The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar
DVD
Written by Ford Riley
Directed by Howy Parkins
Created by Ford Riley
Starring Max Charles, Gabrielle Union, David Oyelowo, Rob Lowe, Khary Payton, Dusan Brown, Diamond White, Atticus Shaffer, Joshua Rush
Release Date: January 9th, 2018

The Lion King is regarded as one of Disney’s greatest films, the fourth mega hit in a 5-year span that combined cutting edge animation technology with an absolute classic soundtrack. The film is about a young lion Simba who is forced away from Pride Rock through the plans of his devious uncle Scar. After meeting some news friends, Simba returns to battle for his family’s honor and his own redemption. After a few direct to video sequels, Disney Junior began The Lion Guard in 2016, a spinoff involving Simba’s son Kion (Max Charles). The show is a hit among the Disney Junior target audience with enough throwback references for parents who grew up with the original. Kion and his Lion Guard are in for their fiercest challenge when evil forces in the pridelands conspire to bring about a return of Scar. The elongated near hour long episode is part of a DVD set, The Lion Guard – The Rise of Scar, available now.

The Strain
Season 4 Episode 4: “New Horizons”
Directed by Kevin Dowling
Written by Mickey Fisher
Created by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Starring Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel, Jonathan Hyde, Miguel Gomez, Natalie Brown, Ruta Gedmintas, Max Charles, Rupert Penry-Jones
FX
Air Date: Sunday, August 6th, 2017, 10pm

Warning! Spoilers below for last night’s episode of The Strain!

Last week on The Strain, Fet, Quinlan, Roman, and Charlotte (Kevin Durand, Rupert Penry-Jones, K.C. Collins, Rhona Mitra) found the silo, dead men strewn about, but a live one shot Quinlan and there was a standoff. Fet tried to save everyone, but Quinlan killed the soldier. A piece was missing from the missile – new mission. Eph and Alex (Corey Stoll, Angel Parker) poisoned one of the blood trucks with rat poison, and successfully took out the strigoi in a building. The Master (Jonathan Hyde) was upset, but Eichorst (Richard Sammel) said it was a break. Zach (Max Charles) decided to help the cute maid with food, after showing her the power he had over the strigoi.

Spoilers below.

The Strain
Season 4 Episode 3: “One Shot”
Directed by Kevin Dowling
Written by Bradley Thompson & David Weddle
Created by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Starring Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel, Jonathan Hyde, Miguel Gomez, Natalie Brown, Ruta Gedmintas, Max Charles, Rupert Penry-Jones
FX
Air Date: Sunday, July 30th, 2017, 10pm

Warning! Spoilers below for last night’s episode of The Strain!

Last week on The Strain, Gus (Miguel Gomez) convinced his cousin to sneak him and his crew into The Partnership factory where he worked so they could steal supplies. Of course, that went left. Eph (Corey Stoll) decided to join the rebels and they came up with another plan to hurt the strigoi. Setrakian and Dutch (David Bradley, Ruta Gedmintas) were captured – Setrakian to the unknown and Dutch to a B+ blood type breeding factory, where she planned an escape that went awry.

Spoilers below.

The Strain
Season 4 Episode 2: “The Blood Tax”
Directed by J. Miles Dale
Written by Liz Phang
Created by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Starring Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel, Jonathan Hyde, Miguel Gomez, Natalie Brown, Ruta Gedmintas, Max Charles, Rupert Penry-Jones
FX
Air Date: Sunday, July 23rd, 2017, 10pm

Warning! Spoilers below for last night’s episode of The Strain!

Last week on The Strain, it is a new world in New York City after Zach (Max Charles) set off the nuclear bomb in anger at his father, Eph (Corey Stoll). “The Partnership” now rules over their human slaves. Eph does side jobs for survival, but when he is captured, decided to join the cause with the people that rescued him. Fet, Quinlan, and Charlotte (Kevin Durand, Rupert Penry-Jones, Rhona Mitra) were in search of a nuclear missile, and may have found the answer in Roman, a fellow captive (not Quinlan – he showed up after they freed themselves). The Master (Jonathan Hyde) continued to believe in Zach’s potential, despite Eichort’s (Richard Sammel) protests.

Spoilers below.

The Strain
Season 4 Episode 1: “The Worm Turns”
Directed by J. Miles Dale
Written by Carlton Cuse & Chuck Hogan
Created by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Starring Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel, Jonathan Hyde, Miguel Gomez, Natalie Brown, Ruta Gedmintas, Max Charles, Rupert Penry-Jones
FX
Air Date: Sunday, July 16th, 2017, 10pm

Warning! Spoilers below for the 4th season premiere of The Strain!

At the end of last season on The Strain, the humans lost the war against the strigoi. They did fight valiantly though. Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones) fought his father, The Master, in a breathless confrontation. Even Palmer (Jonathan Hyde) fought on the rebels’ side until The Master “gifted” him with his presence, to Eichorst’s (Richard Sammel) dismay. Eph (Corey Stoll) finally found Zach (Max Charles) with Kelly (Natalie Brown), and killed her, causing Zach to set off the bomb that decimated the city, both with the weapon and by causing nuclear winter, allowing the strigoi to walk in daylight.

Spoilers below.

The time has come for FX’s The Strain to come to its bloody end. This vampire series based on Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan‘s exciting trilogy was always meant to last 3-5 seasons. Sad for the fans who just want more story, but good for the story to end on a quality note. Showrunner Carlton Cuse is used to breaking my heart. He just ended one of my favorite series’ of all time, Bates Motel, with an incredible finale. I was also completely invested in The Returned, and I am a Lostie for life. At least I still have Colony. The Strain is one more notch in my TV heartbreak belt. The story of Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll) and his band of warriors valiantly (and sometimes drunkenly) trying to fight an aggressive vampire virus and equally aggressive vampires, has been my summer go-to for that last 3 years. This “First Look” gives us the cast’s take on what is shaping up to be an explosive final season.

The Strain is also having a lot of fun on Twitter with fake Master propaganda posters. They would be funny if they weren’t so scary, both for the show and our current political climate.

Check out the video and the posters below.

The Strain
Season 3 Episode 10: “The Fall”
Directed by Carlton Cuse
Written by Chuck Hogan, Carlton Cuse
Created by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Starring Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel, Jonathan Hyde, Miguel Gomez, Natalie Brown, Ruta Gedmintas, Max Charles, Rupert Penry-Jones
FX
Air Date: Sunday October 30th, 2016, 10pm

Last week on The Strain, everybody tried to leave the city, and Justine (Samantha Mathis), her men, Gus (Miguel Gomez), and Angel (Joaquín Cosio) fought the flowing waves of strigoi in one last stand. Angel covered for Gus, and died a burning triumphant hero. Justine died a brave soldier as well. Gus escaped. Palmer (Jonathan Hyde) managed to steal the nuclear bomb, and ambushed Eichorst (Richard Sammel), severely injuring him. It’s about time he started to atone. Eph and Dutch (Corey Stoll and Ruta Gedmintas) finished their strigoi mind scrambler. Fet (Kevin Durand) and Eph got into a fistfight.

Warning! Spoilers for the season 3 finale of The Strain!

The Strain
Season 3 Episode 9: “Do or Die”
Directed by Ken Girotti
Written by Chuck Hogan
Created by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Starring Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel, Jonathan Hyde, Miguel Gomez, Natalie Brown, Ruta Gedmintas, Max Charles, Joaquín Cosio, Rupert Penry-Jones, Samantha Mathis
FX
Air Date: Sunday October 23rd, 2016, 10pm

Last week on The Strain, we get Gus’s (Miguel Gomez) backstory on why he wants to save his strigoi mother (other than boys and their moms). His uncles took out his father after he abused their sister once too often. He became the man of the house early. In the present day, he ended up having to put her down after she almost got Angel (Joaquín Cosio). Setrakian and Fet (David Bradley and Kevin Durand) interrogated a few key people, thanks to Palmer (Jonathan Hyde), but they missed out on getting Eichorst (Richard Sammel), who had just given us a nasty little demonstration of the blood factory. Eph (Corey Stoll) and Dutch (Ruta Gedmintas) recovered the original JFK black box, but the Master’s sound waves made Dutch really sick. When she recovered, her and Eph had sex. Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones) told the ancients to get off their asses. As they do, Eichhorst invaded the ancients lair with lots of bloodthirsty friends, which caused them to fight, and they were pretty good for some desiccated husks. That is, until they explode.

Spoilers below.

The Strain
Season 3 Episode 2: “Bad White”
Directed by J. Miles Dale
Written by David Weddle & Bradley Thompson
Created by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Starring Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel, Jonathan Hyde, Miguel Gomez, Natalie Brown, Ruta Gedmintas, Jack Kesy, Max Charles, Joaquín Cosio, Rupert Penry-Jones, Samantha Mathis
FX
Air Date: Sunday September 4th, 2016, 10pm

Last week’s The Strain started off crazy as expected. Eph (Corey Stoll) is waiting for his vampire son to return, trading in what he thinks are useless asthma meds for liquor and a taser. Kelly (Natalie Brown) shows up with a deal for Eph – Zach (Max Charles) for The Lumen. Setrakian (David Bradley) studies it voraciously, only stopping to referee Fet and Quinlan (Kevin Durand and Rupert Penry-Jones). Gus (Miguel Gomez) keeps his strigoi mom as a pet. Fet tries in vain to save the Navy Seals from a gruesome fate at the hands of The Master (Jack Kesy).

Spoilers below.

The Strain
Season 3 Episode 1: “New York Strong”
Directed by J. Miles Dale
Written by Carlton Cuse
Created by Chuck Hogan, Guillermo del Toro
Starring Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Richard Sammel, Jonathan Hyde, Miguel Gomez, Natalie Brown, Ruta Gedmintas, Jack Kesy, Max Charles, Joaquín Cosio, Rupert Penry-Jones, Samantha Mathis
FX
Air Date: Sunday August 28th, 2016, 10pm

Spoilers if you are not all caught up…

At the end of season 2 of The Strain, our gang had split in various heartbreaking ways. Setrakian (David Bradley) had succeeded in obtaining the Lumen from Eichorst (Richard Sammel), after Palmer (Jonathan Hyde) pulled the funding. As punishment, The Master (Jack Kesy) took Coco’s (Lizzie Brocheré) eternal life, destroying Palmer. Quinlan, Gus, Setrakian, and Fet (Rupert Penry-Jones, Miguel Gomez, Bradley, and Kevin Durand) joined forces. Nora (Mia Maestro) got infected by Kelly (Natalie Brown) while defending Zach, who ended up leaving with his mom. Eph (Corey Stoll) showed up heartbroken, and Nora decided to end it instead of letting the Master use her.

More spoilers ahead for episode 3.1 “New York Strong.”