I have been slacking for over 2 weeks to get back to finishing this mini-series. I have so much to say that writing this can overwhelm me at times. It’s simply who I am. I just had 2 slices of reheated double cheese and double pepperoni pizza and I have a Drake’s coffee cake and Twizzlers on standby if I need them. I wish I had more leftover Easter candy. I am not sure if my memory serves me correctly, but this is probably the happiest part of the mini-series. Let’s get this thing rolling. I have a lot to get accomplished today.
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 2 of Mini-series
I’m already working on a Twizzler. We start off at Frannie’s home. She’s singing “Amazing Grace” and we see a hole dug up. It is June 29th. I hate to dwell on this, but her acting takes away from what is an important scene. She is sewing up a body bag for her daddy. Harold shows up and sees Frannie dragging the body down the stairs and he helps her because he’s a good dude.I really like Frannie’s shirt and only wish I had one in my large size. They bury him in the garden. She gives him some warm lemonade and it’s now night time. Harold is reveling in how he would like all the people that mistreated him to come back to life. He says that it has to mean something that him and Frannie both survived this. Harold suggests that they go to Stovington, Vermont because there’s a disease center there. Harold stops short of asking her to be his girlfriend and she shuts that shit down. She gets a record player and plays”Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House. I have long hated that song for this scene. As I have gotten older, I still absolutely hate this song and scene. We get this montage of all the death and how empty places are, etc.
Here we go, we’re with Larry now. It’s June 30th and we’re in Central Park. I believe this is where there’s a big deviation from the story but I’m here to focus on this particular adaptation. Awww, he sees a dead Kareem with his hand still up holding the bell. Larry is screaming for anybody and there is Nadine. She has a gun pointed at him and asks him if he’s dangerous, and he says that he doesn’t know. Seriously, dude, do you have a death wish? Maybe you assure her that you are harmless. Dumbass. They go to a restaurant and Larry makes them both a steak and they have wine, and then there’s a gunshot. Larry wants to get out of there because the smell of all dead people in NYC in the July sun. Nadine is trying to take some pills and she claims it’s vitamin C. I believe her. Larry wants to head west to Nebraska because of his dreams. Nadine is doubting Larry’s dreams, but we see that she has had dreams about her with the handsome man in denim. She acts all pissy, then he tries to kiss her. She wants to leave now.
At the Arizona Maximum Security Holding Facility, better known to me as the AMSHF, obviously, on June 30th, we hear Lloyd begging to be let out of his cell. All the other prisoners are dead. Lloyd fears starving to death. He lefts up a mattress to show a dead rat that Lloyd has just in case. I loved this part of the book. I thought his whole time in prison was great.
We now see a crazy man running in Powtanville Hills, Indiana, still on June 30th. This crazy man is known as Trashcan Man, played by the great Matt Frewer. I thought I loved this character in the mini-series, but the book really paints a better picture of his character and is a big reason I recommend it. He’s singing “Baby Can You Dig Your Man”. He’s just this crazy guy in goggles and he finds this big plant or factory and starts running to it saying “bumpty bumpty”. He climbs to the top and wants to blow up the one building. We hear voices from his past with kids making fun of him for all the various things he did in the past. Trash is a troubled man. He hears from Randall telling him that all those people are gone and can no longer hurt him. He says “My life for you” which is a favorite saying of mine. Trash has set the timer and is running away down the stairs and falling. The explosions go off. It is Cheery Oil where he is. Randall’s voice tells Trash that he will place him high on his counsel so he can set things to burn, and there’s the crow.
At Hemingford Home on June 30th, Mother Abigail just came out of the outhouse and talks about how the prunes did the trick. Then she talks about a plague and then she sees rats among her corn. She knows that some will be coming to her and some will be going to him. She’s not a fan of doing the Lord’s will at this point in her lifetime. She has this talk about the Lord and starts singing, then she sees Randall in her cornfield. She claims not to be afraid, but he knows that she’s scurred. He makes her hands bleed while she plays the guitar and Randall gets such a big laugh out of it in the cheesiest way possible. This makes her get the courage to tell God to bring on the people.
Back at the prison, Randall meets Lloyd. Lloyd asks him to let him out of his cell. Randall has some laughs at Lloyd’s expense. Randall asks Lloyd how he’s survived and he knows about the rat. Lloyd says that Poke should be there and not him. Randall turns a black rock into a cell key. Now, that rock is important because they also appear in Storm of the Century, used by the main bad guy in that story, Andre Linoge. I don’t know if it is confirmed that Linoge and Flagg are the same entity, but I think it is a safe assumption that they are damn close. Randall introduces himself with the classic line “Pleased to meet you., Lloyd Hope you guess my name.” Of course, that is from The Rolling Stones “Sympathy For The Devil” which was the remade by Guns and Roses and is in Interview with the Vampire. And this is why it takes me so long to write these damn blogs. Flagg wants to make Lloyd his foreman and also get him a cheeseburger and fries. He asks Lloyd if anybody had ever offered him that kind of responsibility in his life. He asks if Lloyd would want to get back at the people that left him there to die. Flagg says that he’s going to put Lloyd ahead of Trashcan man. Lloyd promises his loyalty and Randall unlocks the cell door. Randall then turns the key back to the rock and like shocks Lloyd.
It’s July 1st and Larry and Nadine are at the opening of the Lincoln Tunnel but Nadine says that she can’t do it. Larry assures her it will be okay. Here’s the thing. I’d be absolutely fucking terrified to go into the tunnels. If your light source goes out, you are so fucking fucked. Larry is all kinds of pissed because they are 60 blocks away from the George Washington bridge. Larry throws away Nadine’s pills because he doesn’t want to see her kill herself. This is a nod to Rita Blakemoor in the book. Rita’s character kinda gets absorbed by Nadine’s character. Rita dies from taking too many pills. So there you have it. Nadine is pissed and going to the bridge…by herself. Larry blows her off and tells her to have fun getting raped and murdered. Larry’s a swell guy. Then he regrets shit and apologizes. She won’t return and there are too many gunshots so Larry says screw it, he’s going in. Who are all the people with guns and how did they find so many others to have gunfights with?
Larry ventures into the tunnel and maneuvering around the bodies and vehicles. I seriously wouldn’t have been able to do this. He keeps hearing sounds and of course checks out all the dead bodies. He hears his name, and he gets scared and drops his flashlight. Now all he has is his lighter…which he promptly drops. There is a lot of red lighting at least from the cars. Now he hears noises behind him. He starts shooting and blows his load. It’s Nadine and she asks him to stop shooting. Now he is capable of running without a problem. Larry came close to shooting her in the face. They make up and exit the tunnel. That journey alone could have been another 5 minutes and cut out the bullshit with Frannie and Harold from earlier. They see a sign for New Jersey and Larry is ecstatic.
In Attleboro, Massachusetts, we meet an old guy, Glen Bateman who is painting and singing “Baby Can You Dig Your Man” and Stu comes up behind and startles him. Stu is packing a big ass gun. Oh yeah, Glen has a dog named Kojak. The superflu took most of the dogs too. Stu and Glen hit it off really nicely.
On July 2nd in Pipersville, Pennsylvania we see a tent. Inside that tent are 2 half nude bodies of Larry and Nadine making out. Nadine doesn’t wanna fuck, Larry does. I mean, they’re gonna be all grubby and sweaty. Larry makes his plea. Nadine shuts that shit down. She wants Larry too, but she needs more time. it’s due to the dreams. Larry thinks that Nadine has the same dreams as him and she tries to be nice about it. She’s very pretty here, the light highlights her eyes. They kiss and Larry is now dreaming in the cornfield and hearing Abigail singing. He says Hemingford Home or Boulder. Nadine is dreaming and says that Larry is warm, not Randall who is shirtless and holds her by a fire, but has a demon face thing going on. It’s a good look. He’s clearly been hitting the gym mid-pandemic. I should do the same. He tells her that she is the promised one. He tells her to block out the old woman dreams, that they will get married when they meet, and that she is to leave Larry tonight. She says that she can handle Larry and Randall imposes his will. She wakes up and she bails, as expected. She left Larry a note. She explains that had she stayed there, they would have ended up sleeping together and she can’t have that. She thanks him for his time. Larry is pissed.
In May, Oklahoma on July 4th, we see a town which is brightly decorated, lots of mannequins on the street. The Walking Dead actually stole a bit for their introduction to Princess, but maybe it was more of an homage. There’s Nick riding his bike on the sidewalk. She’s just checking out how odd things are. Suddenly Tom Cullen is standing there in Nick’s way and scares him and he falls off of his bike. People from my generation knew Tom as the guy who played Dauber on Coach and the next generation knows him as Patrick on Spongebob. Very talented actor. Tom has what we know would say is a learning disability, but back then, they just would have called him retarded. He’s a big friendly oaf of a man in overalls.
Tom is the one who decorated the area. “M-O-O-N, that spells hobby,” says Tom. As you will learn, M-O-O-N spells a lot of things in Tom’s mind. This is the point where Nick is made fully aware of Tom’s mental faculties. Tom is now aware that Nick can’t speak or hear and Nick discovers that Tom can’t read. They make an awesome pair, probably my favorite pairing in the story. Tom made it to the third grade in school, and he can read some Curious George, so there’s that. “M-O-O-N, that spells deaf and dumb.” Thank you, Tom Cullen, for existing in my life. Laws, yes. “M-O-O-N spells X.” Tom tells Nick about how his mom died. Tom doesn’t want to stay there anymore and Nick seems to oblige that they can leave together. Neither of them knows how to drive a car sooooo they’re gonna go via bikes. Tom knows about the old black lady with the guitar. Tom is also afraid of the guy who can turn into a crow and has buttons on his jacket. “M-O-O-N, that spells ready. M-O-O-N, that spells Nebraska!!”
A shirtless Stu is approaching Mother Abigail in his dream. He asks who she is. She tells him that is he misses her at Hemingford Home to meet her in Boulder. He gets chased off by rats and ends up in the facility where he was in Vermont, I think. He gets a warning from a scary dead guy on the floor and then Flagg gets him his face.
Stu talks to Glenn about going to Nebraska and he’s down with it, as long as they can bring Kojak. Glenn knows the name of Flagg and says that he’s crucifying anybody who gets in his way. Glenn clearly has his shit together. They then hear 2 motorcycles, and there’s Frannie and Harold. Man, I was just getting into that scene. Harold is skeptical of Stu and Glenn. Harold is dressed awesomely. Glenn asks where they are heading and Frannie says Nebraska and Harold says Vermont. Well, Stu lets Harold know about Stovington. Harold blows off the dreams as an aberration Harold doesn’t want to go with them. Stu pulls Harold aside. He tells Harold that he’s not cutting in on his girl, and Harold still doesn’t seem trusting. Stu gets everybody a beer. Harold still wants to go to Stovington. Stue agrees.
July 7th, they are in Stovington. Harold walks out of there and starts puking. Stu openly mocks Harold.
Pratt, Kansas on July 8th, Tom has a very upset stomach from eating a bunch of apples. Nick goes to the drugstore to get some Pepto. Inside, we see a lady, Julie Lawry, played by the great Shawnee Smith. Yes, I had a crush on her when I saw her. This should have been the first sign that I would go on in life to have a thing for crazy, psychotic bitches. If only I knew better. Nick is happy to see her and she is super excited. She asks him to say something if he is real. She laughs at the idea that the first person to show up is a deaf-mute. She then learns that Tom is mildly retarded and she feels like she has hit the lottery. She reaches in his pocket to check out his “big gun” and they get real friendly. She wants to be held and Nick wants to get Tom the Pepto. Man, that is a tough situation. Nick goes to step outside and she says that Tom can wait because he’s a retard, so she kicks Nick in the ass. She is also rocking the Peg Bundy oversized belt. Tom is afraid of the Pepto. Julie is telling him that it’s poison behind Nick’s back. She’s having a great time. She mocks Nick and so he slaps her and throws her to the ground. Nick won that round. This is kinda funny for all of the wrong reasons. She really worked well with them. One of my favorite scenes. Laws, yes. Nick should’ve at least tolerated the crazy and got a piece of ass or a BJ. Every guy watching this has to be thinking the same thing. Then we hear gunshots. She’s on the second floor of a building screaming and shooting at them. God, I love her.
50 miles west of Pratt on July 9th is where we are now. Them boys got away unscathed. They stop for a drink of water and see a truck on the horizon approaching them. Tom is worried that it is Julie, but she would be approaching from the other direction. Nick tells him that this person could be nice. Here we meet Ralph Brentner in his beat-up Chevrolet truck. Tom introduces himself and Nick writes a note to Ralph introducing himself. Ralph lets Tom know that his friend’s name is Nick. Ralph even gets an” M-O-O-N” joke in there.
On July 11 near Des Moines, Iowa, Larry is singing “Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire which is an underappreciated classic. Go ahead and tell me that the song isn’t still relevant today.
Behind Larry, we see Lucy and Joe. Joe is a very scared and aggressive kid. Lucy is quite pretty. I really like her character. She found Joe in a supermarket and she thought that he was feral. Lucy saw the explosions that Trashcan Man set off. Larry wonders who would burn a whole city down.
Cut to the Utah Badlands and see Trash wandering a road and still getting messages from Randall. There’s a crow keeping watch. Trash is all kinds of sunburned.
At Hemingford Home, Mother is making a huge feast with some nice fried chicken. I want fried chicken. The first to show up is Ralph, Nick, and Tom. They also brought Susan, who is played by the director’s wife, and some dude and a little girl, Gina. Abigail is super happy. She takes special notice of Nick. Gina asks Mother if she’s the oldest woman alive and Abigail tells her “Mayhaps so”. I still use the term “mayhaps” and it’s all because of Mother Abigail. I’m pretty sure it’s just myself and a bunch of elderly black ladies that still use that term, but I’m cool with that. Mother asks how they knew to find her in the first place. Ralph reveals that they had dreams about her and the other fella. Mother says that they will be like a snowball picking up people as they roll west. She warns them of the work ahead. Nick wonders if the dark man is real or a boogeyman. “God don’t explain his wills to the likes of Abby Freemantle.”Nick then says that he doesn’t believe in God and Abby just breaks out laughing and says that God believes in him. Nick leaves a sign for everyone that they are moving to Boulder. Nick with his shirt off is some nice eye candy for the ladies and dudes who are into dudes, I suspect. I love that Abby is talking to Nick, telling him the story about her family and he is barely looking at her lips. She’s sad about leaving her family’s home. They got her a nice chair in the back of Ralph’s pick up and time to leave.
On July 16th in Las Vegas, we see the lights are still on in Vegas. It looks great, minus the dead bodies. Trash shows up looking hellish thanks to the sunburns. I’m also digging the cheesy music. Trash ends up in a small pool and keeps saying Cibola, which is one of the cities of gold from what I have read. Trash is smart. Trash enters a casino trying to find somebody. He lays down on a poker table. Lloyd, Barry, and 2 other guys see this. Lloyd tells them to let him sleep because Flagg wants him. Barry is a douche. Flagg’s got something special in mind for Trash.
On July 17th in Boulder, Abby is excited to be there. As they are on the side of the road, Gina sees about 15 bikes and like 20 cars all coming their way. M-O-O-N spells parade.
End Part 2
As I said in the beginning, this is the happiest part for me. You get the great scenes with Nick, Tom, and Julie, and then Ralph. I liked most of the Mother Abigail stuff. We meet Trashcan Man who is an all-time favorite character for me. Lloyd got rescued and found a purpose and I can’t help but empathize with his character a bit. Also, Joe trying to attack Larry was fantastic. Lots of happy moments in this one. On top of all that, we get the Lincoln Tunnel scene, which I would have done more, but that is nitpicking.
On the other hand, we didn’t get much Stu. I love Glenn, but he got very little time to shine We had to deal with that awful opening 10 minutes or so with Fran and Harold. I would also say that the Larry and Nadine stuff could have been better, in my opinion. Once again, nitpicks, but some of the stuff was bland to me. Overall, still good. There’s plenty more to come. I think I will be more nitpicky starting with Part 3 though.
All the pictures used in this blog are for review purposes. They are the property of:
Please go find a copy and support the creators.