The Stand – E8 The Stand

Jason and Cristina break down episode 8 of The Stand. The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves

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CBS The Stand, The Stand, Stephen King, The Stand 2020

Podcast Notes –

EPISODE 8:  “THE STAND”

“Today, we take our Stand and review Episode 8”

CRITICS

“An explosive penultimate episode of the series which features the death of several major characters. While many details of the events are changed, the overall themes remain the same – culminating in a showdown of good vs. evil.”   

It’s very close to your analogy of the Lotus Casino in Percy Jackson – as though they are all brainwashed and slightly glamoured, living in a dull haze.  Flagg is keeping them entertained, subservient, and non-questioning.  As soon as someone raises the point clearly, truthfully and with enough conviction, they do question and stop fearing as strongly.  It’s enough to break the spell. 

Ultimately, the failure to develop the characters well enough, delineate the bonds and relationships, results in stakes that should feel a lot higher and final moments that fall a little flat.  And the shying away from the bigger spiritual elements all season, creates a weird discrepancy in a penultimate episode focused entirely on good vs. evil.

MUSIC:

• Feels Like In Heaven – U96 (as Flagg and crowd dance)
• Hold On, I’m Coming – Sam & Dave (end credits)

CROW’S EYE VIEW

THE DARK SIDE

FLAGG’S WEAKNESS

In a makeshift prison holding pen, Glen, Larry and Ray are being held, awaiting their ‘trial’.  Glen muses that the people of Vegas aren’t really that different from the Boulder Free Zone citizens – “Bunch of lost scared people, following someone who makes them feel just a little less lost.” When Ray tries to disagree, thinking they’re evil, Glen explains that things like the crucifixions are a necessary show of power because Flagg can’t count on his own people. 

VEGAS JUSTICE

In a Kangaroo Court, the Rat Woman acts as judge while Lloyd plays prosecutor to a show trial.  Lloyd accuses the Zoners of coming under the stealth of darkness, like the previous spies.  The courtroom cheers as he says, “our savior in his mercy has decided these three shitbirds have a chance at a different fate.  Renounce the witch and her lies, and swear loyalty to the one true, motherfucking king”.  But Glen mocks Flagg, calling him “Mother of Dragons”.  “If he can fly, why does he need all this? Why not face us himself?”  As things start to turn, Lloyd threatens to shoot Glen but is clearly reluctant to do it.  The Rat Woman whispers for him to stop embarrassing them.  Glen – “The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves”.  They can all stop this; without their fear, Flagg is nothing.  Finally losing control, Lloyd shoots him.  In his final words, Glen tells him, “It’s alright, you don’t know any better”.  And Lloyd empties the clip into him, stunning the crowd into silence.  Up in his suite, Flagg descends to the ground, no longer able to levitate. 

Cassius: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,  But in ourselves, that we are

underlings.” Cassius is speaking to his friend Brutus, about how Julius Caesar must be stopped from becoming monarch of Rome. Brutus is torn between love for his friend and duty to the public. Cassius reminds Brutus that Caesar is just a man, not a god – they were all born equally free so why should they bow to another?  Fate is not what drives men to their actions (free will) but rather, the human condition.

It feels odd how quickly the crowd turns shocked at the death of Glen by gunshot – have they not been seeing crucifixions all around Vegas and gathering for brutal death matches?  What’s different here – Glen’s words? Lloyd’s indecision and loss of control? The fact that he went against Flagg?  

Overall, the idea of the trial is a good addition.  The three were simply kept in cells leading up to their execution time.  Flagg came to talk to Glen and convinced Lloyd (who was reluctant at first) to shoot him, by persuading him he was the only one who cared about him – it was men like Glen who were ‘key holders’ in the old life. In both situations, it shakes Flagg. 

NADINE’S REALIZATION

Afterward, Ray and Larry are kept handcuffed in a kitchen.  Ray is scared; wishing she knew what all of this was for.  Is it just to make a show of their deaths?  Nadine comes to talk to Larry.  Confirming she tried to keep him out of the way of the Boulder bomb, he wonders how she changed so quickly and forces her to look at her own reflection.  She finally sees and is confused, “I don’t understand.” But then, she goes into labor and is whisked up to Flagg’s suite, where Rat Woman prepares to deliver as Flagg watches and smokes a cigar.  Nadine screams that something is wrong, it doesn’t feel right and turns to Flagg for the truth.  He knew and she was never meant to survive bringing this ‘thing’ into the world. 

As she’s losing control, Flagg touches her stone and it glows (he seems to regain control of her and she calms).  But then she rips the necklace off and uses it to break the window, throwing herself off and falling to the center of the hotel far below, where the whole crowd watches.  Flagg bellows in anger and shock.  

The confrontation between Larry and Nadine is a new addition and a great idea  (in the book, Nadine is dead long before the others arrive).  But they hardly do anything with it.  There is real shock on Larry’s part, but the interaction is brief and a little without weight (since we didn’t see much of them before). 

In the books, Nadine is pregnant (but very early and hardly showing); she is also basically catatonic.  But she does talk to Flagg – she knows her only way out is death but he’ll never let her go, so she goads him into killing her, telling him Mother’s people are on their way to Vegas and the 3^rd spy escaped (Flagg throws her out the window in a fit of anger before he can think about his unborn child).  It gives Nadine more agency, but takes another opportunity for us to feel afraid of Flagg and set the tone how much it’s unravelling. 

THE EXECUTION

Lloyd shows his fear to the Rat Woman where they both cower outside Flagg’s suite.  She insists it was supposed to be a show trial and Lloyd is regretful to have killed Glen (he keeps seeing his face).   When Flagg emerges, Lloyd half apologizes for his actions, half justifies them.  But Flagg dismisses this, saying there is one more task before the execution. Lloyd delivers a platter with Nadine’s destroyed head to Larry.  But he thinks they don’t even realize it’s true significance – she was his queen; the whole place is falling apart.      

Then, Ray and Larry are brought out to the Inferno’s main area as the crowd shouts for justice.  Julie announces the ‘show’ and turns it over to Lloyd, who heartily introduces the man who ‘shook the world’.  His fervor almost overtakes him but when he’s done, he walks out in fear.   

I like the idea of Lloyd always being against this (he never even actually killed anyone in this version), but we didn’t see enough of his internal struggle before.  We know Flagg offered his position to others before Lloyd; why not have him find that out and that’s what makes him see.  In the books, Lloyd sees it falling apart but is loyal to the end (kind of respectable in a weird way). 

And what was the point of trying to build Julie’s character?? We don’t see hardly anything of her at all – instead, they make Rat Woman much more prominent (she’s everywhere, from announcer to midwife to cleanup crew).  Why not take her out and give some of this importance to Julie?

As Flagg starts his speech (view of smiley button, 1 red bar – energy from adulation?) Mother Abagail convinced the Zoners the Flu was the apocalypse, but they know it started long before Captain Tripps.

“There’s never been enough to go around; but now, we are the predators and they are the prey”.  And he starts dancing as the crowd cheers. Lloyd opens pipes that let water into the pool where Ray and Larry are chained. 

This is really bizarre – Flagg’s character and message are perhaps the most confused.  Did the citizens come here for order and structure (but essentially aren’t bad people or that different from Boulder, as Glen said) – if so, why do we see such chaotic debauchery the first view of Vegas?  Are they the ‘have-nots’ seeking freedom and power, to become predators – if so, why do they get a bad feeling from the violence or turn against Flagg?  Flagg is by turns detached, angry, fun-loving, and scared – he doesn’t seem to make sense. 

I WILL FEAR NO EVIL

The spectacle continues as Rat Woman controls cameras and hype.  The picture cuts to the airport as Flagg announces a plane is being readied to carry the biggest fire ever seen to the ‘witch and her minions’.  It’s at that point Larry realizes Flagg doesn’t know Mother is dead. 

This is another change – Flagg did know about her death there.  Will it matter? 

He continues that Flagg will personally board the plane to unleash this hell and a drone shot cuts to ‘his loyal servant’ Trash riding the bomb to Vegas.  Lloyd enters the pool and asks the prisoners if they have any last words.  Larry starts to shout, “I will fear no evil”, and despite Lloyd’s multiple blows, he repeats it until someone in the crowd begins to join in.  Flagg tries to identify the ‘traitor’ and commands Lloyd to shoot her but he refuses.  The man on the balcony joins and then several more.   Lloyd tries to free the prisoners as Flagg starts yelling about traitors in their midst.  Then, Trash rides into the Inferno with his bomb (“Bumpty Bump”.  Dying of horrible radiation poisoning, he calls “My life for you; I did it.” 

In book, Trashcan Man had an episode at Indian Springs – while he was becoming part of the group and felt he belonged, he had a flashback that triggered him and lost touch with reality, thinking he was back in his hometown with people making fun of him.  So he set bombs on the planes, destroyed some, and killed their pilots.  When Flagg is told, he reluctantly tells Lloyd when he returns, to have him killed quickly/painlessly.  Coming back to himself and knowing he messed up, Trash takes it on himself to find redemption – he rides into the desert and finds the nuke, bringing it back to an unknowing Flagg. Meanwhile, Flagg is about to have Ralph & Larry pulled apart in the middle of the strip with all citizens watching.  There is a man in the crowd who starts to speak against this display and Flagg – Flagg launches electricity from his fingertips to take the man down.  When they finally notice Trash, he rides up and the Hand of God comes down from the sky, picking up and detonating the bomb.

THE HAND OF GOD

Now, the “Hand of God” descends – smoke begins filtering down from the ceiling into the center of the Inferno.  Lightning erupts around the room, breaking glass, striking and killing people in the crowd as they rush towards the doors.  Julie is electrified, a falling sign beheads Lloyd, and as the hotel is erupted, the light condenses into a ball.  Flagg stands to face it, singing (she brought me coffee…”, taking several strikes of lightning.  Larry and Ray hold hands, slipping under the water.  And finally a bolt hits the warhead, exploding the bomb and sending out a huge shock wave. 

         *Silent Hill

THE LIGHT SIDE

STU’S STRUGGLE

Stu struggles with his injury and a mounting infection.  Feverish, he lays dying by the fire, pulling out Glens bottle of pills.  He shakes several into his hand and stares at them, contemplating.  But Kojak whines at him until he puts the pills back… “Not yet”.  That night, a wolf comes and starts fighting with Kojak.  They battle it out in the darkness where Stu can’t see.  Kojak emerges wounded but victorious.

Then, Stu sees the sky light up and the wind blow debris overhead as the bomb goes off in Vegas.  Kojak climbs up out of the ravine barking, seeing Tom and leading him down to Stu.   

BACK IN BOULDER

Meanwhile, back in Boulder, a very pregnant Frannie walks with Joe and both look up as the sky lights up (looks like Northern Lights).  Joe – “He’s gone…the Dark Man”.  She tries to question him on what he can see and Stu, but it’s then that she goes into labor.