A Review of “THE STAND” Episode 1: “The End”
James Marsden as Stu
Stephen King’s doorstop of a novel “The Stand” is still just as prescient as when it was published in 1978. A deadly flu nicknamed “Captain Trips” wipes out most of humanity, while a diverse group of survivors split into groups that represent the battle between good and evil. You know who the bad guys are because their charismatic leader attracts loonies, who see themselves as superior, and operate out of a casino. Sound familiar? King told you so. Series creators Benjamin Cavell and Josh Boone provide a great foundation in a pilot that has to cover a lot of ground.
The updated “Stand” faces a similar set of obstacles as “The Force Awakens.” How do you reintroduce an older property for today’s audiences when the source material has been cannibalized by so many others? “Lost,” “The Walking Dead,” “Game of Thrones,” even the lesser known (and highly underrated) “Passage Trilogy” all covered similar thematic ground: An epic story with a huge cast of characters coming together to survive an ultimate evil. If King got an penny for every idea ripped off from this one book alone, he could buy the state of Maine (even if they’re not one of the few that are floating secession). The 1994 miniseries adaptation of “The Stand” was straightforward in it’s storytelling, as well as the 2008 comic book adaptation, but Cavell and Boone go for a different hook this time. It’s an approach that works, at least in the first episode.
Like a tail that wags the dog, the show is pretty reminiscent of the shows it inspired. “The End” starts late in the overall story, and flashes back, while following only a few of the many important characters. While this makes for a more intimate approach than you’d expect from an epic like “The Stand,” it still covers a decent amount of ground. We meet Stu Redmann, an everyman from Texas has been under observation in a government lab with minimal contact and only hears from a doctor about the growing dangers of the flu. James Marsden plays Stu with just the right amount of swagger to make you see him as a leading man. Despite the confined nature of his scenes, his segments are the scariest.
Owen Teague as Harold and Odessa Young as Frannie
We also follow Odessa Young’s Frannie Goldsmith and Owen Teague’s Harold Lauder, the last people alive in Ogunquit, Maine. We get glimpses of Frannie, but more time is spent with Harold, a bullied outsider who sees a greater purpose in their survival. His fate is foreshadowed by one of the best Stephen King easter eggs I’ve seen (a very specific poster in his bedroom). Owen Teague (Hockstetter in 2017’s “It”) walks the line between sympathetic and frightening, which bodes well for the series. Still you can’t help but wonder what will be cut down the line when Mother Abigail shows up to give vague exposition, then disappear.
The episode ends with the novel’s prologue, shown from a new angle that was only hinted at in Mick Garris’ 1994 miniseries. It doesn’t match the match the horror of the ’94 opening sequence (still possibly the scariest scene in network television history), but it’s still done well. “The End” is just the beginning and 2020’s “The Stand” is off to a good start.
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