Ive always loved the last scene of the extended edition, which is where we end the series, of Flagg on the beach. In the miniseries, Stu's group does not find his body, rather Stu psychically senses his suicide and grimly informs the others, stating bluntly "God rest his sorry excuse for a soul". The final confrontation with the evil and mysterious Randall Flagg never changes much across these tinkered endings. M O O N. Permalink: You come back now, Stu. Upon arriving in Boulder, Cross begins to surrender to the seductive allure of Flagg. The Stand: Every Power Randall Flagg Has In The Stephen King Part of a harem of women who were taken captive by a gang of ex-soldiers and repeatedly raped, Susan Stern a former student at Kent State University is one of the women Stu Redman and his party rescues. Andros serves on the Free Zone Committee, for which he is the leading thinker, and eventually recruits Cullen as a member of the spy contingent that travels to the West coast. Lloyd Henreid starts off as a petty criminal who, along with Andrew "Poke" Freeman, engages in a killing spree across Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, resulting in six murders, Freeman's death, and Henreid's detention in a Phoenix jail. After burying her elderly father in his garden, Goldsmith decides to join Lauder and they leave the vacant town. In the 1994 miniseries, Dorgan was portrayed by Chuck Adamson. Fran and Stu raise a baby, and the good guys have won. Shortly after, Underwood finds he is one of the few living people remaining in New York City. John Mulaney still needs you to like him - The Washington Post 'The Stand' Boss on the Different Versions of Randall Creighton is General Starkey's friend and right-hand man; he periodically updates Starkey on the situation. In the book, Mother Abigails deathbed mandate from God insists that four prominent members of the Boulder Free Zone (aka the community of nice plague survivors) walk all the way from Colorado to Flaggs stronghold in Las Vegas. Horgan decides to take a "stand" against Flagg and publicly challenges him prior to the executions of Underwood and Brentner, leading to the realization from a few people in the crowd that Flagg has lied about what the Trashcan Man has done. is as Randall Flagg in The Stand. He is the younger brother of Goldsmith's best friend, Amy Lauder, and is a social outcast at his local high school. In the novel, he's presented as diametrically opposed to Mother Abagail's personification of good. Tom Cullen describes Flagg thus: "He looks like anybody you see on the street. Hes reborn with a similar level of power and ambition but hes really starting from scratch in some way and remembering who he is and what he does. Floating in the air, Flagg reintroduces himself as Russell Faraday, and demands worship. Brentner is the first to notice the "Hand of God" as it descends from the sky to detonate the Trashcan Man's nuclear weapon, killing everyone present. Underwood leads the party after Redman breaks his leg during the journey to Las Vegas, where Underwood and Brentner eventually die in the nuclear explosion caused by the Trashcan Man. No. His other aliases include Russell Faraday, Richard Fannin and Raymond Fiegler to name a few. As hes getting ready to drop a line down into it, the little girl from before appears out of nowhere and begins confidently giving instructions on what to do. Larry Underwood is a young, narcissistic singer-songwriter who, at the beginning of the novel, is starting to achieve significant success with his debut single, "Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?" After a discussion, Cross agrees to join Underwood and find other survivors. Henreid subsequently finds himself feeling more intelligent and able than he thought he was, running several of the day-to-day activities in Las Vegas and overseeing operations at a military base. Along with Stu Redman, Glen Bateman and Larry Underwood, Brentner travels to Las Vegas and is instrumental in convincing Underwood to leave Redman behind after he breaks his leg. A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Stephen King rewrote the ending of The Stand again and its the best version, Sign up for the She and her followers make their way towards Boulder, Colorado where they establish the "Boulder Free Zone" government. The new coda on the CBS All Access show feels in many ways like King marrying those two endings while also finally giving Frannie her time to shine. The Stand didnt end on a horrible note apart from Flagg now becoming Russell Faraday, one of his many aliases, and forcing the native tribe hed showed to Frannie to worship him. Flagg forces Henreid to shoot Bateman and, as Bateman dies, he forgives Henreid with his dying breath, saying "It's all right, Mr. Henreid. you dont know any better." Kings Complete and Uncut version changes that a little bit, making the happy ending a tad less cut and dry. Bobby Terry and Dave Roberts are among the men who Flagg places at several outposts surrounding Las Vegas to intercept and kill Free Zone spy Judge Farris. The Kid survives for several days until, facing starvation, he opens the car door and strangles a wolf as he himself dies. Keep up with your favorite shows delivered to your inbox! Charles Campion is an American soldier stationed in the California desert. During his journey, Cullen has a prophetic dream that compels him to double back and find Redman, who has broken his leg and has contracted pneumonia. The differences reflect a writer whos in an evolving relationship with the world around him. Cross travels west with Lauder, but when Lauder's motorcycle crashes, she implies it was her intention for Lauder to die in a motorcycle accident, instead of being killed by Flagg upon their arrival in Las Vegas. No. Terry panics over what to do, eventually deciding to head south. On the way, one of the main characters, Stu Redman, breaks his leg and is left behind. However, Flagg (who observed all of this in the guise of a crow) attacks and slowly executes Terry. Lauder then commits suicide by shooting himself through the mouth. It is Jurgens's desire to protect both Cullen and his status as a spy that compels her to commit suicide, rather than submit to further questioning from Flagg. Cullen's anonymity seems to stem from his disability, as Flagg tells Dayna Jurgens that every time he tries to see the third spy, all he sees is the moon; this confirms her sighting of Cullen earlier (while both were on Las Vegas work crews). He also has a large role in Eyes of the Dragon, and is alluded to in several other works including Hearts in Atlantis and Insomnia. Haunted by his dreams of Randall Flagg and Blakemoor, Underwood falls into a semi-catatonic state of self-reflection for several days until he finally collapses from exhaustion in New Hampshire. She is one of the 0.6% of the population that is immune to the superflu and initially appears to some of the plague survivors in their dreams, drawing them to her farmhouse, just as Randall Flagg (also known as the "Dark Man" and the "Walking Man") draws the evil survivors to his settlement in Las Vegas. In an attempt to maintain plausible deniability, he activates a contingency plan to have spies release the virus in the Eastern Bloc and China, ensuring these Communist nations are destroyed along with the United States. Cross desperately proceeds with a final attempt to seduce Underwood, an act that would break her virginal commitment to Flagg and free her, but Underwood is, by this stage, firmly committed to Lucy Swann and rejects Cross's advances. In the 1994 miniseries, Frannie was portrayed by Molly Ringwald. After reaching Boulder, she begins a relationship with Brad Kitchener, the only technician, even trying to have children with him. The ending suggests that not only is Flagg the embodiment of true evil, but true evil cant be killed. He also can shapeshift. By introducing a counterpart in this young girl in Nebraska, who does not exist in any previous version of the story, King takes away a little bit of Flaggs threat. WebRandall Flagg aka Russell Faraday. In Kings final act, the literal Hand of God appears as Flagg crucifies our heroes in front of his followers. At Lauder's suggestion, the two make their way to the Stovington facility of the CDC, encountering Stu Redman along the way. At the center of The Stand, and one of its most captivating characters, is the villain Randall Flagg. Realizing that he is dying, Lauder writes a note in which he takes responsibility for his actions and expresses remorse, and signs it with the "Hawk" nickname as a way of accepting the best version of himself that existed briefly in Boulder. No. He is a demon of great power, calling people like Trash Can Man to He often found himself in trouble during his years as a youth due to his fixation with fire, and his nickname comes from his childhood habit of starting fires in trash cans. John Mulaney at the Boston Symphony Hall for his Netflix special John Mulaney: Baby J. (Marcus Russell Price/Netflix) 8 min. Joe, who has sufficiently recovered to the point that he reveals that his real name is "Leo Rockway", is suddenly reluctant to be in the company of Cross. Of course, as we saw in the penultimate episode of The Stand, Stu is still alive, and fortunately it doesnt take too long into the episode for him to appear. The Trashcan Man transports the warhead across the desert in a trailer attached to an all-terrain vehicle, contracting a lethal case of radiation poisoning in the process. He meets a troubled middle-aged woman named Rita Blakemoor and the two decide to leave New York together. Henreid ultimately refuses the offer, but quietly tells his friend he will keep his flight plan secret, while adding he will stay with Flagg until either himself or Flagg is killed because he owes that much. As the plague and anarchy destroy New York, Underwood attempts to care for his dying mother, but she eventually succumbs to the superflu. Dorgan is one of the sentries who intercepts Underwood, Bateman, and Brentner, who are all surprised by Dorgan's sympathetic nature but make it clear his rational views do not excuse or exculpate his service on behalf of the truly vile individuals he reports to. Andros expresses a desire to press charges against his attackers, and the sheriff tracks down and arrests three of the four before falling ill with the superflu. WebRussell Faraday Martin Broadcloak (sometimes called "Marten Broadcloak") The Covenant Man Walter Hodji Nyarlathotep He Who Walks Behind the Rows (implied) Flagg Richard Farris Raymond Fiegler Original Universe The Stand Occupation Sorcerer High-ranking place in any hierarchy he is found Wandering plotter Powers/Skills Nigh-immortality The superflu wipes out Goldsmith's community, with she and Harold Lauder being the only local survivors after a parking lot attendant, Gus Dinsmore, contracts the virus and dies on June 30. However, for the characters of The Stand, the immediate future is all that matters. When pressed, his mother points out his greatest character flaw to him directly: "You're a takeryou came home to me because you knew that I have to give." Redman is the first to show an immunity to the superflu and is taken by government authorities, first to the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), then to the fictitious Stovington, Vermont plague center. The Stand: How Stephen Kings New Ending In The She later regains her ability and returns to the Boulder Free Zone in time to inadvertently save most of the Free Zone Committee from Harold Lauder's assassination attempt. Randall Flagg The Trashcan Man ultimately causes Flagg's apparent destruction, as the Hand of God descends from the sky and activates the warhead, destroying Las Vegas and every one of its inhabitants. And he did all this while finally giving Frannie Goldsmith the agency she deserves. While those who meet Lauder suspect there is something troublesome about him, they keep their suspicions to themselves as they become preoccupied with the politics of the Free Zone and the recruitment of scouts to spy on Flagg. You come back now, Stu. His ideas are used to improve the conditions within the community, and he frequently volunteers for the toughest jobs in the Boulder Free Zone, including the removal of dead bodies. Ironic, don't you think? In terms of our crafting of the structure and our repurposing things in the book, Im very proud of a lot of what we did in Episode 8 to make the climax feel as though its at least allowed by or even touched off by the actions of our characters. Redman and Cullen return to Boulder first by snowmobile and finally by foot, where Goldsmith has given birth to the first-known post-plague child. Dayna Jurgens is a community college physical training (PT) instructor from Xenia, Ohio. The Stand Recap: Episode 9 Finale With New Ending | TVLine At the end of the novel, the "Hand of God" detonates a nuclear bomb, destroying Las Vegas and all of Flagg's gathered followers. April 26, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT. In the 2020 miniseries, he was portrayed by Jovan Adepo. When he looks at you a certain way, your prostate goes bad and your urine burns. Frannie gets to be the kind, tough, no-BS character we were introduced to. Hope, in the flesh. Lauder becomes a respected and esteemed member of the Boulder Community. This character is named Len Carsleigh in pre-1990 editions of The Stand. Flagg convinces the tribe's members that he has arrived to teach them the ways of civilization, identifying himself as Russell Faraday. Some people will surely wonder about a Season 2, possibly as an anthology, with Randall Flagg at the center. She knows he lies. Like Mother Abagail, Flagg appears to various survivors in their dreams, whereby he provides the dreamers with a choice; Flagg attracts those who are drawn to structure, destruction, and power. We loved the notion of Flagg lying against the tree, almost relaxed, almost relieved to be free of the responsibility of having to actually run a place and have all these followers hes concerned about and keeping in line. He was portrayed by Nat Wolff in the 2020 miniseries, where instead of being killed by the explosion, he is decapitated by a metal ornament knocked loose by the Hand of God's lightning. Flagg is also the main villain in The Eyes of the Dragon, set in a medieval world called Delain, and there are some passages in that book that allude to Flagg's immortality and "pure evil" status.[7]. Its pretty clear that King didnt just pop out this nifty new coda for the hell of it. She is 108 years old and lives in a farmhouse near Hemingford Home, Nebraska, well known in her pre-superflu community for surviving decades of vicious racism and voting for Republicans in every election she had ever seen.[5]. Gwendy's Button Box Book Review Are we doomed to repeat all the horrors that brought us to the brink of extinction? In the 2020 miniseries, he was portrayed by James Marsden. Stu returns home to his love, Frannie Goldsmith, who has delivered a baby in his absence. Andros eventually recovers from the infection to his leg and begins his journey to Hemingford Home, Nebraska. Watergate was still in the rearview mirror, the country was going through oil shortages, and environmental disasters were becoming the norm. East of Colorado's Eisenhower Tunnel, The Kid ends up trapped in a car and surrounded by wolves, which kill him when he eventually tries to flee. While she initially displays some level of romantic interest in Redman, this does not extend beyond flirtation and a brief kiss before she leaves for Las Vegas. She looks and acts a whole lot like the now-dead leader of the good guys, and even knows their names. Stern is later killed by Lauder's assassination attempt on the committee. Despite an intrinsically strong and likable performance by Odessa Young, the creators of the series saw the key character as less of a priority to the adapted narrative than her semi-crazed stalker, Harold Lauder (played convincingly by Owen Teague). So 1 st question is who is that. And though, in the novel, Flagg tells the group that he has a mission to teach them how to be civilized, thats not what he says here. Cross attempts to seduce Underwood but he rejects her, having committed to Swann. He assumes command of the containment operation after Starkey's removal and subsequent suicide. WebRandall Flagg (real name Walter Padick) is the main antagonist of the Stephen King multiverse. In the 2020 miniseries, she was portrayed by Amber Heard, while Isla Crerar portrays a young version. It was changed to Randall Stevens for 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994) as a tribute to King's character Randall Flagg from 'The Stand' and 'The Dark Tower'. Comment 121. The two form a close bond, despite the fact that Andros cannot speak and Cullen cannot read Andros' notes. In the original edition, The Kid appeared as a minor character and only appeared in the Trashcan Man's flashbacks; the revisedextended edition includes the full story of The Kid's encounter with the Trashcan Man. After treating his severely burned arm, the Trashcan Man finds a bicycle and proceeds to travel westward with haste. Although Flagg possesses the ability to predict the future, along with several demonic powers, he begins to very gradually lose control as his plans proceed in an increasingly problematic manner. Terry and the wounded Farris exchange shots until Terry scores a kill with two direct hits to the face, leaving it unidentifiable. King first revised the ending of The Stand in 1990 with an expanded edition that added a few hundred more pages. Flagg. Though injured, Kojak manages to walk to the Free Zone. Abagail Freemantle, also known as Mother Abagail, leads the good survivors of the Captain Trips plague and claims to be a prophet of God. April 26, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT. The moment in court when Glen [Greg Kinnear] gets killed in front of everybody, we constructed from a couple different scenes in the book, in which Glen is killed in private, just facing off with Flagg with Lloyd [Nat Wolff] in the room. It is also believed that Jesse is dead. A former butcher, Horgan joined Flagg's group as a cook, described by Lloyd Henreid as a "fat, loud sack of shit" but also an excellent chef. As you know, King has been inspired by that character many times over the years. Brentner survives Lauder's assassination attempt, losing the third and fourth fingers on his left hand, and is chosen as one of the four people to stand against Flagg. Stu makes his way back from New Vegas, and Frannie and her husband leave Boulder with their baby and head to Maine. (Flagg goes by many names in a bunch of King stories, but usually sticks with the initials R.F.) However, when Lawry reveals her true nature, ridiculing Cullen's impairment and frightening him against Pepto-Bismol with a claim that the product is poison, Andros ultimately rejects her. Her love fixing a tire on an unstable truck that threatens to fall over on him. John Mulaney at the Boston Symphony Hall for his Netflix special John Mulaney: Baby J. (Marcus Russell Price/Netflix) 8 min. In the 2020 miniseries, he is portrayed by Curtiss Cook Jr. As the commanding officer of Project Blue, William Starkey is aware that, once loose, the superflu is almost impossible to control due to its constant mutations, meaning it will be impossible to create a vaccine. Bateman becomes part of the reform committee in Boulder and is later one of the four men who Mother Abigail proclaims must meet Flagg in Las Vegas. newsletter. The wheel keeps turning. An unstable, sex-crazed teenager who lives through the pandemic, Lawry and Nick Andros have sexual intercourse in the deserted store where they meet and then Lawry attempts to convince Andros to leave Cullen behind. The Kid does not appear in the 1994 miniseries, nor is he mentioned. The fact that he is significantly older is noted in her diary, along with many other aspects of the trip. WebRandall Flagg, also known as "the Dark Man" or "the Walkin Dude", is the main antagonist of The Stand. Nick Andros is an exception to this, unilaterally nixing Lauder's appointment to the committee out of distrust. He tallies a debt with a drug dealer while living in Los Angeles and travels to New York City to hide, on the pretext of visiting his loving, but deeply disapproving, mother. Stand In the 2020 miniseries, he was portrayed by Henry Zaga. The Stand has been an exceedingly frustrating viewing experience, Terry (for me, this is the most frustrating experience weve covered together aside from Penny Dreadful: who renames himself Russell Faraday, is an eternal force and that the forces of evil can never truly be defeated. Rabbit Hole: Charles Dance Warns Dont Trust The Finale, Sunny Hostin: Don Lemon & Tiffany Cross Exits Sent Media Backwards, Copyright 2023 NTVB Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, Watch a Sneak Peek of The Stand Finale Written By Stephen King (VIDEO), Ask Matt: Ken Jennings and Jeopardy!, Zoeys Extraordinary Hiatus, WandaVision, This Is Us, The Stand & More, 'The Stand's Natalie Martinez Unpacks Dayna's Selfless Decision. Randall Flagg is the notorious antagonist of The Stand and The Dark Tower series. He has survived the nuclear explosion, at least in some form, but doesnt seem to be as powerful as he used to be, something that becomes even more evident as this confrontation unfolds. Thats not Kings style. The group then continues west towards Mother Abagail, during which time Goldsmith falls deeply in love with Redman. He rescues Lloyd Henreid from starving to death in prison and, with Henreid as second-in-command, establishes a community in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lauder harbors an unrequited obsessive love with Goldsmith and perceives himself as her protector. Very clearly Mother Abagail and Flagg are two sides of a coin, mirror characters in some way. Later, Horgan informs Henreid that Engstrom intends to flee the group, while Flagg tells Henreid that he already knows the names of people who want to leave, including Engstrom. The Stand Quotes But hes not completely gone, with the series ending the same way as Kings expanded version of the novel: Flagg, calling himself Russell Faraday, finds a new group of followers. He came out of time. Stu, Fran, and the baby pack up and leave, heading for Frans home state of Maine. She works for the group as a construction worker and becomes close friends with Jurgens, who is confused as to why Engstrom, whom Jurgens perceives as a "nice" person, is cooperating with an evil group. Lauder confesses his love to Goldsmith, and she politely but firmly rejects him, before she and Redman reciprocate their feelings for each other. No. She also knows if hes lying here, hes not lying about much. Randall Flagg, aware of her identity through telepathy, summons her to his office and attempts to make her reveal the third spy, whose mind he is unable to penetrate. The guy at the end I believe is flagg. A teacher at a private school in New Hampshire, Cross has retained her virginity due to a vaguely defined, but powerful, sense that she is destined for something "dark and unique." In the 2020 miniseries, a female version of the character named The Rat Woman, portrayed by Fiona Dourif, appears and is killed by the Hand of God's lightning. Flagg emerges as the leader of a settlement in Las Vegas, Formerly named Big Steve, Kojak is a rare survivor of the superflu, which affects dogs and horses as well as humans (the book notes that cats are immune). Thats when two accidents happen, which we find out were caused by a wounded, but still alive Randall Flagg: Stu is kept from getting back to Frannie quickly due to a blown tire, and Frannie falls down a well, gravely hurting herself. Who is Russell Faraday The Stand? In the 2020 miniseries, he is portrayed by J. K. Simmons. In search of healing, the Dark Man is reborn as Russell Faraday on an island with a lost tribe. Redman escapes from the Stovington facility after a government employee attempts to execute him (it is implied the character "knows too much") and he kills his attacker in self-defense. In the 1994 miniseries, Susan was portrayed by Cynthia Garris. After being dismissed by the President of the United States due to his failure to contain the virus, Starkey commits suicide in the laboratory where the superflu was created. Unlike the book, Flagg seems to On her deathbed, she shares one final vision: four men from the committee will travel to the West coast to confront Flagg. Abagail receives prophetic visions from God, which end when she believes she has sinned due to pride and goes into exile in the wilderness. Hes just brilliant in the part. So he wasnt too hot on the idea of rebuilding society as it was, though thats exactly what his characters naturally tried to do once they gathered together. Farris sees Terry in the car, holding a rifle and smiling wildly, prompting The Judge to attempt to pull his own gun, but Roberts shoots him first. The Trashcan Man undergoes a schizophrenic episode and reverts to his old destructive ways, destroying several trucks and aircraft, which kills all the experienced pilots in Las Vegas. Cross is attracted to Underwood but her subconscious conviction that she must remain "pure" has further strengthened and has begun to manifestCross begins to both fear and anticipate that she is destined to be with Flagg. Donald Merwin Elbert, better known as the "Trashcan Man", is a schizophrenic with pyromaniac tendencies. The title of the final episode of The Stand was was The Circle Closes, which may help explain why Stephen King brought his end-of-the-world saga to a