By the time you read this, I will be dead. No wait, I mean, CBS All Access will have released the final episode of
The Stand, their new miniseries based on Stephen King s epic pot-apocalyptic novel of good versus evil. And to mangle T.S. Eliot, rather than with a bang, this regrettable adaptation has gone out like a wet fart.
Expectations were high for a more King-friendly product after the 1994 miniseries was forced to pull punches for network TV. CBS and series developers Josh Boone and Ben Cavell promised a more faithful (read: R-rated) treatment for the material. Good news for everyone who felt all that was missing from the 94 show was f-bombs and simulated intercourse
[Warning: Spoilers for The Stand’
s seventh episode follow.]
CBS All Access’ 10-episode adaptation of Stephen King’s
The Stand is, like the book on which it’s based, an unwieldy beast overflowing with characters, ideas, gore, and more. Not every episode’s been a home run, but each has been enlivened by Owen Teague’s harrowing turn as Harold Lauder, a bullied teen who, in the wake of an apocalyptic pandemic, can’t stop his resentments from boiling over into violence. As we’ve noted, Josh Boone and Benjamin Cavell’s new adaptation plants Harold, a supporting character in the novel, front and center, allowing his torn soul to serve as the story’s primary representation of free will as it exists in this struggle between the forces of good and evil.
Martin Carr reviews the fifth episode of The Stand…
There is a decadence to the world of Randall Flagg which provides this show with some precious life blood. Ensconced within an ivory tower of gaudy extravagance, he surveys the domain like a feudal lord, bestowing leniency upon his subjects. That this perfect personification of hell exists in the barren dust bowl which is Las Vegas, only adds to its shallow opulence. Forty stories up and manipulating the outcome of numerous human narratives, Randall Flagg plays at being God wielding omnipotence like a weapon of war.
Controlling the vulnerable and offering up salvation for those foolish enough to seek refuge, this literal inferno offers guidance only for the weak. People like Nadine Cross and Harold Lauder who are in need of a saviour, open to suggestions or lacking a moral compass. Those are the people Randall Flagg prays upon guaranteeing a sense of purpose, a sense of family and ultimately acceptance into his perpetually expan
Odessa Young as “Frannie,”
Jovan Adepo as “Larry,”
Whoopi Goldberg as “Mother Abagail,”
Ezra Miller,
Nat Wolff and so many more.
Those locations play a huge part in remaining faithful to King’s work as does the look for the characters, so
Below the Line spoke with Production Designer
Aaron Haye (
Angelina Kekich (
Aaron Haye (Courtesy of Lumos PR)
Haye comes to production design from an interesting avenue, that of visual effects, having started straight out of college at
Industrial Light and Magic in the mid-90. “To be in that part of the industry [during] this transition between practical effects and digital effects, I quickly discovered that I could use a computer to help build miniatures,” he told us. “That’s why I started using the computer as a design tool with CAD. There were so many opportunities to work with incredible people there at that time, and opportunities to take something from concept to design and build and then take it t
Binge
Fancy a load of sex, drugs and good-looking graduates from diverse backgrounds scrambling for a toehold at a ruthless London investment bank? Well, the folks at HBO have you covered – and they ve even gone the extra mile in getting Lena Dunham to direct the first episode so she can sprinkle on some of her trademark grit when the trousers come off.
Myha la Herrold as Harper Stern in Industry.
Credit:Foxtel
The catch? It s hard to get enthused about characters who aren t doing anything particularly interesting or worthwhile. That s a feeling familiar to series creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, young ex-bankers who left the industry after realising that they really didn t like their jobs and weren t good at them anyway.