
King has been open in the past about his difficulties writing The Stand, the novel still considered by many fans (myself included) to be his finest work.

**SPOILER WARNING! There are spoilers for The Stand Episode 9, "The Circle Closes," below.** Now the series finale, and King's new ending, has arrived, and with it comes a poignant answer to one of the biggest lingering question in the author's massive body of work. For longtime Stephen King fans, though, the most tantalizing thing about the miniseries was a new contribution from King himself: A much-hyped "coda" scene that would offer some new sense of resolution to the epic tale of light versus darkness at the end of the world.

There were a lot of reasons to look forward to the sprawling new adaptation of The Stand on CBS All Access when it launched last year, from its all-star cast to the possibility that it would offer hope in a dark time with its tale of pandemic survivors banding together to vanquish evil.
