The Stand
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Welcome back toThe Stand.
It may be 2021, but the apocalypse is still on everyones mind.
There are strong scenes here and there, but too few performances that register as above average overall.
Will Nadine kill the witch and the five puppets by pulling Harolds trigger?
People are putting on suits and ties, looking worried in mirrors.
Its a town meeting to discuss the stranger with marks of the crucifixion who stumbled into Boulder last episode.
As the meeting begins, the episode cuts back to planning the meeting.
Whats to be gained by intercutting here other than a disorientation that isnt really necessary?
That made sense focus on one or two characters instead of catching up with all of them every hour.
But the timeline jumps in this episode feel showy instead of purposeful.
Anyway, the gang argues over what exactly to say to the townspeople who survived the plague.
A lot ofThe Standis about not just the messages that are received but how theyre delivered and by whom.
The power will come back on.
Everyone applauds, and then Stu avoids the concerns of danger by putting people in charge of mitigating it.
There needs to be a patrol to keep Boulder safe.
Harold puts forth a motion to make the five people on stage a permanent committee of leaders.
Feels like that was a thing already, but thanks Harold.
The creepiest guy in Boulder gets a scare when he comes home to find Nadine on his porch.
She speaks of what theyll be able to do together both physically and in Flaggs operation.
Flashback to a very different encounter in the life of Harold Lauder.
Hes on the road with Frannie when he decides to tell her he loves her.
It doesnt go well.
One of them is Dayna Jurgens (Natalie Martinez), who will play a role later.
And heres where the structure of this version ofThe Standseems to be actively working against its success.
Garvey pushes Harold into violence, and he does get one punch in before things get really ugly.
Thankfully, Stu and Glen pull up to save the day.
She ends up dead, but the gun gets tossed away.
As Garvey goes for it, Dayna gets the pipe and bashes Garveys head in.
Harold does just about nothing but get brain matter on his face.
It turns out the mountains nearby have explosions to control avalanches.
Harold seems like a guy who likes explosions.
Shes aggressive sexually and violently, while also mocking Toms intellect and just being awful in every way.
They finally reach her and tell her that theyre taking her to Boulder.
While theyre doing that, the power is going back on down the hill in Boulder.
The lights go on just as Harold and Nadine are unloading their explosives.
As Larry plays America the Beautiful Hendrix style, Teddy rounds the corner and sees Nadine.
He seems kind of cool about it, but Nadine shoots him anyway.
He will never find out if The Rock survived Captain Trips.
Random Survivors
Good guest stars and introductions to major supporting characters this week.
And Henke is deftly avoiding too much broad cliche in Tom.
Take the sign that Nadine is unstable?
Or just a reference to a show thick with signs and omens?
Next week should get us to Vegas and some much-needed Randall Flagg screen time.
That needs to change starting now.
