TV Review: The Stand (2020)

The Stand (2020) adapted by Josh Boone and Benjamin Cavell from the novel by Stephen King

With its release just before the Covid lockdowns happened, a new television adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Stand might seem either inappropriate or well-timed to strike a nerve. Either way, the series follows the story of a human-crafted virus that wipes out over 99% of the population. The survivors in the United States are drawn in dreams to one of two locations. Some people dream of Mother Abigail (Whoopi Goldberg) who invites them to Boulder, Colorado. Others dream of Randal Flagg (Alexander Skarsgard) who is drawing people to Sin City, i.e. Las Vegas. Some people dream of both figures, creating a personal conflict between good and evil that mirrors the larger conflict of the good and evil groups. The show follows several characters as they struggle with what they should do in their trying times.

Adapting such a large book requires a lot of trimming or creative editing to fit it even into this eight-and-a-half hour miniseries. The results are very uneven. The pacing flips around a lot. The first episodes are a little slow and make the mistake of intercutting events in Boulder with events weeks earlier as the characters are heading to Boulder. Any threat on the road is obviously not going to cause a tragedy. Flagg is more of a minor boogey man in these episodes. He recruits one person while ten or so people follow the call of Mother Abigail. Then the story speeds up, so much that it feels that bits are missing or were cut out. The main story ends with a whole extra episode to go. The coda moves slowly while providing some "ever after" information that emphasizes how the story isn't over (even though it is over!). The storytellers could have made the same points in a third or a quarter of the time. I'm still not sure that the final episode was necessary.

The acting is fairly average. Skarsgard gives a much lower-keyed performance than expected for his flamboyant and over-the-top character. He did fairly well. With the huge cast, a lot of characters get a lot less attention. Flagg's underlings underperform, but I would blame the script for giving them little more to do than reacting to Flagg. The main heroes give good performances. Harold (Owen Teague) has a well-executed and acted story arc as he is tempted into doing the wrong thing. He walks the tough edge of being unlikeable and sympathetic. Franny (Odessa Young) also does a good job though she doesn't really shine until the coda.

Even aside from the gross plague that creates a lot of unpleasant illness and corpses, the show leans into the overall gore and the depravity in the background of the Las Vegas scenes. Viewers need a very high tolerance. This show was a bit beyond my comfort zone.

Barely recommended--While interesting in parts, it's really better to read the book.