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!
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 a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.
Top Episode Ratings Summary
The best episode of "The Strain" is "Ouroboros", rated 9/10 from 1177 user votes. It was directed by Thomas Carter and written by N/A. "Ouroboros" aired on 8/27/2017 and is rated 0.5 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Do or Die".
9.0/10 1,177 votes#1 - Ouroboros
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 8/27/2017
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: N/A
8.5/10 1,088 votes#2 - Do or Die
Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 10/23/2016
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: N/A
8.4/10 2,068 votes#3 - For Services Rendered
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 8/24/2014
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: N/A
8.4/10 2,018 votes#4 - Creatures of the Night
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 8/31/2014
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: N/A
8.3/10 1,209 votes#5 - The Fall
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 10/30/2016
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: N/A
8.3/10 890 votes#6 - Extraction
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 9/3/2017
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: N/A
8.3/10 1,071 votes#7 - The Last Stand
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 9/17/2017
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: N/A
8.2/10 3,295 votes#8 - Night Zero
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 7/13/2014
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
8.2/10 1,232 votes#9 - Night Train
Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 10/4/2015
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: N/A
8.2/10 1,029 votes#10 - First Born
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 9/11/2016
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: N/A
8.1/10 963 votes#11 - White Light
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 10/16/2016
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: N/A
8.0/10 1,105 votes#12 - Dead End
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 9/20/2015
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
Writer: Regina Corrado, Carlton Cuse
8.0/10 934 votes#13 - The Battle of Central Park
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 10/2/2016
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: N/A
8.0/10 883 votes#14 - Belly of the Beast
Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 8/13/2017
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: N/A
8.0/10 871 votes#15 - Tainted Love
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 8/20/2017
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: N/A
7.9/10 1,821 votes#16 - Runaways
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 8/10/2014
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: N/A
7.9/10 1,808 votes#17 - Occultation
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 8/17/2014
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: N/A
7.9/10 1,573 votes#18 - Last Rites
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 9/28/2014
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: N/A
7.9/10 1,130 votes#19 - The Battle for Red Hook
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 9/6/2015
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
7.9/10 807 votes#20 - The Traitor
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 9/10/2017
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: N/A
7.8/10 2,019 votes#21 - Gone Smooth
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 7/27/2014
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: N/A
7.8/10 1,712 votes#22 - The Master
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 10/5/2014
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
7.8/10 1,149 votes#23 - Identity
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 8/16/2015
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: N/A
7.8/10 1,143 votes#24 - The Born
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 8/23/2015
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: N/A
7.8/10 1,078 votes#25 - Intruders
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 8/30/2015
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
Writer: David Weddle, Bradley Thompson