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2 • August 28 - September 3, 2016 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kyla Brewer TV Media I t's fun to be scared, ask any thrill seeker. It must be, given the re- cent surge in popularity of horror- drama series in prime time. From zombies to vampires and even se- rial killers, scary TV seems to equal good TV for millions of viewers. The latest such series to capture the attention of TV audiences is FX's "The Strain," which returns Sunday, Aug. 28. The return marks the be- ginning of the third season of the acclaimed series based on Guiller- mo del Toro ("Hellboy," 2004) and Chuck Hogan's ("The Town," 2010) trio of novels of the same name. "The Strain" stars Corey Stoll ("House of Cards") as Dr. Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather, former head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his allies investigate a myste- rious outbreak caused by parasitic worms that cause a form of vam- pirism. Dr. Goodweather's saga has captured the attention of mil- lions of fans, who are no doubt anxious for season 3. Unfortunately for fans, season 3 is comprised of just 10 episodes, instead of the usual 13. However, executive producer and showrun- ner Carlton Cuse ("Lost") isn't daunted. At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, the executive produc- er explained this season would have a faster pace. "We wanted to increase the narrative velocity of the show," said Cuse. He went on to say: "This season is really an all-out battle for the soul of New York." As the season opens, New York has become a battleground where humans must fight just to survive. The federal government soon turns its back on the Big Apple, leaving humans to face off with the strigoi — the show's vampire- like creatures — on their own. As the war rages on, Eph and the oth- er heroes win some battles, but it remains to be seen who will ulti- mately prevail. This season, loyalties within the group fracture when betrayal and paranoia threaten to tear them apart. As Eph struggles to cope with the reality of Dr. Nora Marti- nez's (Mía Maestro, "Alias") death, he resolves to get his son, Zach (Max Charles, "The Lion Guard"), back from the Master (Jack Kesy, "The Throwaways," 2015), an ancient evil being who controls the strigoi. Eph manufac- tures massive quantities of his bio- weapon while experimenting on strigoi and even considers betray- ing those closest to him. Neither human nor strigoi, the origins of the mysterious Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones, "MI-5") are explored this season as well, and fans are eager to discover more about the intriguing figure. Quin- lan hopes to lure out the Master and take him down, which allies him with Eph, for better or for worse. Samantha Mathis ("The Good Wife") returns as Justine Faraldo, Special Director of Security for New York City — a.k.a. the "Secu- rity Czar" — a zealous, power- hungry politician who believes she's the only person willing to do what it takes to win the war. When her plans go awry, though, she's knocked off balance, which could have serious ramifications for ev- eryone in New York. Fan favorite Kevin Durand ("Lost") also returns this season as Vasiliy Fet, who teams up with a group of Navy SEALS looking for the Master. He also rebounds from his breakup with Dutch (Ruta Ged- mintas, "The Incident," 2015), thanks to a beautiful police cap- tain, (America Olivo, "Friday the 13th," 2009). All the while, the Master contin- ues his quest to transform the world. "The Strain" has amassed a loy- al following, no doubt thanks to the talented team both in front of and behind the camera. Stoll came to the attention of TV audiences thanks to roles in "Law & Order: Los Angeles" and "House of Cards," the latter of which earned him a Golden Globe nomination in 2013. Moviegoers may recognize him as villain Darren Cross in "Ant- Man" (2015). Cuse is the mastermind behind such other successful series as "Bates Motel" and "Colony," not to mention ABC's legendary rat- ings juggernaut "Lost," on which he also served as screenwriter. His work on the critically acclaimed series landed him on Time maga- zine's list of the 100 most influen- tial people in the world in 2010. With nine Emmy nominations — including one win — and count- less other industry honors, Cuse knows a good series when he sees one. Luckily for fans of "The Strain," he's also touted as a pioneer of cross-platform promotion, but viewers will have to wait to see what he has up his sleeve for season 3. Mexican-born del Toro started out in the industry as a special effects makeup artist, which explains why "The Strain" has such kill- er special effects. He's honed his craft as a di- rector, screenwriter and producer on such films as "Hell- boy" (2004), "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006) and "Pa- cific Rim" (2013). Hogan's works include the Hammett Prize-winning novel "Prince of Thieves: A Novel," which was made into the film "The Town," starring Ben Affleck in 2010. He's also credited as a writer of the 2016 Michael Bay flick "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Beng- hazi." All things considered, season 3 of "The Strain" has a lot to offer viewers, particu- larly those thrill-seeking souls who love to be scared. With strigoi taking over the Big Apple, Eph and the gang have their work cut out for them. Find out how it all unfolds Sunday, Aug. 28, on FX. 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