What to Watch: Castle Rock

by Mike "We all float down here" Lunsford

Stephen King is one of my favorite writers of all time. 11/22/63, The Shining, and Doctor Sleep are 3 of the best books I’ve ever read. When it was announced that there would be a new Hulu series that was based on the characters and settings of the often-crossing-over Stephen King universe, I was all in.

Castle Rock is the brainchild of Sam Shaw (Manhattan) and writer Dustin Thomason (The Rule of Four) with JJ Abrams and Stephen King himself as executive producers. It is set in the King-verse town of Castle Rock, Maine: home to Shawshank Penitentiary. We are introduced to Henry Deaver (André Holland Moonlight, Wrinkle in Time), a death-row attorney living in Houston. He is originally from Castle Rock and is called home for a strange case.

Upon inspection of a long-abandoned wing of the aforementioned prison, a corrections officer happens upon a young man in an underground cage, completely unaccounted and lacking any prison records. When asked his name he only says “Henry Deaver.” We come to find out that this young man was locked in the bowels of the prison by the former Warden of the prison, Dale Lacy (Terry O’Quinn Lost). The mystery man is referred to as “the Kid.” (Bill Skarsgård, Divergent, It)

After the Kid’s release, strange things begin happening in Castle Rock. People act strangely when they interact with the Kid, animals are out of sorts, the environment itself seems to be changing. We begin to learn more about Henry’s childhood, the town’s past, what’s in the woods to the east of Castle Lake and some more backstory for the other important figures in this story. You find yourself trying to note every detail so that you can unravel the mystery of who this “Kid” is, how and why he was locked in a dungeon-like room at Shawshank, and what his past has to do with everyone else in the seemingly cursed town of Castle Rock.

There are fantastic performances from Stephen King alum Sissy Spacek, who plays Henry’s mother Ruth Deaver, Scott Glenn who plays retired Sheriff Alan Pangborn, and Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men) as Henry’s childhood BFF Molly Strand and Jane Levy (Don’t Breathe) who plays Molly’s friend Jackie. On top of that, Bill Skarsgård has a way of being creepy doing very little. Every scene he is in for the duration of the series makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck.

Do you want more details? Watch the show. I normally don’t do this sort of vagary, but Castle Rock is so good that I refuse to give any more plot points. Do you have any idea how difficult that is? I loved this show! And if you’ve been reading/listening to me for any extended period of time, you know I can’t shut up. I might be cool and give it a little bit of time so people can catch up. Or I’ll do it on the podcast and gush about this show. I do what I want. Anyway…

The creative team of Shaw and Thomason do a masterful job of drawing you into a world that captures the King-verse vibe. So many people who are unfamiliar with Stephen King’s work think all he does is horror. He writes so much more than that. Shaw and Thomason manage to blend creepy, unsettling, trippy, at-times-hilarious moments and you end each episode wanting more.

You need to watch all 10 episodes. It is true to Stephen King’s legacy as the series is incredibly captivating and well crafted. I rarely go back and watch a series immediately after finishing, but I will with Castle Rock. It’s that good. And if you’re a Stephen King fan like I am, you will thoroughly enjoy the Easter eggs that each episode is chock full of.

5 out of 5 rabid St. Bernards, evil dancing clowns, posters of Rita Hayworth, banged-up James Caans or whatever King references you can think of. It is a must watch.

“Just watch Castle Rock. You don’t want to know what Annie will do to me if you miss it.”

Coming up next on my “What to Watch” series is Iron Fist Season 2. Or, it might be Jessica Jones Season 1. Consider it a surprise as to what’s next.