By Ashia Simms
Let me just start by saying that I am a huge Stephen King fan. He’s one of my favorite authors. I also really liked the movie version of The Mist. What that being said, I’m open to any creative license they take with the new television series. I’m interested in seeing how the story is going to play out over the course of multiple episodes. So, let’s get into the first episode of The Mist.
I was concerned that Bryan would be the first casualty of The Mist, but then I remembered that the black person being the first to die in horror scenarios is something producers, directors and editors work not to have happen. So…the dog died, which is still a tragedy.
And now we meet the idealistic, young teacher whose maverick ways gets her put on administrative leave. Mavericks don’t win in conservative small towns, especially when they teach the kids about sex. But then we meet the local “freak” who happens to be the best friend of the maverick’s daughter. Only, he’s not a freak. He’s just a kid expressing himself in a small town where anyone who doesn’t fit the status quo is considered a “freak.” So we’re leading with some pretty one dimensional characters. I hope they develop more dimensions.
I’m glad to see that Bryan didn’t die, but I was a bit annoyed that he seemed wholly unable to articulate himself once he arrived at the police station. But that was in line with how things go in the small town world of Stephen King. People do terrible jobs of communicating their thoughts in his books. But I do hope that police officers being unnecessarily violent towards black people doesn’t become a trope. It speaks to a larger, societal issue that shouldn’t become simply a tool to move a plot along.
Oh no. I was hoping nothing bad happened to Alex at the party. Unfortunately, a very bad thing happened. Even more unfortunately, it’s another common trope in teen movies. The popular, clean-cut golden boy is accused of raping a less popular girl at a party. The town turns against the girl, and the slut-shaming begins. *sigh*
I am taking note of the aggressive bugs and animals. It’s appropriately creepy.
This sketchy woman is intriguing. I can’t help but wonder why she didn’t take the bag filled with money when she ran. I think she could have grabbed it. But she got caught anyway so maybe it’s good she wasn’t carrying a ton of cash and whatever else was in that bag.
Man… I see that these police officers are just overly aggressive in general.
I see that there’s a deeper story with the mom, Eve, too. I hope that story is going to be told over the course of the season. I don’t think she should blame her husband for their daughter getting raped, but I can see how she would.
I am glad to see that The Mist is rolling in right away and starting to wreak havoc. No need to drag it out over several episodes. I do wish we’d gotten more time to get to know the characters. So far, I only sort of care about the ones I’ve identified as main characters. I’m hoping to begin to care more in the next episode. I do feel bad for the first police officer to die in The Mist. He seemed much less aggressive and cowboy-like than the other police officers.
It is sad what happened to Mr. Raven. I see that this Mist is more nuanced than the one in the movie. It’s not just giant bugs, but something else. It’s something that causes bugs to attack and people to kill other people. Nice.
While I’m not sure if I like Eve, I do love that she put that judgmental lady in her place. The petty in me kind of appreciated that she went out into The Mist and didn’t make it back inside. Or she made it back to the door but was missing her face.
So far so good with the first episode of The Mist. I got my Stephen King nuances along with a good start to the story. I’m intrigued and ready to see how it’s going to play out.
Ashia R. Sims is a Digital Strategist by trade, storyteller, and technology enthusiast by design. She combined her experience in television/film production, public relations and copywriting into a career in digital strategy/content marketing consulting. Now she spends her days consulting with clients on how to monetize their content and teaching digital marketing courses online and in person. She represents one of the early generations of kids to grow up sitting in front of a computer and enjoys tech talk about the newest smartphone, the coolest app, the latest in data analytics and other digital news.