The BEST episodes of The Strain

Every episode of The Strain ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Strain!

A mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism ravages the city of New York.

Last Updated: 3/18/2024Network: FXStatus: Ended
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For Services Rendered
star
8.13
3877 votes

#1 - 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.

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Ouroboros
star
8.07
2631 votes

#2 - Ouroboros

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/27/2017

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, while the Master seals off the city and prepares to eliminate them all.

Directors: Thomas Carter
Writer: Andy Iser
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Creatures of the Night
star
7.94
3832 votes

#3 - 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.

Directors: Guy Ferland
Writer: Chuck Hogan
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The Fall
star
7.94
3011 votes

#4 - 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.

Directors: Carlton Cuse
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Night Zero
star
7.92
5492 votes

#5 - 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 'Eph' Goodweather, head of the CDC’s Canary Project, and his team are called upon to investigate. What looks at first like a mysterious viral outbreak might be the beginning of something infinitely more sinister.

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Do or Die
star
7.89
3029 votes

#6 - 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.

Directors: Vincenzo Natali
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The Master
star
7.88
3397 votes

#7 - 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.

Directors: Phil Abraham
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The Last Stand
star
7.87
2529 votes

#8 - 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.

Directors: J. Miles Dale
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Occultation
star
7.86
4021 votes

#9 - 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. Setrakian realizes that the coming eclipse is the tipping point for virus infection and the beginning of the end.

Directors: Peter Weller
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Last Rites
star
7.82
3396 votes

#10 - Last Rites

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 9/28/2014

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

Directors: Peter Weller
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White Light
star
7.80
3077 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.

Directors: T.J. Scott
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The Disappeared
star
7.79
3774 votes

#12 - The Disappeared

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/7/2014

Eph races to safeguard his family, only to learn that Kelly is missing. Dutch reveals her role in Palmer’s plan. Gus is forced to make a difficult decision about Felix.

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Gone Smooth
star
7.77
4331 votes

#13 - 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.

Directors: David Semel
Writer: Chuck Hogan
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First Born
star
7.75
3074 votes

#14 - 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.

Directors: Ken Girotti
Writer: Chuck Hogan
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It's Not for Everyone
star
7.73
4288 votes

#15 - It's Not for Everyone

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/3/2014

A secret autopsy demonstrates the bizarre progression of the mystery virus, prompting Jim to make a startling confession. Eph and Nora race to find the father of the youngest victim of the plane tragedy, but someone unexpected beats them to it. Ansel, in the grip of disease, takes desperate measures to protect his family.

Directors: Keith Gordon
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Runaways
star
7.73
4089 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. A medical emergency threatens Palmer's master plan.

Directors: Peter Weller
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The Box
star
7.71
4675 votes

#17 - The Box

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/20/2014

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

Directors: David Semel
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The Third Rail
star
7.71
3548 votes

#18 - The Third Rail

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/21/2014

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.

Directors: Deran Sarafian
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The Traitor
star
7.69
2446 votes

#19 - The Traitor

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/10/2017

An unexpected guest brings old conflicts to the surface, dividing our heroes, threatening the group’s trust. With questionable new intel in hand, they launch a make‐or‐break final assault on the Master.

Directors: Jennifer Lynch
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Night Train
star
7.69
2631 votes

#20 - 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.

Directors: Vincenzo Natali
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The Battle of Central Park
star
7.69
2944 votes

#21 - 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.

Directors: Deran Sarafian
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Madness
star
7.67
3070 votes

#22 - Madness

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/25/2016

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.

Directors: Deran Sarafian
Writer: Liz Phang
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The Assassin
star
7.66
2588 votes

#23 - The Assassin

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/13/2015

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.

Directors: Phil Abraham
Writer: Liz Phang
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Extraction
star
7.66
2530 votes

#24 - Extraction

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 9/3/2017

Reeling from loss, our heroes regroup. To defeat the Master, they must locate him first. Our heroes devise a new plan to track him through human collaborators, beginning at the blood farm with someone Dutch knows all too well.

Directors: Paco Cabezas
Writer: Liz Phang
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Dead End
star
7.65
2539 votes

#25 - 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.

Directors: Phil Abraham
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV