The best episodes of The Strain
Ranked by viewer rating, highs first. Lit marks on the season rail place this list across the run. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
Eph helps Quinlan steal the Lumen to draw the Master out. While Abraham and Vasiliy close in on their prey, Quinlan reviews how he came to be. Meanwhile, Gus convinces Angel to help him get Guadalupe to safety.
- 02
Eph reunites with Abraham and Dutch, bringing Alex along with him. His health failing, Setrakian ignores Eph's warnings, pushing himself to the limit in his quest for victory and revenge. Fet and Quinlan race back to Manhattan. Meanwhile, Gus decides to help the resistance, but Creem goes to the Master with valuable information. Later, the Master seals off the city and prepares to eliminate them all.
- 03
While Eph and Nora take Zack to the boy's grandparents, Abraham and Vasiliy prepare to bid for the Lumen against Eichhorst. Meanwhile, Quinlan and his Day-Hunters make their move.
- 04
With the strigoi ready to overrun the city, Vasiliy warns Dutch and Eph to get out. Meanwhile, Gus and Angel try to leave the city but run into Justine, and Eichhorst tracks down the cargo from the Aurora Cutlass.
- 05
It's the final showdown as the team tries to capture the Master and place him in the box. However, the fate of humanity lies in one boy's hands.
- 06
Abraham and Vasiliy continue their hunt for the Old World Ancient. Meanwhile, Quinlan tells the Ancients about Abraham's plan, and Eph is forced to nurse Dutch back to health after her exposure to the Master's voice.
- 07
Eph approaches Abraham to find out what the Lumen tells about the Master's weaknesses, and Quinlan suspects treachery. Meanwhile, Kelly tends to her captive son and arranges his introduction to the Master. And a desperate Eldritch offers Abraham a deal in return for the secret of the white.
- 08
Nine months after the warhead detonated in New York, the strigoi have formed a "partnership" with the humans, offering free medical care in return for blood donations. Eph is in Philadelphia trying to make a life for himself on the fringes, while Vasily and Quinlan try to acquire a nuclear warhead. Meanwhile, the Master plans to raise Zack as his next host body.
- 09
The team is forced to retreat, and Quinlan and Vasily come up with a plan to use the nuke to destroy the Master once and for all.
- 10
Dutch helps Eph attempt to assassinate Eldritch. Meanwhile, Abraham, Vasiliy, and Nora search for Rudyard Fonescu and the Lumen, while Justine tells the Upper East Siders the price they have to pay for her help.
- 11
Vasiliy aids Navy SEALs trying to track down the Master, while Abraham and Quinlan try to translate the Lumen. Meanwhile, Eph returns to his home in the hopes that Zack will somehow make his way there, but Kelly arrives to make Eph an offer.
- 12
While Abraham and Quinlan search the Lumen for a way to defeat the Master, Abraham recalls his encounter with another strigoi in Amsterdam in 1972. Meanwhile, Eph and Dutch try to find a way to stop the strigoi from communicating, and Vasiliy discovers the new plan that the creatures are up to.
- 13
Justine and her people launch a desperate attack on the strigoi nest below Central Park. Vasiliy takes an insertion team in, while the city has the convict teams sweep the tunnels. Meanwhile, Dutch and Eph try to hack the strigoi communication network, and discover that Zack is still alive.
- 14
Before he has Quinlan kill him, Abraham tells the others how to defeat the Master. They begin by assaulting the Partnership facility and capturing Desai. Meanwhile, the Master sends Zack on a special mission.
- 15
Desai forces Dutch to help him calm down a woman undergoing C-section. Meanwhile, the underground takes a heavy blow and Eph and Alex learn of New Horizons.
- 16
The team threatens Selah to get leverage against Desai. Meanwhile, Eph tries to determine if Zack is working for the Master or not, while Gus goes to recover the nuke.
- 17
Eichhorst relives his past while torturing Dutch in the present, while Vasiliy and the others try to find their friend. Meanwhile, Abraham finally meets Rudyard, and Gus and Angel take the Guptas to safety.
- 18
Quinlan and Abraham realize that the Master still lives as long as his essence is at large. Meanwhile, Eichhorst takes control of the strigoi and launches a new attack on Justine and the NYC command structure.
- 19
While Vasiliy and Quinlan acquire the nuclear pit from the strigoi convoy, Eph and Alex head for New Horizons to discover it's secret. Meanwhile, Dutch leads a rebellion and finds Abraham, while in the past, Quinlan finds a moment of happiness.
- 20
Justine takes drastic measures to counter a surprise invasion. Nora and Fet perform a useful mission while Eph and Setrakian face off against an old foe.
- 21
Vasiliy checks on his parents and makes a startling discovery. Meanwhile, Eph and Dutch convince Quinlan to accompany them on a trip to JFK to recover the black box from the Master's flight.
- 22
The fates of Gus and Dutch are revealed, while Eph continues to help Alex and her brother.
- 23
Eph must protect Zack against a surprise intruder into Red Hook. Gus convinces the Guptas to make a difficult choice. Fet and Setrakian set out to acquire the Lumen but discover they are not the only potential buyer.
- 24
Eph makes arrangements to get the bioweapon to Justine, in return for travel permits to get Zack to his grandparents. Meanwhile, Eichhorst warns Eldritch that the white's effects are temporary, and Gus and Angel travel to Rikers to get a new attack squad for Quinlan.
- 25
While Vasiliy and Quinlan try to obtain a nuclear warhead, Eph leads a strike against the strigoi in Philadelphia... alerting the Master and Eichhorst to his presence. Meanwhile, Zack makes a new friend.
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