A REVIEW OF “THE STAND” EPISODE 5: "FEAR AND LOATHING IN NEW VEGAS"
Cirque Du Soleil has really gone downhill
Going forward, Mick Garris’s 1994 miniseries of “The Stand” will be referenced as “Stand 94.” I almost decided to call it “Garristand,” but then I had visions of Mr. Garrison from “South Park” tearing the show to pieces. I wish the series’ halfway point would also be a turning point in quality, but alas.
Toss him in the slave cages” is the census-taker’s response when someone is introduced to Flagg’s Las Vegas camp. It’s also one of the most nonsensical pieces of world-building that’s immediately dashed when another character replies that anyone who makes the trek to Las Vegas is welcome. So then how are there slaves? Do people bring their own? It’s indicative of the show’s infuriating “HUH? Factor.” Or maybe it’s an S&M thing.
Even Stu is wondering what he’s supposed to be doing in this episode.
Yes, after 4 hours, we finally get a glimpse of Las, er “New” Vegas, the anti-Boulder. It’s a full-on bacchanal of leather, guns, fucking, and fun…all seemingly contained in one building. Of course nobody expects Las Vegas itself to clear out for them to shoot, but we barely get more than a hotel lobby of pleasure and pain. It would look like fun if not for the…gladiator pits? People seem to be fighting to the death in an indoor pool, but that detail is barely a footnote. We’ve heard of people getting crucified for going against Flagg and you’re not going to connect those dots? Here’s hoping the creators shore up the endgame.
Once again, the casting is great. Owen Teague continues to kill it, but I’m starting to wonder if Harold was conceived as the main character by the writers’ room. That wouldn’t be a dealbreaker if the show had more imagination. Whoever made the decision to revolve an entire episode around Dayna gunning for Flagg had the right idea, but it falls flat when you realize you barely know her. Natalie Martinez is solid as our eyes and ears in Vegas, especially compared to the coked-out hysteria of Lloyd and Julie. The scene where Flagg “looks” at her is chilling. We also briefly see Fiona Dourif’s “Rat Woman” where she proves with a few lines that she’s inherited her dad’s character-acting chops. I’ve been dreading meeting Trashcan Man, but now I have some hope.
That fourth “Hangover” movie is gonna be LIT
At this point, the show’s approach is somehow both slapdash and nebulous, like confused Frankenstein’s Monster. The use of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” at the end is unearned and arbitrary, which might wind up being the show’s epitaph at this rate. Flagg and Mother Abigail are kept mysterious as 2 sides of the same supernatural coin, but it’s episode 5 of 9 (8 considering 9 is entirely new). Give us SOMETHING about their characters so that we can understand lines like Mother Abigail’s “I don’t know what I’ve done to offend thee.” That makes all of us, Mama.
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