A REVIEW OF “THE STAND” EPISODE 9: "THE CIRCLE CLOSES"
Fran is going to get some screen time if it kills her.
It’s the end of “The Stand” as we know it and I feel fine. Pardon the dumb joke, but if the show can end with it, so can I. The series finale wraps up just as the book does, but with a few detours. Written by Stephen King, himself, it’s the chapter we were all looking forward to, apparently at the expense of the rest of the show. “The Circle Closes” provides some elements that the adaptation was lacking, but it’s the epitome of “too little, too late.” It’s possible King wanted to write a new coda because he saw what the adaptation was lacking and provided some assistance, but that could just be wishful thinking.
Throughout 8 episodes, Fran and Mother Abigail (and to a lesser extent, Stu) were mostly sidelined so we could get to the light show in Vegas. They finally got something substantial at the end, including elements of the book that the show lacked, or glossed over, such as:
Survivors traversing the American Wasteland with ingenuity? CHECK!
Mother Abigail showing leadership and grace on her porch? CHECK!
A Mick Garris cameo?...not a prerequisite, but it’s nice to see. I wish he could have given notes.
Despite all of that, the episode just feels like excess, and not the New Vegas king. Sure, it follows the post-bomb section of the book pretty by-the-numbers, but couldn’t we have touched on this earlier when the stakes were much higher? No offense to Kendall Joy Hall, who does a good job as young Mother Abigail but I’ll gladly trade her for more Whoopi Goldberg, who’s minimal presence throughout the show remains baffling.
I know, I know, I wanted more of this in the show, too.
Did we really need the bonkers last chapter? It’s fine in the book, but here it’s less about showing the themes of the turning wheel of fate, than showing off more gore and some admittedly-cool production design. The show has no interest in reckoning with the implications of Flagg’s return, so why bother? We’re not getting a second season, and so much more could have been done to shore up the previous 8 episodes.
“The Stand” is far from the worst Stephen King adaptation (helloooooo “Lawnmower Man!”) but it ultimately amounted to a mixed bag. I’d love to read an oral history someday about the making of it, but for now, just revisit the Mick Garris miniseries.
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