reviews
The Strain S2 Ep 2: “By Any Means”
WARNING: Major Blood sucking Spoilers ahead!!!
(The internet is dark and full of spoilers, lord of light protect us)
Episode two finally sheds more light on that cane that Abraham carries around. We start to see Kelly become the evil, sadistic, maniacal, blood-sucker we always knew she was. Mr. Palmer does even more “shady rich white dude” stuff, and Vasily and Dutch get weird in a community swimming pool. If this sounds good to you then by all means read on, but please be more cautious about community swimming pools.
In the previous episode of the season we see The Master explaining the importance of finding a new host body as his current one is rotting. In this episode Thomas further explains this concept to Gabriel Bolivar,a Marilyn Manson wannabe and one of the original survivors of the plane crash. Now that he has been given the blessing of keeping a shred of his humanity, Gabriel has become one of the main servants to The Master. With the Master’s body finally withering, it becomes increasingly imperative that he is found a fresh new body so he can be beautiful for when he’s the Supreme Being on the planet. Although he is a disgusting, child eating, anti-Semite, I think it’s a good thing that he wants to find a younger and better body. Let’s be honest, if we’re going to be ruled by a vampiric super-monster, can we at least get a decent looking vampiric super-monster? If not for us, then think of the children. It’d be such a shame for kids to have nightmares about their new overlord before he even gets to drain them with his razor-toothed face hose. You know what else is selfish though? Kelly’s treatment of those poor disabled vampire kids.
Now that Kelly has control over the Feelers (which are people who are born blind then turned to vampires), she has become just an awful example for the kids. Upon inspection of her new blind soldiers, she is able to sense one of the Feelers as being weak so she breaks its neck. Now, I am no child expert. Hell, I hope my sperm doesn’t even have tails so I don’t ever have to worry about dealing with children, but Kelly, let me level with you here. I think a hug would have been a little more appropriate. Though maybe that was what she was trying to do, hug that blind kids head until the neck broke, simply out of love. If that’s the case then Kelly needs to monitor her grip strength because that is just insane.
After that aggressive show of affection, we travel back in time to when Abraham was teaching a class on the urban mythology of vampires in the year 1965. As his lecture comes to a conclusion, a young man wheels his way into the room wishing for a conversation with the now middle-aged professor. The young wheelchair bound individual is none other than Eldritch Palmer. After small talk, the two get straight to the nitty gritty and Mr. Palmer gives Abraham the task of finding a silver cane; a silver sword cane. Sound familiar? It should. Abraham reluctantly agrees to do business with Palmer considering his vast wealth and agreement to share it. This seems very reminiscent of a certain comic book involving a wheelchair bound man and another non-wheelchair bound man, doing stuff together. Not like, weird stuff, but like cool world-changing stuff. Except this time the bad guy is the one in the wheelchair and the good guy is the one who wears a hat. Plus there are vampires and no super powers. Okay, honestly the only similarity is that there is a guy in a wheelchair. Wishful thinking I suppose.
In case you were confused ©Marvel Comics
Now we are brought back to the present day where the once wheelchair bound Mr. Palmer is now healthy as a clam. Is that the phrase? “Healthy as a clam” or is it “happy as a clam”? Both are honestly equally silly so the statement stays. Mr. Palmer is definitely upping his “shady rich white dude” status as now he is discussing opening food distribution centers for the relief of the recent vampire outbreak in New York City. If this doesn’t sound fishy to you then apparently you don’t know Eldritch. That could be a great spin-off show from The Strain, “You Don’t Know Eldritch.” It could be a light-hearted comedy about razor-toothed face hoses and maniacal rich white people. Just an idea. Holler at me FX. One thing that will not be included in “You Don’t Know Eldritch” is Vasily and Dutch getting weird in a community swimming pool. The two are tasked with clearing out the local fitness center which means we finally get to see the silver grenades in action. You know what else we see in action? Dutch and Vasily in the swimming pool. That’s right, the “Ukrainian U-Boat” (I came up with that) and the “British… Computer… Girl” (I’m working on it) get freaky in the swimming pool. If you were shipping for those two, then you are in luck because the creators made that happen just for you. Yes you. No, not you though. To be completely honest with you, this scene isn’t all that important to the continuation of the plot but I felt it was necessary to talk about how unsanitary swimming pools can be. Plus I took the time to write down “Vasily and Dutch get weird in pool” in my notes and it’d be a real shame to let that gem go to waste.
As those two get freaky, the episode goes back to the mid-sixties as Abraham enters a very well stocked antique shop. Abraham wastes no time as he asks the proprietor of the store to show him to the items once belonging to the Nazi army as well as its leaders. Once lead into a back room, hidden from the rest of the shop, the owner shows Abraham a silver cane and unveils the sword within it. The owner then explains to Abraham how the cane is at a very high price. Abraham don’t play that. See, the seemingly sweet and kind antique salesman was once a high ranking Nazi doctor at the very same camp Abraham suffered through. The mysterious owner was trying to start a new life free from his past transgressions but Abraham decided to give him a reminder. This cues an old man chase scene that is almost comically agile and impressive. By the end of this chase, the old man drops the cane by accident but is able to escape the wrath of Abraham. Near the end of the episode, this very same doctor reports back to Thomas about losing the cane. Thomas offers him a deal about giving him powers, having the former doctor serve The Master. Of course that old Nazi doctor agrees to work for The Master, he was a Nazi once. Now with the precious cane in Abraham’s possession, he is given a new task by Mr. Palmer. Abraham is told to find a book called “The Luman,” which to that point Abraham always considered was a myth. This book supposedly could end the reign of vampires on the Earth and Eldritch Palmer wanted it. Turns out Mr. Palmer was up to “shady old rich white dude” stuff when he was just a “shady rich white dude”. We are able to witness the potential beginning of his co-operation with the creatures of the night. Cue lightning.
Back to the present again, we see Nora and Eph struggle to find a scientific cure for the disease afflicting so many of New York’s residents. After a few failed tries with their test subjects they say some scientific jargon that I completely did not understand about enzymes and protein strands in order to figure out a new approach to curing their two subjects. While these two love birds do science, Vasily and Abraham confront Mr. Palmer personally at the ribbon cutting of his resource distribution center; a resource distribution center in which the people using it must register their blood type. It’s almost as if it’s run by vampires or something. It’s crazy. As soon as Mr. Palmer finishes delivering the speech that his new assistant wrote him, Abraham confronts him off stage, telling him that he will not rest until The Master is dead. Knowing Mr. Palmer is so heavily guarded, Vasily sets off a small bomb to distract the guards while he and Abraham make their heroic escape. They blew up a lot of perfectly good toilet paper in the process though, so I’m not sure if the ends justify the means. Let’s be honest here people, if there were vampires with razor-toothed hose faces running freely at night, people would probably need as much toilet paper as they could get their hands on. That was a pants pooping joke because it’s important to maintain a high standard of comedy in my articles. No excuse for bottom of the barrel comedy. The episode closes out with Kelly, who is now a raving hose-faced terminator, using her new minions to track Zach and Eph by revisiting their old house and having the Feelers track Zach’s scent from his clothes. Easy to predict that things are going to get a lot more difficult in the time to come for the hunters. Stay tuned for more reviews.
AuKing Mini Projector Key Details
The Auking is a 1080p Mini Projector with built-in speakers that is compatible with Smartphones and laptops.* (Notice the asterisk) The ports are HDMI, USB, VGA, AV, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s $99.99, but you can usually catch it on sale for cheaper.
This projector is pretty popular online. There are tons of glowing reviews for it on Amazon, but I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you care about what I think. And what I think is that this projector is kinda bad.
Also, keep in mind I believe that this projector is being sold on amazon with different branding and shells, but essentially, they’re all the same projector.
These are just some I’ve found.
ALVAR 8000 Lumens Mini Portable Projector
TMY Projector 7500
Projector with WiFi, 2022 Upgrade 8500L
Mini Projector, Aokang 7500 Lumens HD Portable Projector
These all pretty much the same projector with different housing and branding
It is most certainly not for everyone, and it’s not for everyone who loves projectors. The projector has some issues with only a few positives.
Android smartphones are compatible, but only certain Androids, which they don’t tell you before purchasing.
List of Phones compatible with the projector
I’m guessing it’s “compatible” with all iPhones, but oddly enough, they don’t mention it. But I think it’s a safe bet to say that it is. Because saying the Aukling is compatible with smart devices and mac books is technically true, and it’s somewhat misleading.
It has no built-in features to make it compatible with other devices, just an HDMI input. This, combined with poor image and audio quality, means you’d be better off saving your money and buying something a little more expensive.
AuKing Mini Projector Full Break Down
The Auking has an HDMI port, which means it’s compatible with any device that can output through HDMI. But unfortunately, it doesn’t have any ports or software that would intrinsically allow smartphones to project video.
To get your iPhone or Android phone to connect to the projector, you have to do it through HDMI. So, you’ll need a USB-C to HDMI adapter for android and Mac Book or a lightning port to HDMI if you’re using an iPhone. The instructions also recommend a wireless dongle so you can connect your laptop or smart device via BlueTooth (more on that later)
Now here’s the thing, the projector only comes with a regular HDMI cord, so you would have to buy the other cords separately. They don’t mention that before you buy it, so it feels very misleading. Regarding the wireless adapter they recommend, you must connect to it via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, most streaming services have copyright features that won’t allow you to stream content via BlueTooth.
You could connect a chrome cast, Apple TV, or a Roku and mirror or cast your phone to that, but if you don’t have those devices on hand, you’re out of luck.
This means the easiest way to use this device would be with your windows laptop unless you have one of the cords they recommend.
But how does it perform once you get it set up and running? It’s ok.
We have to set our expectations for this price range. The project shows saturated color palettes well but struggles with darker colors.
Darker scenes come out looking grainy and blurry.
While brighter colors look ok.
But all things considered, the video quality will be worse than whatever you have connected to the HDMI. To its credit, however, the projector is bright enough to watch it outside with minimal light pollution.
The audio can be pretty loud, but loud doesn’t necessarily mean good. It does sound like it comes from out of a tin can, but it’s clear enough to hear what’s going on in a movie, so you don’t have to only rely on headphones.
Despite its small size, the Auking’s fans can be pretty loud when it’s on. (Imagine starting up your first-gen PS4 and trying to play Cyberpunk).
This projector isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. However, if you’re a person who wants a bigger screen, you can buy a cheap 22′ monitor and connect you your phone or laptop to it, and the image quality would be better.
Verdict
In most cases, I suggest you save money and get something more expensive, like the ANKER Nebula capsule.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need a projector immediately, this will be ok. For instance, a backyard BBQ where it’s more about the people you’re around than what you’re watching or a party where you want to keep the kids distracted while the adults use the TV (shame on you).
Other than that, it’s worth saving your money.
FAQ
How do I connect my phone to my mini AuKing projector?
Through USB-C to HDMI cord or lighting to HDMI cord
Does AuKing projector support Bluetooth?
Rest in peace, watermelon.
The latest episodes in ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’ were very interesting to watch.
One was definitely a fanservice episode, and heck, even the producers know that! Episode 7’s title contains the phrase ‘The Fanservice Episode, Obviously’, so that cracked me up.
Episode 7 focuses on the elements of anime that will appeal to any nerd out there. By that, of course I mean bathing suits and comic conventions! Cue the beach episode!
Tohru and company decide to go swimming for the day. Kanna’s adorable as always, while Lucoa doesn’t realize just how sexual she is toward a small boy.
Like, really? You think wearing a very sexy swimsuit in front of a lot of kids on a beach is okay? And why do you insist on torturing Shouta with your breasts? It’s obvious that he’s tempted, but stop trying to seduce small children.
Of course, they’re dragons, so hilarious antics ensue. Tohru and Kanna get carried away in a swimming race, making water splash up everywhere. Also, a crab and watermelon are murdered. RIP.
However, one aspect that I thought was a nice touch was the backstory we got for Tohru. It wasn’t much, but Tohru and Kobayashi have a deep and meaningful conversation about their family’s lives, as well as how humans and dragons are different from one another. Fanservice episodes usually focus on that alone, but fortunately that’s not the case here.
The second half of Episode 7 focuses on Comiket. Tohru and Kobayashi help Takiya run a booth, and we learn that Fafnir is also participating by attempting to sell powerful curses. Wow, didn’t see thaaaaat coming at all.
Tohru notices otherworldly creatures in their true forms at Comiket, as they reveal that this is a great way to show their true forms. With Kobayashi’s permission, Tohru exposes her wings and tail, appearing to others as if she’s cosplaying as, well, a dragon maid.
Episode 7 was very nice because there were many heartfelt and adorable moments.
Meanwhile, Episode 8 FINALLY introduced the dragon that I keep on mentioning in my reviews. Her name’s Elma, a dragon who is a rival of Tohru’s. Elma accuses Tohru of disrupting the human’s ways and tries to force her to return to the dragon world. This doesn’t succeed, however, as Tohru sends her to an open field and leaves her there.
Unable to get back home, Elma stays in the human world and begins working at Kobayashi’s company. Kobayashi teaches Elma how to use computers and technology so that she can keep her job. Of course, this prompts Tohru to become jealous, smelling the scent of another dragon off Kobayashi like a dog does with a human. I won’t reveal how the episode ends, but it ends in a positive manner for Tohru.
Overall, I really loved these two episodes because they made me feel warm and fuzzy. They appealed to the emotional senses through a heartfelt conversation between Kobayashi and Tohru. Elma is also an innocent sweetheart who only wants to bring harmony to the human and dragon worlds. And I can’t wait to see more of her in the upcoming episodes.
I feel like in these two episodes alone, we learned so much about Tohru and her feelings for Kobayashi. She really wants to understand the human world and will do anything to stay with Kobayashi.
I’ll up my rating to a 4.7. These episodes were both fun, and we finally got the new dragon! Bless.
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