Review: ‘The Stand’ Episode Two; “Pocket Savior” On the Road to Boulder

The second episode of Josh Boone and Benjamin Cavell’s series “The Stand” aired on CBS All Access on Christmas Eve. The episode entitled “Pocket Savior” brought some more characters of the Stephen King novel to the screen. Plus we finally meet Larry Underwood (Jovan Adepo), Lloyd Henreid (Nat Wolff) and Nadine Cross (Amber Heard). Spoilers ahead!

The time jumps continue to work in the story teller’s favor in “Pocket Savior.” Viewers get to see the rebuild in Boulder alongside the harsh experiences of the plague. We first meet Larry Underwood as he and a group of other survivors make the last leg of the their journey into Colorado. Once they arrive, they are greeted by Stu Redman (James Marsden) and other Free Zone immunes greet them. Thanks to Mother Abagail, they knew Larry would be among the new arrivals.

[Related] ‘The Stand’ Episode 1; To “The End” and Back Again

We then flash backwards to the fall of New York city. Larry is a musician and drug addict who struggles to stay sober while the city falls apart. After losing his mother to Captain Trips, he goes on a binge. He wakes on a park bench to sounds of shouting and gun fire. Clearly the remaining survivors of New York aren’t friendly.

After spending his day walking around he meets Rita Blakemoor (Heather Graham), who storyline was essential to Larry’s transformation in the novel version of The Stand. The story was reworked for the 1994 miniseries which saw Nadine Cross and Larry make their way through the Lincoln tunnel together. Rita is a socialite who is not equipped for this new world, however she and Larry find solace in one another and decide to head out of New York. This time around it’s Rita and Larry heading underground to the sewers to avoid a group of men who offered to pay for a few minutes with Rita.

While I was disappointed initially that we wouldn’t be heading through the Lincoln tunnel. The sewers provided a much closer and claustrophobic experience. After finally walking out of the rotting city, Rita decides this life isn’t for her and overdoses. In the book, its Larry’s feelings about Rita and the suicide that allow him to grow into the leader that Mother Abagail sees, even if Larry doesn’t see it himself.

“Pocket Savior” also introduces us to Randall Flagg’s (Alexander Skarsgård) right hand man Lloyd Henreid played by Nat Wolff. We meet Lloyd as he is escorted into prison after a crime spree with his partner Andrew ‘Poke’ Freeman (Jeremy Jones). After getting Lloyd comfortable in his cell, we flash back to see the carnage that Poke and him caused. Their spree ends with Poke dead from a shoot out with police and Lloyd captured. But when the fall of society happens, Lloyd is left trapped in his cell, starving, until Flagg finds him.

Nat Wolff would not have been my first choice for the character of Lloyd. However, I really enjoyed the energy and grittiness he brought to the character. Wolff was able to have a springing swagger but the type of swagger you only get from someone who rarely makes any choices for themselves. When he first meets Flagg, he is near starvation and doesn’t think he’s real. Although after promising some food, Lloyd pledges his loyalty to him.

Episode two introduces a number of other characters such as Ray Brentner (Irene Bedard), Nick Andros (Henry Zaga), and Amber Heard as Nadine Cross. This series has wonderfully updated a well known story and has cast actors who are able to take these characters to new heights. Even though I know the time jumps don’t work for everyone, I think it keeps the pace of the story moving forward. My biggest complaint is that I have to wait a week in between episodes! 5/5

★★★★★

Episode Two “Pocket Savior” is now streaming on CBS All Access. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for more coverage on The Stand and to stay up to date on all things horror.

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