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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!

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...

Seasons4

  1. Background image for Do or Die
    8.5/10(1.2k votes)

    #1 - 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.

    Writer:Unknown
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  2. Background image for For Services Rendered
    8.4/10(2.2k votes)

    #2 - 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.

    Writer:Unknown
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  3. Background image for Creatures of the Night
    8.4/10(2.1k votes)

    #3 - 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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  4. Background image for The Fall
    8.3/10(1.3k votes)

    #4 - 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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  5. Background image for Night Zero
    8.2/10(3.5k votes)

    #5 - 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.

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  6. Background image for Night Train
    8.1/10(1.3k votes)

    #6 - 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.

    Writer:Unknown
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Strain

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  8. Background image for First Born
    8.1/10(1.1k votes)

    #7 - 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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  9. Background image for White Light
    8.1/10(1.0k votes)

    #8 - 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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  10. Background image for Dead End
    8.0/10(1.2k votes)

    #9 - 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.

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  11. Background image for The Battle of Central Park
    8.0/10(1.0k votes)

    #10 - 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.

    Writer:Unknown
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  12. Background image for Runaways
    7.9/10(1.9k votes)

    #11 - 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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  13. Background image for Occultation
    7.9/10(1.9k votes)

    #12 - 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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  14. Background image for Last Rites
    7.9/10(1.7k votes)

    #13 - 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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  15. Background image for Gone Smooth
    7.8/10(2.1k votes)

    #14 - 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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  16. Background image for The Master
    7.8/10(1.8k votes)

    #15 - 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.

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  17. Background image for Identity
    7.8/10(1.2k votes)

    #16 - 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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  18. Background image for The Born
    7.8/10(1.2k votes)

    #17 - 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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  19. Background image for Intruders
    7.8/10(1.2k votes)

    #18 - 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.

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  20. Background image for The Battle for Red Hook
    7.8/10(1.2k votes)

    #19 - 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.

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  21. Background image for The Assassin
    7.8/10(1.2k votes)

    #20 - The Assassin

    S2:E10

    Eph and Dutch work together to thwart the Master's greatest ally. Justine runs into trouble with the Mayor while Setrakian tracks down the real owner of the Lumen.

    Director:Phil Abraham
    Writer:Unknown
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  22. Background image for Madness
    7.8/10(979 votes)

    #21 - Madness

    S3:E5

    New information from the Lumen forces Setrakian to seek help from his lifelong nemesis, Eldritch Palmer. Eph's new experiments to understand strigoi communication seemingly take him to the brink of madness while Fet is on a mission to discover strigoi movements across New York City.

    Writer:Unknown
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  23. Background image for The Box
    7.7/10(2.4k votes)

    #22 - The Box

    S1:E2

    The four survivors begin manifesting strange symptoms, but Eph and Nora's attempt to quarantine them is thwarted as the disinformation campaign begins. Meanwhile, in jail, Setrakian receives a surprise visit from an old - a very old - acquaintance.

    Director:David Semel
    Writer:Unknown
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  24. Background image for The Third Rail
    7.7/10(1.7k votes)

    #23 - The Third Rail

    S1:E11

    Setrakian leads Eph, Fet and Nora in the hunt for the Master’s lair. Left behind at the pawnshop with Mariela, Zack risks his safety for Mariela's sake.

    Writer:Unknown
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  25. Background image for BK, NY
    7.7/10(1.6k votes)

    #24 - BK, NY

    S2:E1

    Eph and Nora work on a biological weapon to kill the strigoi, and Setrakian risks the lives of the entire group to find information about a closely guarded secret text. The Master begins the next phase of his own plan, by creating a terrifying new breed of creature and placing them under the control of Kelly.

    Writer:Unknown
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  26. Background image for Gone But Not Forgotten
    7.7/10(1.0k votes)

    #25 - Gone But Not Forgotten

    S3:E4

    Things have changed. The infection enters a new phase. Fet wants to celebrate, but Setrakian and Eph are worried there's more work to be done. Justine conscripts a new, unwilling army in the fight while Eichhorst angrily lashes out with a plan to strike back.

    Director:Ken Girotti
    Writer:Unknown
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Best Episodes Summary

"Do or Die" is the best rated episode of "The Strain". It scored 8.5/10 based on 1159 votes. Directed by Vincenzo Natali and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/23/2016. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "For Services Rendered".