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The Best Episodes of The Strain

Every episode of The Strain ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Strain!

Binge this in 1d 9h•Peaking at 9.0/10

A high concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Strain Season 4 Episode 7 - Ouroboros
    9.0/10(1281 votes)

    #1 - Ouroboros

    S4:E7

    With his health failing, Setrakian ignores Eph's warnings and pushes himself to the limit in his quest for victory and revenge; Fet and Quinlan race back to Manhattan, while the Master seals off the city and prepares to eliminate them all.

    Director:Thomas Carter
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The Strain Season 3 Episode 9 - Do or Die
    8.5/10(1178 votes)

    #2 - Do or Die

    S3:E9

    NYC is falling. Eph and Dutch frantically race to finish their new device to stop the Master before the city is overrun. Justine, Gus, and Angel fight in one last stand to stop the spreading virus. Palmer extracts vengeance for past wrongs but may have crossed the line.

    Director:Vincenzo Natali
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The Strain Season 1 Episode 7 - For Services Rendered
    8.4/10(2200 votes)

    #3 - For Services Rendered

    S1:E7

    Setrakian, Eph, and Nora formulate a plan to track down the Master using Jim as bait. Eichhorst and Setrakian’s pasts are revealed. At the Luss home, Neeva struggles to protect the children while encountering a mysterious stranger whose help she may not want.

    Director:Charlotte Sieling
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Strain Season 1 Episode 8 - Creatures of the Night
    8.4/10(2154 votes)

    #4 - Creatures of the Night

    S1:E8

    After discovering the potency of ultraviolet light against the strigoi, Setrakian gains a new and unlikely disciple. A quick trip to a Brooklyn convenience store turns into a deadly all-night siege.

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Strain Season 3 Episode 10 - The Fall
    8.3/10(1317 votes)

    #5 - The Fall

    S3:E10

    Humanity teeters on the edge of destruction. The Master finally reveals himself, initiating the end game of a battle in which there can be only one winner. Eph, Fet, Setrakian, and Dutch must overcome their personal differences in a last-ditch effort to vanquish the strain.

    Director:Carlton Cuse
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. The Strain Season 4 Episode 8 - Extraction
    8.3/10(982 votes)

    #6 - Extraction

    S4:E8

    Reeling from loss, the heroes regroup; the heroes devise a new plan to track the Master through human collaborators, beginning at the blood farm with someone Dutch knows all too well.

    Director:Paco Cabezas
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Strain

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  7. The Strain Season 4 Episode 10 - The Last Stand
    8.3/10(1178 votes)

    #7 - The Last Stand

    S4:E10

    In the series finale, Quinlan devises a desperate plan, but the costs are enormous. Eph wrestles with his conscience, Fet undertakes a suicide mission, and Dutch and Gus dig in for battle as humankind makes its final stand against the Master and his Strain.

    Director:J. Miles Dale
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Strain Season 1 Episode 1 - Night Zero
    8.2/10(3489 votes)

    #8 - Night Zero

    S1:E1

    When a plane lands in New York City with everyone on board dead, Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, head of the CDC’s Canary Project, and his team are called upon to investigate. Harlem pawnbroker Abraham Setrakian races to the airport, convinced that what looks at first like a mysterious viral outbreak might be the beginning of something infinitely more sinister.

    Director:Guillermo del Toro
    Writer:Chuck Hogan

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  9. The Strain Season 2 Episode 13 - Night Train
    8.2/10(1331 votes)

    #9 - Night Train

    S2:E13

    Setrakian and Fet battle for possession of the Occido Lumen, and gain a surprising new ally. A massive attack imperils Eph, Nora, and Zack's escape from New York.

    Director:Vincenzo Natali
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Strain Season 3 Episode 3 - First Born
    8.1/10(1120 votes)

    #10 - First Born

    S3:E3

    The Occido Lumen is gone. Stolen. Setrakian and Fet race to recover it. Gus and Angel try to hide a secret houseguest while avoiding a police sweep, and Quinlan's thirst for vengeance is revealed.

    Director:Ken Girotti
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Strain Season 3 Episode 8 - White Light
    8.1/10(1051 votes)

    #11 - White Light

    S3:E8

    The Master's voice proves to be more powerful and potentially fatal than Eph or Dutch anticipated. Fet and Setrakian track down the cargo from the Egyptian vessel and realize they may be in over their heads. Quinlan strikes a deal with the Ancients, but a last minute betrayal proves deadly.

    Director:T.J. Scott
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Strain Season 2 Episode 11 - Dead End
    8.0/10(1202 votes)

    #12 - Dead End

    S2:E11

    Dutch fights for her life against Eichhorst as Fet, Nora, and Eph frantically search the city for her. Setrakian confronts an old acquaintance on his search for the Occido Lumen, while Gus helps the Guptas escape across the border to safety.

    Director:Phil Abraham
    Writers:Regina Corrado, Carlton Cuse

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  13. The Strain Season 3 Episode 6 - The Battle of Central Park
    8.0/10(1020 votes)

    #13 - The Battle of Central Park

    S3:E6

    Fet strikes hard at the heart of the strigoi army while Justine embarks upon a risky mission to drive the strigoi out of Manhattan once and for all. Gus and Angel fight for their lives and their freedom but are faced with a moral dilemma.

    Director:Deran Sarafian
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The Strain Season 4 Episode 6 - Tainted Love
    8.0/10(960 votes)

    #14 - Tainted Love

    S4:E6

    Fet and Quinlan must figure out how to get the nuclear bomb back to New York, while a desperate Eichhorst draws near; love-struck Zack tries to learn more about his new crush, but makes a devastating discovery.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The Strain Season 1 Episode 5 - Runaways
    7.9/10(1954 votes)

    #15 - Runaways

    S1:E5

    With Nora gone, Eph reluctantly joins Setrakian's quest in hopes of gathering enough evidence to warrant a citywide quarantine. Fet encounters the unexpected inside the subway tunnels, and a medical emergency threatens Palmer's master plan.

    Director:Peter Weller
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Strain Season 1 Episode 6 - Occultation
    7.9/10(1937 votes)

    #16 - Occultation

    S1:E6

    After warning Kelly to leave the city with Zack ahead of the spreading plague, Eph is arrested by the FBI. Eichhorst has one final job for Gus, while Setrakian realizes that the coming eclipse is the tipping point for virus infection and the beginning of the end.

    Director:Peter Weller
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Strain Season 1 Episode 12 - Last Rites
    7.9/10(1688 votes)

    #17 - Last Rites

    S1:E12

    Dutch returns with a plan to broadcast Eph’s warning about the vampiric plague. However, they face a new threat when Eichhorst launches his own attack against the pawn shop. Palmer receives a special visitor, and Gus gears up for the on-coming fight but discovers there’s another mysterious factor involved.

    Director:Peter Weller
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The Strain Season 2 Episode 9 - The Battle for Red Hook
    7.9/10(1229 votes)

    #18 - The Battle for Red Hook

    S2:E9

    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.

    Director:Kevin Dowling
    Writer:Regina Corrado

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  19. The Strain Season 4 Episode 5 - Belly of the Beast
    7.9/10(972 votes)

    #19 - Belly of the Beast

    S4:E5

    Fet and Quinlan track a convoy carrying their prized nuclear weapon; Eph and Alex search for clues to uncover the Master's plan for the fate of the human race; a familiar enemy traps Dutch, who encounters an old friend as well.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writer:Jeff Wadlow

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  20. The Strain Season 4 Episode 9 - The Traitor
    7.9/10(898 votes)

    #20 - The Traitor

    S4:E9

    An unexpected guest brings old conflicts to the surface, dividing the heroes and threatening the group's trust; with questionable new intelligence in hand, the group launches a make-or-break final assault on the Master.

    Director:Jennifer Lynch
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. The Strain Season 1 Episode 3 - Gone Smooth
    7.8/10(2164 votes)

    #21 - Gone Smooth

    S1:E3

    Eph and Nora fight to save Captain Redfern's life before coming face-to-face with the horrifying effects of the virus. A spike in rat attacks signals Fet that something inexplicable is happening deep below the city. Released from jail, Setrakian begins his own merciless plan to stop the spread of the disease.

    Director:David Semel
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. The Strain Season 1 Episode 13 - The Master
    7.8/10(1831 votes)

    #22 - The Master

    S1:E13

    Eph and Fet recon for an all-out assault that Setrakian assures them will finally kill the Master. Gus aligns himself with a strange new force, one that may swing the fight in an unforeseen direction.

    Director:Phil Abraham
    Writer:Guillermo del Toro

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  23. The Strain Season 2 Episode 6 - Identity
    7.8/10(1247 votes)

    #23 - Identity

    S2:E6

    Eph concocts a plan to make and distribute a bioweapon. Gus realizes Angel can be an unlikely ally, and Kelly comes after Nora and Zack.

    Director:Howard Deutch
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. The Strain Season 2 Episode 7 - The Born
    7.8/10(1243 votes)

    #24 - The Born

    S2:E7

    Setrakian and Fet use Fitzwilliam's info to attack the Master. Eph returns to NYC frustrated but energized to go after the one person responsible for killing his friends.

    Director:Howard Deutch
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Strain Season 2 Episode 8 - Intruders
    7.8/10(1175 votes)

    #25 - Intruders

    S2:E8

    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.

    Director:Kevin Dowling
    Writers:David Weddle, Bradley Thompson

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Best Episodes Summary

"Ouroboros" is the best rated episode of "The Strain". It scored 9/10 based on 1281 votes. Directed by Thomas Carter and written by Unknown, it aired on 8/27/2017. This episode scored 0.5 points higher than the second highest rated, "Do or Die".