A Review of “The Stand” Episode 4- The House of the Dead
Here ye, here ye, this attempt at exposition will come to order.
Halfway through “The Stand,” things are continuing to cohere better than before, but the results are mixed. Starting with the good parts of “The House of the Dead,” it’s nice to see the scenes at the town hall and the power station. The updated “Star Spangled Banner” scene is a nice touch, especially as we see Larry put his rockstar swagger to good use. There’s a laugh-out-loud Stephen King cameo and watching Tom Cullen go on his mission is as sad as it should be. Then there’s the rest.
The structure doesn’t work. There it is. The flashbacks were a neat idea, but adapting “The Stand” in a non-linear fashion forces the show to be plot-driven, whereas the book was character-driven (prophetic dreams notwithstanding). Sure, Larry gets to shine (no, not that kind of shine), but other great character bits are undercut by the immediacy of their roles in the overall story. We barely spend any time with Tom Cullen before he’s sent off on his bike. Dayna Jurgens (Natalie Martinez) is introduced as a human trafficking survivor, then immediately leaves to fulfill her narrative role.
It’s jarring to see Fran and Stu’s relationship out of order, especially when he’s old enough to be her father. When Fran rejects Harold on the way to Boulder, he blamest Stu, who they met ONCE, and isn’t even there! Is Harold really mad about a rando they ran into a few states back, or was the scene actually written for later after they run into Stu and Glen? That said, Owen Teague is excellent. His reptilian face conceals just the right amount of malice and he’ll be a go-to Hollywood villain in no time. Katherine McNamara gets a good intro as Julie Lawry, the irritating Southerner who runs afoul of Nick and Tom. The casting continues to be spot-on all around.
Tom Cullen and Nick Andros after some girl trouble.
Some subtle details are affecting, like Fran signing in a meeting so Nick knows what’s going on. Henry Zaga’s portrayal of Nick nicely comes into focus as a monk-like follower of Mother Abigail. I hope I wind up being wrong, but I don’t think the writers realize what they’re doing to Nadine. Her transition from benign, yet mysterious teacher to a seductress is sudden and unearned the way it’s presented here. Her reveal as a virgin needs more of an explanation beyond “the planchette made me hold out for Satan.” For a show with so many flashbacks, it’s seemingly terrified of exposition. Mick Garris got it done in 6 hours, plus commercial breaks. He would KILL for the kind of real estate that’s being squandered here.
Look, I’m not saying I could do it better (or anyone could), but when Hemingford Home turns out to be a nursing home (!?) where Mother Abigail is waiting for people to show up, ya got trouble. We don’t need a homestead in a cornfield, but come ON. Is Flagg operating out of the World’s Largest Ball of Twine? “Hemingford Home” has to be the worst tv adaptation choice since Harry Dresden’s magic staff was turned into a hockey stick for the Syfy Channel. What on the wheel of Ka are the showrunners thinking?
One last thing, the directing team of the past 2 episodes (Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy) helmed 2020’s small town noir “Blow the Man Down.” Despite my feelings about their episodes, the film is great and you should give it a look on Prime.
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