# I'm planning to re-watch "The Stand" mini-series - anyone in? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625 "2011-04-08T03:44:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/61 "2011-04-10T20:31:40Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I think part of why King’s books don’t translate well to movies is that movies can’t develop the side stories and smaller character points and the imagery that sets King’s stories apart. If he has his way with screenplays, they don’t fit into movie format either, and turn into miniseries that only work on TV. (Unless a film studio would commit to multiple movies for the same story) IIRC, that’s why he was so happy to have The Shining redone, he hated Kubrick’s adaptation and was really excited to to the TV miniseries. > > BUT - I think that’s why people often think the miniseries adaptations are slow when King is able to take the time to put his imagery on film. It doesn’t always translate as interestingly as his prose. Kings stories typically create an extremely detailed and realistic world. But 90% of the terror is psychological. The stories are too long to fit into a 2-3 hour movie and with the budget and acting of a tv miniseries, you end up with kids fighting a giant spider, Alice Krige eaten by cats, Jimmy Smitts fighting rubber aliens, or Balki being eaten by bad CGI Pac-men. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/62 "2011-04-10T21:53:13Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I believe there is a line about how the virus was more concentrated inside the facility so it killed people immediately. It may have just been in the book though. I don’t recall that from the book, and really it doesn’t make sense. It’s a virus, not a poison, the concentration shouldn’t matter. I agree that it’s implausible that some/most people died basically in their tracks, but it’s a horror story, I’ll let it slide. Overall, so far, it’s OK. I agree that Molly Ringwald is simply not Fran, which is a shame because she’s so much a central character in the book that she really should have been cast more carefully. It just isn’t as rich as the book, which is to be expected, but is still a bit disappointing. I’ll continue to watch, though, ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/63 "2011-04-10T22:01:26Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > I don’t recall that from the book, and really it doesn’t make sense. It’s a virus, not a poison, the concentration shouldn’t matter. I agree that it’s implausible that some/most people died basically in their tracks, but it’s a horror story, I’ll let it slide. There’s some part of the book where a doctor is talking about the flu, and he says something to the effect that it has clearly delineated stages, but some people zoom through all those stages like it was a rocket sled, some hit one stage, back-step to the previous stage, stabilize for a while, then get worse, etc. It makes _some_ sense that the military people, etc. would succumb quickly because they got ‘dosed’ with it first. Otherwise, yeah, you just have to make allowances for the idea that King took a lot of artistic license. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/64 "2011-04-10T22:11:21Z")
Stu Redman. I drooled over him in middle/high school. Oh babay can you dig your maaaaaaaaaan. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/65 "2011-04-10T22:35:22Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Stu Redman. I drooled over him in middle/high school. > > Oh babay can you dig your maaaaaaaaaan. Are you conflating two characters? It was Larry Underwood who sang “Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?” Or maybe you just mean you were _really_ digging on Stu! 🙂 I’ll be settling in around 8:30 tonight to watch Part 2. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/66 "2011-04-10T22:41:32Z")
Any thoughts on the casting of the Larry Underwood character? Adam Storke. I had to look up the name on imdb, and found nothing of significance before or after The Stand. Yet Larry is one of the most complex characters in the book and transforms the most from beginning to end (other than Harold, maybe). I really can’t quibble with the portrayal, but I guess I just wanted someone with more zing. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/67 "2011-04-11T00:22:04Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > So, my wife and I finished watching it(part one, I mean). > > It’s a bit slow, actually. Does it pick up now that all the world is pretty much dead? I just finished re-reading the uncut edition, and I thought it was just zooming. Everything’s relative, eh? 🙂 > [@Proudest\_Monkey](#): > > Any thoughts on the casting of the Larry Underwood character? Adam Storke. I had to look up the name on imdb, and found nothing of significance before or after The Stand. Yet Larry is one of the most complex characters in the book and transforms the most from beginning to end (other than Harold, maybe). > > I really can’t quibble with the portrayal, but I guess I just wanted someone with more zing. I really loved Adam Storke as Larry - I thought he really nailed Larry’s “more nice than not guy” who has something in him that’s “like biting on tinfoil,” complete with his transformation by the end to a hero. Maybe they expected him to be the next big thing and it just didn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/68 "2011-04-11T00:29:00Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I really loved Adam Storke as Larry - I thought he really nailed Larry’s “more nice than not guy” who has something in him that’s “like biting on tinfoil,” complete with his transformation by the end to a hero. Maybe they expected him to be the next big thing and it just didn’t happen. Well, they no doubt spent most of their casting budget on big names to draw people in, like Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Ruby Dee and Miguel Ferrer (oh, and Rob Lowe), so they had to fill in with unknowns like Adam Storke and Corin Nemec. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/69 "2011-04-11T01:25:45Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I just finished re-reading the uncut edition, and I thought it was just zooming. Everything’s relative, eh? 🙂 > > I really loved Adam Storke as Larry - I thought he really nailed Larry’s “more nice than not guy” who has something in him that’s “like biting on tinfoil,” complete with his transformation by the end to a hero. Maybe they expected him to be the next big thing and it just didn’t happen. I liked his performance of Eve of Destruction. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/70 "2011-04-11T01:53:01Z")
> [@Proudest\_Monkey](#): > > Any thoughts on the casting of the Larry Underwood character? Adam Storke. I had to look up the name on imdb, and found nothing of significance before or after The Stand. Yet Larry is one of the most complex characters in the book and transforms the most from beginning to end (other than Harold, maybe). > > I really can’t quibble with the portrayal, but I guess I just wanted someone with more zing. I just realized recently that he played the Rich Boyfriend in Mystic Pizza. I had watched that again recently, and totally fell in love with him again, so I looked him up. Much cuter as an East Coast Rich Boy than Larry Underwood, IMO 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/71 "2011-04-11T02:07:11Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Can it be remade with Pee-Wee Herman as Trashcan Man? Bump-dee-bump! I know you are but what am I!! HEH HEH!! You didn’t like Max Headroom (Matt Frewer) as Trashcan Man? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/72 "2011-04-11T02:49:50Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Bump-dee-bump! I know you are but what am I!! HEH HEH!! > > You didn’t like Max Headroom (Matt Frewer) as Trashcan Man? I actually _really_ liked Frewer’s portrayal of Trash. In fact, one of the things I really liked about the novel was how sympathetic a character The Trashcan Man was. I mean, yeah, he was an arsonist, and all that bad shit, but you could still totally feel sorry for him. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/73 "2011-04-11T03:19:12Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > I actually _really_ liked Frewer’s portrayal of Trash. In fact, one of the things I really liked about the novel was how sympathetic a character The Trashcan Man was. I mean, yeah, he was an arsonist, and all that bad shit, but you could still totally feel sorry for him. He really was an interesting character - very much a wildcard. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/74 "2011-04-11T16:56:11Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > I actually _really_ liked Frewer’s portrayal of Trash. In fact, one of the things I really liked about the novel was how sympathetic a character The Trashcan Man was. I mean, yeah, he was an arsonist, and all that bad shit, but you could still totally feel sorry for him. Yes, he was completely used by Flagg. More so than anyone else in the book I would say. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/75 "2011-04-11T23:18:47Z")
He was used and abused by just about everyone he met. I’m having a tough time saying he was a good person, but I’m having a tough time saying he was a bad one, too. A crazy one, sure as hell, but who knows how crazy he would have been if he hadn’t lived the life he lived. There’s a really interesting line about Flagg and Trashy in the book - about how Flagg knew that Trashcan Man was a tool that could turn on him, but he hoped he’d get more use out of him before that happened. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625/76 "2011-04-11T23:30:51Z")
Lloyds character was pretty interesting as well. He started out as a gun-toting psycho petty criminal. But his working with Flagg seemed to give him a sort of (misguided) sense of purpose and loyalty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-planning-to-re-watch-the-stand-mini-series-anyone-in/577625.md?page=3)