against The Master. Setrakian seeks to decode the Occido Lumen with help from his disciples.
The big event in this episode is Nora's death at the hands of Kelly Goodweather. This even was interesting. The vampires cause a train to derail and Nora and Zach are left to try to escape. The problem with this scene is that Nora's death is because of Zach. The season never made Zach to be a likable character and because of this action, Zach is one of the most hated characters. The scene did feel touching when Nora and Eph made their last goodbyes.
Overall, this is a forgettable finale with a decent last scene. I would recommend the episode only for hardcore fans.
Grade: B
The Strain Season Two
The Strain season two picks up where the first season left off. The Master has been wounded by the heroes during a raid. The vampires are wounded but not destroyed as more people are infected in New York City. The heroes find themselves struggling as more people become infected by the strigoi. Meanwhile a city councilwoman is leading a charge to establish safe zones around New York. Kelly, who was infected in the first season, has regained her memories and is now driven to a mission to kidnap Zach.
The Strain season two has a grander scope than the first season. This is one of the good aspects of the second season as the series likes to offer backstory and character histories that can be interesting and engaging. More characters are introduced in the second season and the series takes its time to develop. This can be frustrating at times when the season explores Gus more. His character and story became weaker with Vaun's death. The series continues to focus on his mother even when she is turned and The Master taunts him through her. Gus' character is fine, but his story did not feel as engaging as the main story with Eph, Fet, Setrakian, Dutch, and Nora. With the grander scope, comes a higher budget as the television series puts more actors on display. More of New York's police department come up against the vampires which allows cool scenes such as the defense of Red Hook. Likewise with the vampires, Eichorst and Kelly are explored in more detail. The show focuses the bulk of some episodes on them. Kelly Goodweather is adapting to her new vampiric condition as she seeks her child. Eichorst's Nazi history is explored as he is the focus of one episode where his pre-Nazi past is shown. These scenes were cool even when they slowed down the main story.
The main arc of the season is the characters trying to research and acquire the Occido Lumen. The series is at its best as the characters try to find the best way to defeat The Master. Although I did not like the concept of the Occido Lumen, I found the execution to be good. The characters have all of their personalities from the first season. The actors and actresses do a fine job. The concept allowed all of these characters to interact more organically which is always something positive.
I would recommend The Strain season two. The series takes a grander scope while still retaining a grounded feel.
Grade: B
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