[KING'S CORNER] The End of the Whole Mess (2006)

The End of the Whole Mess (Nightmares & Dreamscapes) - King's Corner Review

Welcome to King's Corner. A recurring series of reviews based on the film and TV adaptations of Stephen King's novels and collections, reviewed and released in order of the original source material publishing date.

Director: Mikael Salomon

Starring: Ron Livingstone, Henry Thomas, Andy Anderson, Rebecca Gibney

Written by: Lawrence D. Cohen

Produced by: Jeffrey M. Hayes, John McMahon

Cinematography by: Ben Nott

Original Score by: Jeff Beal

Synopsis:

The world had changed. Violence, war and hatred have been eliminated and replaced with kindness, peace and love. But at what price?

Thoughts:

The apocalypse has been very kind to the work of Stephen King. 'Cell' is all about one man's journey through a pseudo zombie apocalypse caused by a phone signal and 'The Dark Tower' contains apocalyptic elements as the Ka-tet embark on their epic journey to the titular structure. His most well known apocalyptic story is his Magnum Opus, 'The Stand' which is about a battle between good and evil in the aftermath of a deadly pandemic. He even has an unofficial prequel to this epic tale in the form of the short story, 'Night Surf'. One that takes a different approach to this scenario is the short story, 'The End of the Whole Mess'. 

Originally published in Omni Magazine in 1986 before being released as part of the 'Nightmares and Dreamscapes' short story collection in 1993 the story takes the form of a personal journal from Howard Fornoy in the final hours of his life. In it he summarises his life and how it led to his brother Robert dooming humanity in his search for a cure to aggression and the violent inclinations of human beings. Whilst King has never really referred to any specific sources of inspiration for the story, it is hard to look past the likes of 'Flowers for Algernon' as there are quite a few parallels between the two stories and how they both end. 

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The story was adapted as part of the TNT series 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King' in 2006. The series took eight different short stories of King's work and adapted them into 45 minute episodes. 'The End of the Whole Mess' was the fourth episode in the series. It was directed by veteran television director Mikael Salomon who also directed the 2004 version of 'Salem's Lot' and 'Big Driver'. It was written by Lawrence D. Cohen had previously written the scripts for 'Carrie', the first episode of 'IT' and 'The Tommyknockers' miniseries so there was a fair pedigree behind the episode. 

In a clever move from the source material the episode makes Howard (Ron Livingston) an award winning documentary filmmaker instead of a writer. We are told the story in what will be the final hour of his life as he speaks directly into the camera. Whilst he does this he charts his family's history and how it has all led to this apocalyptic event, supplementing his story with home movie footage alongside inserts and cutaways akin to what you would get in a documentary from the History Channel around the early 2000's. Whilst it may look dated now in the era of the Netflix documentary it is a nice touch in how it delivers the story in an unconventional manner but one that is true to who the character is. An observer who doesn't interfere when they should. 

In the episode Robert (Henry Thomas) is constantly distraught at the violent inclinations of human beings. The source material states is the culmination of so many different incidents that leads him down the road of finding a cure (it is interesting to note how it was released around the same time as the siege in Waco) but in this episode it is watching the events of 9/11 play out on television alongside his family that acts like a catalyst for his quest to find a cure. Given how this was made just five years after the infamous event some critics felt that its inclusion was in poor taste. For me it makes sense from a storytelling perspective in how this bright young man has so many ideas floating around his head to try and make the world a better place that this one event which dominated the news for months afterwards is the boot up the ass that encourages him to make a change. 

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In the lead role Ron Livingston delivers a morose performance that drives home the weight of the cataclysmic actions of his brother that he initially supported. He carries a natural scepticism throughout and there is an air of him willing to say "I told you so" when he eventually agrees to help him. You can see traces of resentment in Livingston's performance towards his brother despite being a success in his own right. It also shines through when it isn't on the page. Opposite him (King veteran) Henry Thomas carries a sense of optimism in his performance that he can improve the world but there is an air of self righteousness that he brings to the character that proves to be his ultimate downfall and Thomas is the linchpin in exploring the tragedy behind the infallibility of his character. The chemistry he demonstrates opposite Livingston is what helps ground the more fantastical elements of the episode. 

In the story Robert exhausts a number of scientific methods to discover that the "cure" he is looking for can be found in the water of the Texan town of La Plata. After going through a convoluted explanation of how a concentrated dose of it can be dropped into a volcano on the verge of erupting in order to spread the cure around the world he carries out his plan. Initially it is a success as the world becomes a better place for three years before taking a turn for the worse. Since it has contaminated the world's water supply it means that everyone on the planet will become so docile they exhibit symptoms usually found in dementia or Alzheimer's patients inferring that the human race will be wiped out by their inability to look after itself. 

This leads to a rather sombre end to the episode as we are offered glimpses of the effect of this but the great thing Salomon's take on the film is how he never loses sight of how this is a personal story about the relationship of two brothers at the end of the world. Knowing that this is the end Robert and Howard consume concentrated forms of La Plata water killing themselves. It results in a haunting ending as Robert stares vacantly in the air, mumbling to his brother that he doesn't blame him and that he loves him before he loses the ability to speak. 

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On the surface this adaptation of 'The End of the Whole Mess' is a well acted episode of television with some workmanlike direction and a script that makes some intriguing additions to the source material in terms of how it is presented and the impact that the changes make. Whilst it captures the tragic elements of King's story it fails to nail the cynical side of it too as his story infers that no matter what humanity tries in bettering ourselves there is a sense that we are doomed through our own arrogance as the world doesn't end with a bang but a whimper for help. 

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Joseph McElroy