Was it wise to release a new adaptation of The Stand this year? Some would argue no, while others argue yes. A story about a deadly plague that wipes out the population, leaving only a small smattering of the Earth’s population to fend for themselves…during the time of COVID? That’s a strong pill to swallow. Yet, The Stand goes for it, attempting to tell a very tragic and scary story in a time where we are also dealing with tragedy and fear. The timeliness of it all could not be better, as it shows just how quickly and deadly the spread of disease can be, but ramped all the way up to 11!
“The End” does not let you breathe (pun fully intended), dropping the viewer directly into the nightmare scenario detailed above. We come across corpses immediately, decomposing flesh that have been sitting still for months on end. Somehow, inexplicably, they are able to attack all five senses at once. You not only see and hear the aftermath of this virus that has ravaged the world, but you can feel every squishy footstep, smell every dead body and, in turn, taste the famine. It’s a feat that must be experienced to believe.
Like most pilot episodes, “The End” focuses on a lot of backstory, exposition and setup for future events the storytellers plan to tell. We get to know our main players here: Stu Redman (James Marsden, Sonic The Hedgehog), Frannie Goldsmith (Odessa Young, Assassination Nation) and Harold Lauder (Owen Teague, It), each bringing a different perspective to the discovery of human loss. Stu, a reserved man from a small town, highly distrusts his government after being taken into custody for “research” as he and his friends are some of the first to come in contact with the disease. Frannie, a more angst-ridden young adult, must navigate life after the disease takes away her family, who in turn is joined by incel in training, Harold, a creepy and volatile “dork” who has a savior complex that is seemingly going too far. While the novel has a vast amount of characters to latch onto and root for/against, “The End” focuses on these three and how they come together with the remaining members of humanity to cope. The acting from Marsden and Young is a bit subdued at first, but Teague really brings it all, making the viewer uncomfortable with each flick of the eye and word spoken.
The story is told both in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak, as well as flashing back five months, to when the outbreak first happened. Those familiar with the novel will know where the first hour of this series is going, with some minor changes sprinkled in, but fresh viewers may be confused to start.
It is also worth noting again that some changes have been made to the source material. For instance, the novel starts with the reason why the virus is spread, immediately setting up the chain events that the proceeding 1,000+ pages would detail. However, here, the reason is not divulged until the very end, a brilliant move that causes nearly an hour’s worth of anxiety, truly resulting in an “edge of your seat”effect.
That does not mean a small level of confusion will not be had. Though it is worth having faith that questions will be answered in further episodes, one does wonder how many of those new to this story will wonder just what the Hell is going on? Who is the strange woman in the cornfield and the creepy man in denim? What is the deal with the wolves and the Las Vegas-inspired visuals? And just how did this small commune come to be. “The End” takes careful care of its characters, but drops the ball on some story elements that only those in the know could be expected to understand.
Be warned, this show is disgusting. Capital G-R-O-S-S, gross. The amount of pus, if that’s what we should call it, that drips out of any given orifice is truly nauseating. Not to be outdone, anyone dying onscreen is adorned with some gruesomely awesome makeup work. Not to spoil the party, but this brings a whole new meaning to the term “bloated”.
For fans of the novel, I think this was a very good start to a promising series. We haven’t gotten a glimpse at important characters such as Larry, Nadine, Glen, Nick or The Trashcan Man (yes, you read the right) quite yet, but if they take the time to flesh out the characters the way they did with the main three so far, I’m game for waiting. Brief glimpses are caught of Mother Abigail (Whoopi Goldberg) and the sinister Randall Flagg (Alexander Skarsgård), just enough to wet the appetite of things to come.
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