It is October 1st. Months ago, I started this mini-series thinking I could be done in a few days. That didn’t quite happen. But I think I should finish it so I can start some other monumental task. I just opened up my first box of Count Chocula for 2020. I have some “Hot Cheese Popcorn” from Stewarts which is quite delicious.
I’ve recently been binge-watching Parks * Rec and as you may know, Rob Lowe is in the show. I wasn’t even planning on getting to this film immediately, but that is a good enough sign for me. Also, this third part is called The Betrayal. You will be shocked….yes shocked to find out that there may be a betrayal in this part.
I’m anxious. Think it’s time to do this, once and for all.
For your reading pleasure, here are the links to the blogs for all 4 parts of this mini-series.
Part 1 “The Plague”
Part 2: “The Dreams”
Part 3 “The Betrayal”
Part 4 “The Stand”
Start Part 3 of Mini-series
Stu is trying to perform surgery along with Frannie, Harold, Glen, the Judge, Dana, and the man who just died. Frannie looks like a god damn mongoloid during that scene. Oh, there’s Kojak, who is attending the funeral. Harold clearly needs more studs on his leather jacket. Dana clearly needs better clothing options. Frannie…..she needs way too much.
July 19 in Economy, Indiana
Glen and the Judge are going CB shopping, Harold is busy being a miserable fuck, Stu is fishing, and Frannie is looking off into nowhere because… I got nothing. Stu visits and they had the same dream. Mark is the name of the man who died. Stu offers her some sleeping pills, but she can’t because she’s afraid that it will hurt the baby. Ohhh Stu, what did you do now? Harold should fuck them up now and end this awful scene. Stu would kick his ass though. Stu should have hooked up with Dana and let Frannie do what Dana does in part 4. Harold wanders the woods and stumbles upon Stu and Fran getting their groove on. Frannie tries to talk to Harold and Harold plays it cool and says that he loves Frannie and owes Stu and apology. Harold is so pissed that he has dug his fingernails into his palm from clenching so hard. I always thought that was a nice touch.
In Vegas, they are cleaning the place up and clearing the streets and building. It’s really quite nice. There’s Trash and “MY LIFE FOR YOU!” He’s got on some sweet PJ’s and looks out the window, talks about Cibola and 7 in 1. What he sees is almost something out of the Cloud City in Star Wars. Really pretty. Lloyd and Rat-Man visit Trash. Flagg wants to see him. He gets dressed in some blue jeans, a black shirt, and a red vest. He is looking good. He meets Flagg. Sweet, so happy for him. Flagg pulls out a lighter and Trash is enamored. Then he turns the lighter into one of the black whirring stones and gives it to Trash. He was nice enough to put it on a necklace for him.
July 25 in Boulder, Colorado
Stu’s posse meets Mother Abigail and her crew. Abby knows that Frannie is pregnant. Dana, what the hell are you wearing? Oh, Harold took off before greeting Abby.
Nadine is having a dream about a shirtless Randall who makes a Danielle Steel reference. Nadine wakes up from a dream and Stephen King is driving her. He’s talking but Nadine sees the crow on a car.
August 7 in Eastern Colorado
They are going to turn on the power station today, apparently. Glen doesn’t care about the electricity returning. He is waxing poetically. Mother Abigail is operating a remote-controlled lawnmower. Larry, Stu, and Joe check it out but here comes the newest caravan of folks. It’s a large convoy and I bet they’ve been rocking through the night. Was Stephen King known as the Rubber Duck? We’ll never truly know. Everybody is excited to meet Abby except Nadine. Randall instructs her to go to Abby. Larry sees Nadine. Abby isn’t happy to see Nadine. She doesn’t trust her. Nadine introduces herself, and mayhaps she is and mayhaps she ain’t. Larry’s attire is tremendous.
At the power station, Susan Stern and Brad Kitchner are working the panel to turn everything on. Frannie is scared. God damnit, she shouldn’t talk. The power returns and we see dead bodies by a lot of functioning electrical devices. Oh yay. But about the wifi? Abby is praying about how she has been pretending to be like a queen but she just wants to do the Lord’s will.
At the Union Pacific Railroad, they’re gonna have a big gathering, like a Town Hall meeting. I’m gonna have more of this popcorn since I finished my mug of Count Chocula and I don’t really like this scene. Stu gets up in front of the crowd. Stu wants to start by singing the National Anthem. UGH!!! Fucking stupid ass stands up and starts singing like the mongoloid that she is. Shouldn’t Larry have been the one who officially started since he was the professional singer and not bitchtits? Yes, I am questioning Stephen King’s wisdom. It happens. Also, Nick placing his hand over Tom’s chest was just cheesy as fuck. Just not as cheesy as that popcorn. Hot damn! Abigail is just walking in the middle of the street by herself.
Okay, we can finally have a meeting. Brad gets props. Nadine and Harold give very knowing looks to one another. Time to meet the Boulder Free Zone committee members. You are going to be absolutely shocked by who is on this list. Lucy is worried about Mother Abigail. The list of committee members includes Stu, Ralph, Nick, Frannie, Susan Stern, Glen, and Larry. Harold has a sweet bolo tie on and says that the list is good. The judge makes it official. Glen makes a crack about this. The crowd gives a resounding “Aye” vote. Boom, we have the most predictable committee in the history of committees. Lucy and Joe left early to look for Abby. Abby left a note and Joe is freaking out. Brad suggests that they need to monitor the electricity because dead people didn’t unplug their appliances. Lucy has to interrupt to let them know that Abby is gone.
At the main house, we learn that Abby has left because she feels like she’s sinned and needs to find her place. She feels shame for being so prideful. Nick points out that this doesn’t matter much. If Abby was real, then Flagg has to be real. They should send some spies. Suddenly they’re afraid of Flagg attacking and nuking. The dude has simply been minding his own business. Fucking crazy mother fuckers. Larry is outside and here comes Nadine. Lucy is worried, but he tells her to go inside. She is pissed. Nadine is apologetic. They hug it out, Lucy watches. Nadine is now getting flirty and wants to fuck Larry so she can stay there. She is very desperate. Larry just threw her to the ground. Are they going to show that in 2020? Larry, get prepared to get #MeToo’d. Lucy is the second most attractive woman in this cast, and possibly first, but my thing for crazy chicks and Shawnee Smith, you know how it is. Nadine is a solid #3, once again, because she’s crazy. She goes home and the house has Harold’s name written all over. Then Randall tells her to go Harold but remember who she belongs to.
The committee is now having a meal and a topic about spies and their concerns about Flagg. Susan volunteers but Glen shuts that shit down. Larry realizes that he’s now a politician. He then nominates the Judge. Susan isn’t down with it but Stu backs the idea. Susan nominates Dana. Larry is baffled by this and then Stu gives him the business and Larry tells Stu that he’s cute when he gets angry. But who can be the third scout? Nick has a dilly of an idea because we have another main character.
August 20 at Tom’s house
They are hypnotizing Tom who has a wonderfully decorated house with plenty of mannequins. Glen is in charge of hypnotizing Tom. Larry looks on. The committee is fully represented. Tom knows that this is about “Him”. Tom under hypnosis is super smart and aware of Flagg. When asked if he is the same Tom that they met in OKC, Tom says no, that he is God’s Tom. I don’t know if that was cheesy, cool, or badass, but I liked it. They tell him to go went and check out the airfield for planes and missiles. He also needs to listen to what people are saying about Flagg and what is said about the Free Zone. Tom is to return hen the moon is full. If anybody asks why he left, it’s because they drove him out for being stupid and having idiot children with some woman. That’s just fantastic He’ll walk at night and sleep during the day. If one person sees him, kill him. But if it’s more than one, he needs to run. They wake Tom up, finally.
There’s a crew of men cleaning out the church, including Harold and Teddy. That church is full and only 6 men. That’s a busy day. Nobody is putting on their masks. Okay, one dude did. That place has got to smell amazing. Harold goes home and his door is left ajar. Do you ever use the term ajar for anything other than a door? Nadine is there, naturally. She looks fine in the nice red dress. She made him a nice meal. He’s got a really nice home. The supermarket is full of deer, apparently. She is seducing the hell out of him. She knows that he is planning to head West. Nadine claims to be a virgin. She tells him that she has to remain a virgin, but they can do everything else except that one little thing. Amber Heard should make an amazing Nadine in the remake.
Larry is talking to the Judge. The judge already knows what it’s about and he accepts. The judge knows that he’s not allowed to know the other spies. Judge says that he will leave tomorrow.
Nadine asks if Harold enjoyed whatever they just did, presumably a BJ based on him talking about her not getting pleasure. Nadine brings up Frannie. And then he’s pissed that he wasn’t on the committee as well. Harold is very easy to empathize with. Nadine wants to get him drunk.
At Estees Park, it’s time to drop Tom off to go on his voyage. Stu and Nick are with him. Ralph gave his hat to Tom. Tom wishes that Nick would come with him so he wasn’t so scared. Who is the more sympathetic character: Tom or Trash?
Fran’s belly is getting bigger and she is getting examined by the doctor. Susan says that Fran is lucky. Frannie brings down the mood by wondering if the flu is still around.
Harold has a dream. He talks to a dead guy in a car and refers to himself as a wild card. Then he finds a lot of explosives and Randall surprises him in a funny way and tells him to go for it. He wakes up and tells Nadine about the dynamite and the dream. Harold tells Nadine that she looks juicy. Man, I am so sick of dude’s calling women’s asses juicy in porn. It isn’t cool. Just saying.
September 7 at the Indian Springs Air Force Base
Tom is working on a crew with Barry Ritchie is wondering about why they need the runway clear. Ritchie is most likely a man that you have seen in other films. His real name is Dan Martin and he was in Heat, Rush Hour, Nothing To Lose, and other fine flicks. Barry orders Tom to bring the toolkit into the office. Tom hears Carl talk to Trash and Trash is loading up a missile. As Tom is leaving, he sees Dana and they exchange knowing looks at each other.
Harold is in the basement listening to “Boogie Fever” by The Sylvers. Nadine comes down to check on him. He is holding some sticks of D. Harold tells her to take a walk because he has no idea how old the dynamite is and it could explode. He’s doing God’s work, I’m sure.
Nadine has a box and the screen reads “The Betrayal”. Geez, I let Mick Garris get off the hook with a lot, but come on dude. That is just a little too obvious, even for the Tom Cullen’s of this world. She sneaks into the nice big house, nobody is around. She has a red shoebox which may or may not be a bomb. It definitely could be. But maybe Harold fucked up. Nadine helps Harold clean up. Harold tells her that they are damned and she says that she is aware.
Later that night, the whole crew is in the house, well the main crew. The rest of the people are outside at a park enjoying life. And then we see Joe helping Mother Abigail and she is walking but looks like hell. Everybody outside surrounds her. Harold and Nadine are somewhere else and he has the leather jacket and black shorts. They have a nice view of the house. He needs to know when it is 9:15. Abigail communicates to Stu, Frannie, Ralph, and Nick that something is wrong. Of course, she tells only Nick about the closet. You know that is some fucked up shit, right? The acting is top-notch here. Everybody is trying to evacuate and Nick lets out a primal scream and finds the shoebox. Nadine tells Harold to do it.
Here’s the funny part, or maybe I have a sick sense of humor. Harold is communicating via a walkie talkie that he is the one responsible for this and is doing this of his own free will. Now, this would have had far more impact had Frannie been the one to find the box, right? Or even Stu? Maybe even Glen. Someone who had some past interaction with Harold, right? Or at the very least, someone who can actually hear the final words, right? Nope, it’s Nick, a man who had no interactions with Harold and can’t hear. I’m not blaming anyone here, but Stephen King could have done this better, in my opinion. Frannie dying would have been an amazing twist here. Sorta like how Negan should have bashed Maggie’s brains in, instead of Abe.
And there goes the big boom. Harold and Nadine witness it and look horrified and guilty. And Frannie is unconscious. Frannie has a dream and what the fuck is this bitch wearing now? She meets with Abby and she assures Fran that she isn’t dead. God brought everyone together to venture further. With Nick gone, Stu has to lead them further. Abby reveals that only 4 are to be sent: Stu, Ralph, Larry, and Glen. Shiiiiiiiiiit! Frannie is being selfish. Abby sets that bitch straight and tells her it’s time for her to make her Stand. That’s the fucking name of the mini-series!!!
Fran wakes up in a hospital bed surround by the usual suspects. No, Kevin Spacey isn’t there, unfortunately. She already knew that Nick was dead. Abby is in the same room but unconscious. Chad Norris died. Al Bundell died….not Al Bundy. Andrea Terminella, Dick Ellis, and even Susan Stern all got got. Abby wakes up to reveal a little more but everyone has to leave if they aren’t on the committee, except Lucy. Abby says that God’s will is to send the 4 men out into the wilderness out in the west. Take no food or water and to go that day. Geez, that kinda sounds like a suicide mission. But wait, there’s more! They are to go on their feet, and one of them will fall along the way. The other 3 will be taken before Flagg. She doesn’t know if they will defeat Flagg, but with God’s will, they can stand and attend to defeat him. “Be true. Stand.” And now Mother Abigail is dead. Sad panda. Frannie doesn’t want Stu to leave.
Outside, the 4 guys are their people are with them. Larry with Lucy and Joe. They kiss goodbye. Frannie tells Stu to swear that he will return to her. She is such a bitch. Larry gives Joe a big hug and Joe gives him a guitar pick, I think. Frannie insists that Stu tells her that he loves her. So needy. Glen and Ralph don’t have no bitches kissing them. Glen brought Kojak, at least. The men walk away and we get some sad music as they walk along the road. I really dig the music. The crow caws as he sees them walking.
End Part 3
What a way to end Part 3 and set up Part 4. I will say that they paced it beautifully. Obviously, some people had to die. Rest assured, more death is coming in the conclusion.
I have often wondered if killing Nick was the right choice. Someone big had to do. Glen and Ralph weren’t developed enough at this point. Tom is too sympathetic and has his own role to serve. Larry hadn’t really redeemed himself yet. That leaves Stu. If you kill off Stu here, then you would have to make Lucy pregnant, right? And if that is the situation, that makes Frannie expendable, right? So why not just kill Frannie off? I think the problem is that Nick’s character has no real place for him in the 4th part. He would have had to stay back because his impact in part 4 with Flagg would be strange. No matter how you look at it, Nick had to die here because his character couldn’t be a spy. He had to be the sacrificial lamb. I think that once Stephen King figured that little bit out, it probably made writing this a hell of a lot easier.
I felt that Harold and Nadine really got to shine here and have some fun. They have stood out the most to me in this part. Realistically, most everybody else had a fairly equal showing, but Harold and Nadine actually accomplished something. Was it really a betrayal if Mother Abigail didn’t trust Nadine in the first place? Or was Harold the Betrayal, despite Stu clearly fucking Harold over? In the story, it’s not so bad because Harold is younger and you can brush off his feelings easier, I’d say. Here, it just felt fucked up.
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