Glen Bateman: Show me a man or woman alone and I'll show you a saint. Give me two, and they'll fall in love. Give me three, they'll create a charming little thing called "society".
Tropes:
- Adaptation Deviation: Drogan dies in the novel in Las Vegas, but here he dies in Boulder after delivering Flagg's message to Abigail and the others.
- Badass Boast: Flagg, speaking through Drogan, has one:Flagg: I have your blood in my fists, Old Mother. Pray your god takes you before you hear my boots on your steps. I'm going to blow your house down!
- Bait-and-Switch: A flashback shows Fran and Harold pulling over to refuel their motorbikes. Harold excuses himself and goes around the back to pee. While he's doing that, a camera angle from inside the outbuilding rushes towards him as if he's being ambushed... but it's just Stu, who decided to introduce himself when Harold's not holding a rifle.Stu: Well, that's one good thing about the end of the world. We can piss wherever we want, right?
- Black Eyes of Evil: The messenger Flagg sends to Boulder gains these when Flagg possesses him to deliver a warning to Mother Abigail.
- Body Horror: The crucifixion wounds shown on Flagg's messenger are pretty gory.
- Call-Back:
- During a disagreement, Harold reminds Frannie that he saved her life.
- Stu and Glen the animals that were hit as hard as humans by the plague:
Stu: Dogs... horses... [Rueful look] guinea pigs... - Demonic Possession: The crucified man sent by Flagg as a message for Mother Abigail is possessed by Flagg to deliver his evil taunting. He doesn't make it.
- Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Nick literally does this to Flagg in a dream after rejecting Flagg's offer to join him.
- Eye Scream: Nick loses an eye after being punched in the face with a fraternity ring during a bar brawl.
- Gender Flip: In the book, Ralph Brentner is male. In the miniseries, "he" becomes Ray Brentner, a woman. Judge Harris is a man in the book, but a woman in the miniseries (she's the one seated next to Larry as he drives into Boulder).
- Green-Eyed Monster: When Frannie points out that Harold can't exactly complain about people tracking them down when he's the one who sprayed their names and destination everywhere. Harold's face pretty much screams that he was hoping for people who don't look like James Marsden.
- I Owe You My Life: Variation. When Frannie doesn't want to leave Stu because he's the first person they've met, Harold puts his foot down, reminding her that he's the one who "saved your life in Ogunquit!"
- Language Barrier: After being beaten and losing an eye, Nick wakes up in the hospital post-pandemic and is met by Tom, a friendly man who is developmentally-disabled. Since Nick can't hear or talk and Tom can't read (or pick up on social cues very well), their communication is rather limited until they find other company.
- Ouija Board: In a flashback, Nadine receives her first message from Flagg via a Ouiji board as a child.
- Motor Mouth: Former sociology professor Glen Bateman has plenty to say.Glen: You don't talk much, do you?
Stu: I don't think that'll be a problem. - Race Lift:
- Ralph Brenter is white in the book; in the miniseries, his gender-flipped version Ray Brenter is played by the Native American Irene Bedard.
- Nick Andros is white in the book; in the miniseries Nick is Hispanic (his mother is from El Salvador).
- Shout-Out:
- In the messenger's flashback, he's shown kneeling before Flagg on carpet exactly like that of the Overlook Hotel.
- Stephen King appears on the poster for Hemmingford Home.
- Wham Shot: A couple occur in quick succession after Stu finds Glen's paintings. First he finds one of Mother Abigail, which shows they're having the same dream. The next shows Fran, who Stu just met the other day, and she's pregnant.
- What You Are in the Dark: Nick cares for his attacker, who punched out his eye, in hospital because there's no one else left.
