The final episode of Stephen King’s miniseries initially aired on 18 February, 1999. After lots of set up, we race towards the reveal of what Andre Linoge (Colm Feore) wants. Angela (Torri Higginson) is returned, her hair turned white from what she’s seen, and she relates a terrifying experience, and passes on the message to acquiesce to Linoge’s demand.

But before that happens Michael Anderson (Tim Daly) and the rest of the town watch in terror as the town’s children first fall under Linoge’s control (I’m a little teapot), and then collapse lifelessly to the floor.

While the storm rages around the island town of Little Tall, personal storms come to a dizzying height as Linoge announces that he will present his demands (Give me what I want, and I’ll go away).

As the town gathers, Linoge confronts more of them with the dark secrets that they harbor, but Anderson fights to remind them that they are more than their secrets. They are who they are, secrets and all.

And it’s right about then that Linoge reveals why he has come. He wants an heir. He’s lived for thousands of years and will live for thousands more, but wants to pass on his knowledge, guide his replacement.

He wants one of the town’s children. One life for all of theirs.

It’s a brutal decision, and the debate rages over what can be done. Linoge offers them a draw, using weirding stones. Seven stones for seven parents. Michael Anderson refuses, and demands that everyone reject Linoge, but if they do, the entire town will suffer, disappear, and die.

One child.

That’s all he wants.

So the town agrees, seven parents are selected, including Anderson’s wife, Molly (Debrah Farentino), each one will pull a stone from the bag. There are six white, one black.

And as Anderson pleads for everyone to refuse, to not give up their children, the town votes for the chance of survival of all, and are willing to give up one.

It comes as no surprise who is chosen.

It’s brutal, and the results ripple down through the rest of the story, its epilogue, as we see that the town survives, but the cost is higher than they imagine. It ruins and ends lives.

And Linoge goes on.

I really enjoyed revisiting this. It still works amazingly well, the story is solid, and honestly, if it had anything other than a downer ending it would have felt like a cheat. Sure, some of the effects are fantastic, but they work in service to the series, and one can forgive it.

This means, of course, that I may have to revisit some of King’s other miniseries. Or at least The Stand.