First impressions
I just watched the first episode. Its major purpose seems to be introducing Stu, Fran, and Harold. It zips back and forth in time, sometimes dizzyingly. We start with Harold and the burial crew in Boulder. Then it's Harold in Ogunquit, Stu in the plague center, the trio in Boulder, Stu in Arnette, etc. And we meet Mother Abagail in one of Fran's dreams.
I suspect this will make it difficult for a viewer not already familiar with The Stand to follow the action. I've read the book several times and I got confused for a minute, believing I was watching events in Maine rather than Colorado. But it does highlight some changes in the characters.
In Maine, Harold seems little more than a teen who is the class oddball. He does have a thing for Fran, but there's none of the pervo-ickiness vibe he has in the book. This is no Norman Bates in training, just a somewhat unordinary kid. Fran's dislike for him is obvious and strong. She curses at him at one point. But she seems like no great prize. While Harold is crusing town searching for survivors she wallows in self-pity and attempts suicide. By luck Harold finds her and saves her life. Even after this, when Harold tells her of his plan to find a plague center, Fran only grudgingly acknowledges that it's a good idea. I have no doubt that if she had come up with the idea she would have left Harold behind without a second thought. And when they ride out of town together Fran's facial expression implies that she's still thinking, oh Lord, why him?
It looks like under ordinary circumstances, once Harold grew up a little -- say, six months -- his interest in Fran would vanish. But of course the flu hit. And in Boulder it's a quite different picture. When Fran, Stu, and Harold interact it seems like a warm friendship. Fran shows none of the queasy unease she felt about Harold in the book. Harold is well-liked and respected in Boulder. Yet he's putting on an act. He's half crazy. He practices grinning in the mirror in a way that leaves no doubt there's weird shit going on between his ears. He types in his journal of his plans to kill Stu. He privately goes into rages.
I have to say that I rather like this characterization. I've never liked Fran and have always considered her to be rather childish. And I've always thought Harold could have turned out all right had the flu not happened at the worst part of his adolescence. And while I don't particularly care about getting inside Fran's head, I'm left wondering about the change in Harold. If we see more details on that it could be an interesting journey into some kind of hell.
Stu seems a little too good to be true. Too confident, too extroverted. If IMDB is correct Glen is in only one episode, which indicates significant changes from the original story in several ways. Among other things, Glen was Stu's confidante and advisor, a person he felt he could tell his doubts to. This Stu doesn't seem like the sort who has doubts or needs advice.
On another note -- Mother Abagail's appearance in Fran's dream seems more startling than comforting, which makes me wonder what they're going to do with her character.
So, I dunno. I'm a little more optimistic than I was before. We'll see.