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The Strain - Season 2 Advance Preview, Exclusive Interview & Spoilers

Nov 11, 2014

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The first season of “The Strain” ended barely a month ago but planning is already in full swing for season two. The writers have a number of scripts ready to go and have planned the storyline through the end of the season. In fact, the cast and crew start shooting on Monday, November 17.

So that begs the question: What can we expect from season two? Fortunately we have the answers straight from “The Strain” writer and executive producer Chuck Hogan, who also co-wrote the three novels with Guillermo del Toro on which the series is based. Hogan gave SpoilerTV an exclusive interview about the FX vampire drama’s sophomore season. He tells us season two will be a definite change. Characters are growing, vampires are maturing, the strain is spreading and new stories lie ahead. We break down all the details Hogan was willing to spill. So read on. The second season of “The Strain” returns summer 2015. But after all these intriguing teasers, we’re not sure if we can wait that long! Here is what Hogan had to say about all the different aspects of season two:


Planning & Writing

We started talking about [season two] in mid-June. We’ve been really lucky. FX has been really great in that they’ve allowed us to start writing early so we’re not scrambling to invent things. We’re actually able to do some more deep thinking. I try to lay out as much as possible, to really have a lot of connective tissues, so you don’t have to invent things that might be interesting and cool but don’t really feel right.

Season one tracked the beginning to the end of book one. We have three books and we’re sort of planning out five seasons. So in general terms seasons two and three would comprise a lot of book two. We have come up with a way to progress it that we think is interesting. The bottom line is, we’re adding a lot of new stuff. Now we can expand on [the book’s content] and either do some things we thought about doing but hadn’t, or just coming up with some new ideas. We’re certainly using the books but we are absolutely open to changing things from the book.


Theme


If I had to sum [the theme] up in three words, it would be Crisis Equals Opportunity. That works both from the point of view of the bad guys – certainly that’s Eldritch Palmer’s credo – but at the same time the crisis, the scary plague, allows our characters to really rise to the occasion. I’m thinking of Fet specifically. The exterminator, the rat hunter has suddenly got these human-sized vermin running through New York and [this is] really kind of what he was built for, without ever knowing it. So there are opportunities to do some very gross things and do some incredible things.


The City

We estimate maybe 10, 15 percent of people have been turned. There’s still a long way to go and the city is definitely hurting and is starting to fall. The fun part about our show, as opposed to most shows, is that it doesn’t just happen. It’s not like all of a sudden there are vampires here and it’s on. But we’re actually seeing the fall, the decline of civilization and how society is reacting or failing to react to this sudden scourge. So that’s a big part of what we’ll see and what our characters have to face. We’re really interested in the external pressures, what it would be like semi-realistically if something like this happened in a major city.

What we will see is New York fighting back, too. There are pockets of resistance, there is a growing sort of grassroots effort to throw these things off. In other words, not just our five or six heroes doing it, but other people for their own reasons. So there is a real sense of a growing battle between vampires, who are trying to essentially colonize and take over New York and everything else, and humans who, once they understand the threat, try to mount a resistance and try to hold their city.


Vampires


One of the great things about our creatures, our vampires, are that they aren’t static. As they continue to mature, they get smarter; they get more used to their host body, if you will. And they’re able to work together. So the threat keeps escalating. It’s not just the same vampires coming at you over and over again. They’re learning and getting smarter. Our heroes kind of understand how the vampires work better. But at the same time [the vampires] are maturing also. The more we learn about them, they are learning more about themselves in a sense that they are able to coordinate attacks at times and not be these zombie-like drones.

There’s going to be a different kind of vampire that’s specially created by The Master that will assist Kelly in her hunt for her dear ones. We’re really excited. It’s a step up from our other vampires in a really exciting way. That’s going to present even more of a threat – and they’re also a really great tool for Kelly to use. It’s almost like she gets something of a surrogate – she gets her own form of children who will assist her.


The Master


We’re going to see more of The Master’s backstory. In fact you’ll see that in episode one. And also, Setrakian failed to kill him but he has succeeded in disrupting the progression of the disease. The body he is existing in has been seriously wounded so he’s going to need to make some adjustments. This master plan was proceeding as he’d hoped and then this really throws things off. So he has to adjust his strategy moving ahead.


Vampire Hunters

As you know, they are the hunters or the ancient. They recruit Gus at the end of season one. So he’ll be with them at the start of season two, kind of learning the ropes. There’s a really interesting turn that I don’t want to give away exactly. But something happens fairly early in the season which is a real right turn for that story.


Characters

Eph:
With Eph, you remember he took a drink at the end of the season. He’s pretty much an alcoholic. That’s going to continue. People who drink act in very different ways. There’s definitely kind of a character change as he has decided there’s no real reason not to be a drinker because there’s so much crazy stuff going on. He gets on a mission that is very direct and very dark. He’s a much more dangerous sort of character – and I think much more interesting.

He’s been following Setrakian and he’s sort of under his sway in terms of the mythological and metaphysical basis of vampirism. But he decides that the only way he can really go at it successfully is using what he knows. And that is epidemiology and using science and medicine. So he figures out that may be a good way to try to fight this plague – work against it using what he knows. There is no vaccine for vampirism, there’s no cure necessarily. But maybe there’s some other way he can weaken these things and try to stop their spread. So that’s his primary directive through a lot of the first half of the season. But he’s using what he knows in a really dark way. Even as he’s pulling away from Setrakian sort of philosophically, he’s moving towards him, too, in the sense that he’s willing to do almost anything to beat these things. So that’s really fun to play with and Corey’s such a great actor, it’s great to give him interesting stuff like that.

Nora:
Nora, having seen what she’s seen – she had to release her mother – she’s definitely got to battle hard. So she’s right there with [Eph]. She agrees that [using science to fight the vampires is] the best use of their expertise.

Setrakian:
After his failure to kill The Master when The Master actually survives his exposure to sunlight, he embarks upon what’s actually a more sort of mythological, spiritual quest. His approach to getting rid of The Master or trying to beat him is by less trying to kill him physically, and instead trying to discover what his origin is in the hopes that if you find out how he was created, then you may be able to find out how you can destroy him. So he’s on a slightly different track.


Fet:
Fet is somewhat on board with [Setrakian]. Fet more practically is really concerned with shoring up his immediate area. They’ve retreated to Fet’s home, which is the warehouse in Red Hook, New York. So his initial thinking is to really try to secure his own home and then his block and then the surrounding neighborhood, and sort of practically try to wipe out the vampires that way. One thing about Fet is he’s a real lover of architecture, he’s a real historian of the city, and yet to fight these things he has to fight against the city that he loves. So there’s a tug-of-war there.

Eldritch Palmer:
At the end of season one he was given some of what we call the white of The Master, which is the white vampire blood, but not with the worms that will spread the virus. So he is feeling healthier – healthier than he’s ever felt before in his life. He’s a lot more able-bodied, and that leads to interesting developments in his personal life, but also in his approach to his motivation for helping The Master come over. He was super sickly and he was interested in achieving some form of immortality. And now that he’s had a taste of what it means to be healthy and vital, he may start to second-guess that strategy. Especially with The Master not giving him what he wanted right away.


Eichhorst:
With The Master wounded after the end of season one, Eichhorst's duties as his emissary are expanded to the point that he comes to feel he is in line for the ultimate promotion.

Kelly:
This bond [of love] that we celebrate in life is just as strong in death. You want to bring your loved ones into the fold. So Kelly has a really strong connection to her son Zack – and Zack is with Eph and the rest of our heroes. That represents a bit of a threat in their location. She can track Zack and in finding him, can find everyone, which of course [is The Master’s] doing.

Gus:
We love Gus. People seem to love him, too. He will be [a big character this season] in what I think is a very interesting way. It does deviate from the book but in a really good way. He has a more expansive role this season. He still has his own story going. The [vampire hunters] draft him as basically a day hunter because the hunters can’t really function in sunlight, whereas Gus can. So they’re looking for someone who can help them. That is his role to start. But the cool thing about Gus is he’s completely instinctual. He doesn’t have any sort of medical science background, nor does he have any sense of mythological-based instinct [about what the vampires are or how they operate], so he’s been learning it as it happens. [That] really works dramatically. He’s someone who has no knowledge base for this but is figuring it out step by step.



New Characters

We’ll have the emergence, the appearance of a very new player in this ongoing [vampire hunter] battle which has been raging for some time: the actual character from the book – his name is Quinlan. We were calling one of the hunters Quinlan in season one (the mysterious black-hooded vampire hunter who recruits Gus, though his name was never used) but we hadn’t really thought that through. There will actually be someone, another entity, if you will, who appears in a really dramatic and interesting way, closer to midseason, and shakes things up. His character arrives in a really cool way and at a really cool time. That’s one thing I’m really excited about. I don’t want to give away too much. There are really exciting things there. And yet I feel like they grow out of the story, too. It’s not like we’re dropping a bomb in the middle of the story just to shake things up. [This new character] will be the actual Quinlan and these hunters have another interesting role but if you’re familiar with the books it’s not exactly what you might expect.

This is the old Quinlan, but a new Quinlan is coming in season two.

We’re trying to mount a real-world response to this plague. And in that vein, we have a new character who is a councilwoman in Staten Island but who decides that she’s not going to wait for anyone else to help. She’s not going to wait for the federal government, she’s not even going to wait for the state or the city government. Staten Island has always felt like they’re separate from New York, anyway. And she starts to have some success in getting the vampires out. Staten Island being an island is a perfect place to start because part of the lore is vampires can’t cross the water.


Final Thoughts

It’s so much fun to do a fun, kind of crazy show like this and have people get it. They get the tone of it, not thinking, ‘Oh, this is supposed to be serious and it’s not’ or ‘This is supposed to be ridiculous and it’s not ridiculous enough.’ We’re kind of an absurd show that within the parameters of the show, the characters take it very seriously. And that’s really our sweet spot. We feel like people get that. That’s really satisfying. It’s great.



What are you most looking forward to in season two of "The Strain?" Let us know in the comments below.


About the Author - Tonya Papanikolas
Tonya Papanikolas is an online, print and broadcast journalist who loves covering entertainment and television. She spent more than 10 years as a broadcast news anchor and reporter. Now she does everything from hosting to writing. She especially loves writing TV articles and reviews for SpoilerTV.

46 comments:

  1. Thanks Tonya, great article and read.

    Looking forward to S2 and looking forward to a "new" Quinlan

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  2. I'm not really looking forward to it. Season 1 was pretty bad and very disappointing.

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  3. Thank you. That was quite detailed and very informative.

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  4. Nice article..that was quick that we learn so much so soon...I thought Eph's character in the 1st season was the most boring..just seemed kinda dull..i hope they do enhance on his darker (drinking) side in season 2 or he may bring the show down..I like the originality of the stories and vampires in this series as it's something new and fresh..this could turn out to be a really good show with the direction its going..the 1st season was kind of boring but I watched it b/c its something new(and i had nothing else to watch)..sometimes good shows take a couple seasons to be good, I really hope this is one of them..its a waiting game now

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  5. Excellent article! I loved the Strain's first season so I am so happy to read this and feel excited about Season 2. Thanks!

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  6. I mean, I disagree with you. I thought it was fun and good (not great, but still good). So, I'm definitely looking forward to the new season. I respect your opinion, though, but may I ask why it was disappointing?

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  7. Sounds great! Can't wait to watch the new season and see how everything changes now that the strain has spread.

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  8. I kind of/sort of agree with @Daniel Walsh. I have read the books and I had high hopes for the show. But it left me disappointed. So much so, that I still have to watch the S1 finale (though I spoiled myself about the happenings). I will be watching S2 though, because I am curious to see how they show certain events from the books.

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  9. Please tell me Dutch is sticking around.

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  10. Meh... not that interested. Season one has great and shocking moments, but overall was a mess and pretty boring.

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  11. The show was meant to be high quality and very disturbing. The whole season was a complete mess. It had some horrible writing and pathetic dialogue. Characters were very bland. The story was all over the place. The Master looked LOL. It wasn't good at all. Bad show all around. Hopefully season 2 will be a lot better.

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  12. Awesome article Tonya! I really enjoyed it. It makes look forward to season two even more now. :)

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  13. Thanks, DarkUFO! I'm looking forward to it, too!

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  14. You're very welcome. Glad you enjoyed it! I hope you go back and watch the S1 finale. I really enjoyed it!

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  15. Oh, sorry to hear that. I really enjoyed season 1 and thought The Master looked great and I found the characters interesting. Hopefully you will enjoy season 2 better. :)

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  16. Thanks, Gavin! I also loved the first season! Glad to help get you excited for the second season! :)

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  17. I do plan on watching it just before S2 starts (whenever that is).

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  18. Thank you. When I first contacted them to ask about season 2, I was thinking they probably hadn't done much planning yet. And boy was I wrong! I also think it will be nice to see a darker, more interesting Eph. The series definitely is original with a fresh take on vampires! I hope you enjoy the second season. :)

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  19. Thanks, Darkfire369! I also can't wait for the new season. It will definitely be interesting to see how everything changes! Thanks for your comments.

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  20. I think she is. I really like her, too. So sorry - we had so much to cover in the interview that when it was over, I realized I hadn't asked about Dutch. My bad!

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  21. I loved all the shocking moments!

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  22. Thanks, Geo! I was going to email you to make sure you saw it - but you did! Glad you enjoyed it and it made you excited for season two! Learning all the info did the same for me. :)

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  23. You have awhile (summer 2015) - and it can be kind of fun to watch it closer to the new season, anyway! :)

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  24. so... the Quinlan in S1 is not the real Quinlan?? I don´t understand ._.

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  25. It is a bit confusing! But yes, the S1 Quinlan is not going to be the "real" Quinlan from the books. They will be debuting a new Quinlan to represent that character - although the new Quinlan character or his story will be changed from the books a little, anyway. Not sure I'm making it a lot clearer. Ha ha.

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  26. When he said about Kelly that "she gets her own form of children who will assist her.", does he literally mean children or children in the sense that Eichorst is a type of child of The Master?

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  27. I hope so, she's far more interesting than the two leads!

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  28. Thanks for the article, a lot of interesting details. Sucks about "new" Quinlan, kind of got used to this version. Very curious how they will pull that off.

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  29. She's definitely got a lot of meat to her character that makes her interesting! :)

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  30. You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, I found the S1 Quinlan character fascinating so I'm also curious how they're going to pull that off. Will be interesting to see if the S1 Quinlan will be sticking around.

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  31. That's a good question. He didn't want to give too much away so he didn't give me much more than that. From talking to him, I would guess the second more figurative option. It sounded like these new vampires The Master creates would serve as a type of child for Kelly in the role they would play. So that's what I think. But we will see!

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  32. Really shocked and disappointed with the Mr. Quinlan news. I think it's a very bad move, considering he's the fan fav (even if he was barely in the show). Not to mention he pretty much has followed the storyline for Quinlan, now it just makes no sense. Someone please tell them no one likes Eph, and they should consider overhauling EPH instead of replacing Quinlan.
    I don't really have any hope for this show to last past season 2 after reading this.

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  33. Are the vamps planning on nuking the planet (like they do at the end of book 2)?

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  34. Are they going to be the Feelers (the blind children converted into vamps) from the books?

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  35. He didn't say. That does make sense with his explanation. But he didn't get that specific. Interesting.....

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  36. He didn't want to give that much away since that would come much later. Book 2 will likely be broken into seasons 2 and 3, so I'm not positive that they've planned that far yet. (Unless it happens at the end of season 2. Then they've planned it but he didn't want to talk that far ahead.)

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  37. I'm so sorry to cause the disappointment! I found Quinlan really interesting in season 1, too! It's definitely a strange move considering he'd already followed the storyline. But it kind of intrigues me because I can't figure it out. I figure this new Quinlan could either backfire or pay off, depending on what they have planned. And since Hogan didn't give me too many details, now we just have to wait and see, I guess. I can understand how that news is upsetting enough to lose hope. But it's possible it could be really intriguing. Don't give up yet! :) (Do you like my pep talk or is it just annoying? Lol.) As for Eph, I really wonder if this "darker" arc they have him doing in season 2 is meant to make his character more interesting and less boring. I wonder if they realized he could use a good boost. Thanks so much for your comments!

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  38. I read somewhere that Books 1 and 2 were intended to be covered in just one season each, with Book 3 possibly being broken down into 2 or 3 seasons. I guess we'll see.

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  39. Chuck Hogan specifically told me that though it wasn't a hard and fast rule, "in general terms seasons two and three would comprise a lot of book two."

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  40. Is the "ultimate promotion" Eichhorst is seeking have to do with becoming the Master's new host? (That might explain one of the hints the producers gave that Eichhorst would run into some "disappoints" next season, since - assuming they follow the books - Bolivar gets chosen to be the Master's new host).

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  41. Two questions:
    1) Will we learn the real name of the "Fake Quinlan"?

    2) Are they going to do something about Eph's (totally obvious) hairpiece?

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  42. Ha ha. These questions made me laugh! I'm not sure what "Fake Quinlan's" real name is. And I think they're keeping the hairpiece. :)

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  43. He was vague on this one so I can't say for sure. :)

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  44. Thank you. Very nice of you.

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  45. You're welcome.

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