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The premiere episode of The Stand on CBS All Access promised an eventful series full of characters and timelines that bounce around. The pilot episode focused on Harold (Owen Teague) and Stu Redman (James Marsden) as they fight to survive a government made virus that escaped from a military base. The bouncing back and forth between the past and present for the two main characters led to an ending where I was curious to see what happened to them leading up to that ending.
Instead of focusing on Harold and Stu in the second episode, the series shifts its attention to Larry Underwood (Jovan Adepo), a musician who represents both sides of good and evil, a theme that started in the first episode. Throughout the episode we are introduced to several more characters such as Rita Blakemoor (Heather Graham), Joe (Billy Sullivan), Nadine (Amber Heard), and Lloyd Henreid (Nat Wolff). Larry, along with Nadine and Joe, head to Colorado, where other survivors gather. The episode still bounces around a lot. We learn that before the virus hit, Larry lived in New York with his mother, had a drug problem, and was about it hit big in the music industry. His mother dies in a crowded hospital and he must take her body back home. After the pandemic is in full swing, he meets Rita, a fellow survivor and they decide to leave the city but run into trouble along the way.
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With so many new characters entering the fold, some get limited amount of screen time and some have strong development. Lloyd and Larry get the most screen time. Much like the first episode, the episode shows what the characters did before and during the apocalypse hit. This gives the episode a more personal feel as we get to witness what some characters were like before the apocalypse and how they changed after it all went down. Lloyd represents the evil side of the story when he is jail and witnesses everyone around him dying. He makes a deal with Randall Flagg (Alexander Skarsgard), which will likely not turn out good for him. Larry seems a bit more fleshed out than other characters so far in the series. He is talented and fun, but also reckless, which challenges the character as he heads to Boulder to see Mother Abagail (Whoopi Goldberg).
I have not read the book, but I am curious to see how certain characters will play into the series. A lot of movies and shows suffer from introducing too many characters and the lack of development doesn’t allow for the audience to connect with anyone. Some of the characters are likable and I would hate to have their stories be tossed away right out of the gate.
The narrative doesn’t seem to be moving forward too much in the first two episodes since so many characters are introduced and take up a good chunk of time. I am still interested in finishing up the series to see where these characters go and how the apocalypse affected different people in different ways.
New episodes of The Stand premiere Thursdays on CBS All Access.
What did you think of the premiere? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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