The first season of The Strain on FX was a welcome change to vampire lore. Based on the graphic novel trilogy of the same name by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, the show brought us a grittier and more parasitic vampire than we’ve seen in the past. Where vampire movies often mention a “virus”, they often stop at the phrase “infection” and get on to the CGI action or, in some cases, the sparkly wonderment. The Strain, however, primarily focused on CDC epidemiologist Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and Professor Abraham Setrakian two men with a common goal, albeit with different tactics, of eradicating the vampire infection in New York City.

In season one, we were given thirteen episodes with a decent amount of action and back story. We’re given the “origin” of Professor Setrakian, a Holocaust survivor, who witnessed the vampire scourge first-hand during his imprisonment, and has spent his life hunting them, preparing for the ultimate showdown between himself and the powerful vampire leader, “The Master.” While Goodweather and the rag tag team of survivors band together with Setrakian, they have had to come to grips with the concept of real monsters in a very short time.

SPOILER ALERT! At the end of the first season we get a showdown of sorts and realize that The Master has been hard at work amassing far larger an army than our main characters had anticipated. Also, during the season, we were slowly introduced to the mysterious Mr. Quinlan and his vampire commandos, who work for a group of ancient vampires of which The Master was once a part. It’s their goal to destroy the master as well.

With The Strain, I’ve made it a point to not read the source material yet so I can try and keep it as fresh as possible. The show is shot incredibly well, the storytelling was well paced and, as cliche as it may sound, it kept me on the edge of my seat. Season two looks even more exciting than the first and with most of Setrakian’s back story out of the way, there’s no doubt in my mind that this season will be even more of a thrill.

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Are you as excited as I am for season 2 of The Strain? Do you think we’ll ever find out why Quinlan’s vampire commandos seem to decked out in what looks like Nerdist Convention Hoodies? Let us know in the comments!