In Chapter 53, The Free Zone holds its first community wide meeting, Larry makes a choice, and Nadine's fate is sealed.

I also give my thoughts on the May 20th Vanity Fair article about the CBS All Access miniseries and what we can expect from Josh Boone's take on The Stand.

VF: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/05/stephen-kings-the-stand-exclusive-first-look

Mother Abagail receives a message from God, Harold connives to get Stu alone, and Glen finds an unexpected visitor on his front porch.

TCO debuted one year ago today. Thank you to everyone who has joined me on this journey!

Larry meets Harold and he is not quite what Larry expected. The ad hoc committee finally meets to make some important decisions, and Fran finds something disturbing in her journal.

I also give my spoiler-free review of If It Bleeds.

Our characters settle in Boulder and realize they need to start reforming a society before things get out of control. Mother Abagail and Nadine finally come face to face and Harold has plans of his own.

50 miles from Boulder, Lucy and Larry discuss an unraveling Nadine, who continues to feel drawn to her dark bridegroom, Randall Flagg. 

Trashcan Man completes his journey to the promised city, aka Las Vegas, but has quite the adventure on his way, including a run-in with The Kid.

Do you believe that happy crappy?

A gun battle breaks out, leaving behind casualties and new survivors to join Stu and Fran's party. The group decides to head for Colorado, and Harold makes some choices that will have long-term consequences for them all. 

Stu and company deal with a deadly case of appendicitis and King gives us some interesting insight into Harold from the point of view of Fran's personal diary.

In Chapter 45 we finally meet Abagail Freemantle, aka Mother Abagail, and the first of the survivors arrive in Hemingford Home, Nebraska.

"No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side. Or you don't."

Larry Underwood meets three new survivors on his journey, gets some help from Harold Lauder, and discovers that he's not the only one dreaming of an old woman in Nebraska... or the dark man.

Recap of Ch.43: 01:35