The Stand - The Dreams

This is the second half of my ‘Stand Posts’ and the first one can be read here.

So, now we get into the second book of the story rightfully entitled The Dreams, since in this part of the story we focus on the dreams that people have been having and who Mother Abigail is and who Randall Flagg; two people that communicate through dreams.

THE DREAMS

First off, this part of the show begins with a sweeping shot of a full, flush, green garden alive and well and then we hear ‘Amazing Grace’ sung by Frannie as she sews her dead dad’s body bag… one of the most saddest tear jerking parts in the whole movie. I love how the two shots contrast between life and dead, much like the way good contrasts evil.

As stated before, what I love about this episode is how well the story focuses on both Mother Abigail and Randall Flagg and it provides some back-story to each of them. Mother Abigail is this sweet, grandmother-like character that loves everybody much like the way God loves all of his children. She is not prejudice towards anybody, even to atheists, and she has a heart that matches her witty voice. Randall Flagg is this surprisingly stable devil-like character who persuades other sinful characters to join his side for world domination.

One of my favorite characters arises from this part of the show, Tom Cullen, who is a half mentally retarded man who I connect to the most. He is a very sociable character who is lost in a world that he doesn’t quite understand; he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed but he is smart despite his disability. There are several other characters that you meet that you right away connect to in some way, and by this time the story is really starting to pick up.

One of the spookier scenes in this part would be the Lincoln Tunnel sequence since it really is anticipating. That dark grungy looking tunnel that is only lit up by the red and orange lights of the abandoned cars. As an audience member, you know something is going to happen but you don’t know when and when it does happen, you never expect it. One of my favorite sequences in part II.

All in all, this part of the show serves as character development and it sets up so that all the core characters can meet one another and if you listen and watch some of the scenes in this movie… it really is inspirational. There are powerful scenes that make you feel for the characters, evidenced when Mother Abigail is leaving her home. It’s one of the more mellow parts of the story (aside from Trashcan Man’s rampage) but it still serves as a very crucial part of the story.

NOTE: Stick around for my next post on The Betrayal.