The Strain (Guillermo del Toro's New FX Summer Show)

[Bad Bishop]

The Master has to be one of the scariest monsters ever seen on a television series.

You haven't seen much TV, have you?

Maybe not as much as you. You may pin a medal on yourself now. Make sure you don't prick yourself.

Creatures similar to The Master have appeared on Buffy and Angel, but the lighthearted atmosphere of the Whedon productions served to dampen the chills. We can now forget any of the allegedly scary creatures of Sunnydale.

 

[sojourner]

X-Files, Twilight Zone, American Horror Story....

 

[Mister Fandango]

If he never took his cowl off, yes, he would still be very scary.

But since he did, and he looks like an assclown due to some really poor decisions in the make-up department, he's lost all of his horror and is now just something to laugh at.

 

[JD]

I like him a lot more than most people on here, but even I wouldn't go that far.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

X-Files, Twilight Zone, American Horror Story....

Agreed.

If he never took his cowl off, yes, he would still be very scary.

But since he did, and he looks like an assclown due to some really poor decisions in the make-up department, he's lost all of his horror and is now just something to laugh at.

Also agreed. He looks fairly ridiculous without the hood. With the hood on, the unknown features of his face were bolstered by our imaginations into something indescribably horrifying, like something out of Lovecraft.

In the movie the Frighteners, there was this Grim Reaper-y monster (scythe included) that looked so cool and menacing as it stalked its victims with a billowing black cloak and deep black hood. And then it was revealed, that beneath the black cloak was...Jake Busey playing the horny ghost of a serial killer.

Whenever I see the naked face of the Master, I think of the sinister, toothy smile of Jake Busey.

 

[Venardhi]

If he never took his cowl off, yes, he would still be very scary.

But since he did, and he looks like an assclown due to some really poor decisions in the make-up department, he's lost all of his horror and is now just something to laugh at.

Also agreed. He looks fairly ridiculous without the hood. With the hood on, the unknown features of his face were bolstered by our imaginations into something indescribably horrifying, like something out of Lovecraft.

The sad thing is how close to a good makeup it is, and how good most of their other makeups have been. Sunken cheeks, stronger jaw, furrowed brow, less fleshy overall, a slight different shape to a less wide mouth. . . it could be very effective.

 

[sojourner]

Is it makeup or CGI? The skin looks very much like CGI.

 

[Borgminister]

Actually, it was much scarier and more disturbing watching the manservant applying makeup as it were and feeding on his prisoner than beholding this botox-accident... they just flat got it wrong, inexplicably.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

The Master looks like that guy from the Goonies crossed with the unmasked Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi.

 

[Venardhi]

Is it makeup or CGI? The skin looks very much like CGI.

My guess would be makeup with some CG enhancement.

 

[Borgminister]

Gonna be in it 'till the end because warts and all, it really tries to deliver. The dovetailing of past and present tragedies was not handled too well from a directorial standpoint, but A for effort. Good to see the half vamps again...

 

[Guy Gardener]

When I saw the last X-Men Movie, I wondered, Hey Apocalypse, who stole your lips?

Andddddddddddddddddddddddd, now we know.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Every time I see the Master leaning in to talk to someone, I have flashbacks to a hundred horrifying birthday kisses by ancient great-aunts and great-grandmas with giant cracked lips and fake teeth. Probably not the image they were going for, but terrifying nonetheless.

 

[JD]

So we finally got the meeting between Palmer and The Master. I was glad to see them go back and explore the origin of Setrakien's wife's vampire heart.

 

[propita]

Damn! I somehow missed recording the last episode!

I've checked to make sure I won't miss the next.

Can someone spoiler-summarize here?

 

[Immolatus]

why did the master wait till now (2014) to try to take over the world? wouldn't it have been easier to take over village after village in the 1950-60's?

 

[sojourner]

Hopefully that will be explained at some point.

 

[kitik]

why did the master wait till now (2014) to try to take over the world? wouldn't it have been easier to take over village after village in the 1950-60's?

Perhaps he's been waiting until he's had enough help lined up from billionaires and airport security and whatnot.

He may also have decided that starting in NYC would immediately make the virus global and beyond containment, as opposed to going one by one through small villages, which may give opposing force time to mount an offensive against him. In theory, if NYC falls, the world is lost.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Watched the first episode of The Strain- pretty good, when I fast-forwarded through the crap about the hero's custody hearings. David Bradley steals the show, of course. but I can't help thinking "huh, it's just a vampire show?"

 

[kitik]

Hmm, that's it?

I was hoping for a bit more from a season finale.