‘The Stand’ Recap: ‘Blank Page’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘The Stand’.

If there is one particular constant that exists in modern storytelling, it would have to be that creative minds from all walks of life, are going to find a way to update and spin age-old storytelling concepts and notions for modern audiences. Simply because some of those concepts no longer resonate in modern times, since our beliefs and understanding of the world change as time marches on, and that's precisely why storytellers are eager to give these old ideas new life and new perspective. So that the lesson embedded within said concepts can continue to thrive, and for a fine example of how this plays out, then look no further than Stephen King’s 1978 novel, The Stand.
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For this particular book, and oddly enough its 1994 television counterpart, really did a phenomenal job of adapting and updating the supremely rigid and stoic Book of Revelations from the Bible for modern audiences. For now, the outlandish Holy plagues that Revelations spoke of, were given new life by way of germ warfare and science gone wrong, and the grand battle that the forces of Heaven and Hell took part in later on in Revelations, were now handled by flawed human beings that let their moral compass and their courage decide the ultimate fate of mankind and these changes were downright brilliant to say the least. For they created a supernatural story that was grounded in reality, which made it palatable and iconic in its own right, to the point where we are currently enjoying a new iteration of this particular tale.

Which should mean that the 2020 edition of The Stand is following in the footsteps of its predecessor and updating these themes for a new generation of viewers and at first glance it appeared as though that was going to be the case. For it not only offered up some poignant and powerful commentary on modern disasters, but it really did start to move this story in a bold new direction, before making quite the storytelling change in this week’s tale. Because ‘Blank Page’s is a chapter in this adventure that opted to roll with a more literal re-telling of the Bible and the Book of Revelations. Which is quite brave for certain, and it accomplished this particular feat by offering up a supremely unique examination of the nature of good and evil and the power of faith.  

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Which at their core, seem like innocuous and cliché examinations to work with. But the sheer fact that the series took the time to explore the nature of good and evil, in such an old school manner, is proof positive that this series is suddenly eager to examine more classic Biblical concepts. Because this examination felt as though it was ripped from the pages of the good book, and seeing them here in such a pure manner is off-putting at first, as is this episode's commentary on faith and destiny. Because you simply don't expect a story this complex and this poignant to just place such simple and direct concepts in front an audience that is in fact, expecting a little nuance from the story. But slowly but surely, these elements started to reveal what the show was trying to accomplish by introducing these classic elements into the mix.  

In that, clearly Josh Boone and company want to truly hammer home the awe and gravity of that final battle between good and evil in the Book of Revelations and the only way to accomplish that particular feat, is by purifying where the characters stand on either side of that equation. Which is why we saw Stu and Glen and Nick and Fran and Larry, quickly acquiesce to Mother Abagail's tutelage in this story, so that they establish themselves as true forces for good. Ones that know that there is a higher power working behind the scenes here, that they need to trust in. And of course, Nadine's life long commitment to Flagg and Harold's slow fall from grace, along with the broken visitor in this tale... allow for the story to establish the pure evil of Randall Flagg, and his and evil's influence over broken souls and well, at this point it is definitely safe to say that this storytelling decision is going to be quite polarizing for certain.

Because critics of the series will use this interesting choice to once again declare how the show has failed to properly pay respect to the source material and the iteration that came before it, while others will see this as a bold new experiment for horror, since the genre usually only flirts with the purity of religion. But make no mistake about it, this is a unique decision for certain, one that this reviewer cannot declare as good or bad. Simply because, we haven't seen the payoff just yet. But in the here and the now, we would be foolish to not point out that this was quite the jarring tale since its push to go this route makes it appear as though the story is spinning its wheels. And it will be quite interesting to see if in fact, The Stand is masterfully putting something powerful together by way of a slow burn approach that is filled with bold decisions, or if it is nothing more than a series of bold missteps, and the only way to know for certain; is to continue this fascinating journey. Until next time. 

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