A REVIEW OF “THE STAND” EPISODE 3: "BLANK PAGES"
Things are finally starting to come together by the end of “Blank Pages,” but first a question to newcomers: if you’re unfamiliar with “The Stand,” do you have any idea what’s going on? Personally I think the show is doing a decent job, even if those of us who know the source material are scratching our heads. Of course, this show (and EVERY adaptation ever) should be accessible to anyone regardless of their knowledge of the book, but if you’re not familiar with the material, what does it look like to you?
Larry and Stu go hunting for exposition.
We have 2 very different people appearing in the dreams of those immune to the superflu in an attempt to recruit them for…something. It’s satisfying to see the characters come together, but It’s all but confirmed that the show is more focused on getting to Las Vegas than getting to Boulder. Like I mentioned in previous weeks, the apocalypse is taking a backseat to the impending conflict between the 2 camps. The gang’s gotta fight Negan when we’re barely getting to know Herschel. It’s not a “wrong” approach, but it takes away from the book’s sense of discovery. Remember, King starts the book in a grounded world that’s eventually peeled away by danger, both scientific and supernatural. The new series starts in the Boulder survival colony and treats everyone’s past as a “Lost”-style flashback. It’s still bizarre to see some plot points out of order (so THAT’s why Larry was so amped to see Harold in Boulder...moving on, then).
A welcome elaboration of the books is the “dream test” everyone is given. Whether characters wound up with Flagg or Mother Abigail always seemed inevitable in retrospect, but the show leans into the idea that every survivor was presented with a binary choice. It appears more fleshed out here than it did in the book and 94 miniseries. We know Stu goes to Boulder and Lloyd joins Flagg, but it’s intriguing to watch Nick Andros talk to “the Walkin’ Dude.”
If the show has one slam dunk so far, it’s in the casting. With each introduction, the showrunners’ choices are vindicated, and this week is no different with Amber Heard’s mysterious Nadine and Greg Kinnear’s Glen Bateman (channeling Michael Caine is “Children of Men”). Brad William Henke’s modern take on Tom Cullen is endearing so far, even if every one of his “laws” are more forced than Margot Robbie’s “poodin’s” from “Suicide Squad.” One can see this character going off the rails if the calibration is off, but Henke has proven himself and I’m curious what he and Henry Zaga have in store for us. Also, where is he in Boulder? And what’s with the mystical game of “Planchette?” Could CBS not get the rights to Ouija? Someone should get Mike Flanagan on the phone.
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