CASTLE ROCK “Filter” (S1E6): More Buildup Than Payoff

What the hell is going on?

That was my initial reaction of episode six of Castle Rock, “Filter” when the credits began to roll. Let me clarify – I’m all for the wonderfully weird, but this entry seemed to lose some of the spark it had created in the previous weeks by concentrating too hard on the sizzle. I feel like Filter swallowed me up and spit me back out again – I’m dizzy, but still, ultimately intrigued.

Yet, with another episode in the books, and with a spine-tingly cliffhanger, I can let the misgivings lie. For now.

A Suit, A Confession And A Mobile Home

The Kid, continuing his silent embodiment of malevolence, speaks up a bit more this time around. I won’t spoil his verbiage (and it is still short) but we get the idea that he’s more aware of things than we might have previously thought.

If anything, The Kid is even more unsettling in Filter. Right away, when spotted by Ruth Deaver (Sissy Spacek) wearing her dead husband’s suit, whom she muses that she thought he was buried in, he’s discomforting.

While Alan (Scott Glenn) is off on The Kid’s scavenger hunt (is this an intentional trick to get him away?), there’s a fantastic scene between Ruth and Henry’s son. She’s showing off her chess set that Alan bought her, and she discusses how time is different for her now, and that they’ve already had this conversation before.

What does this mean?

Interest piqued, undoubtedly, and we also get a wonderful monologue explaining the bread crumbs, a coping mechanism, that she leaves for herself, and it is executed to perfection by Spacek.

Speaking of Henry (André Holland), his return home is not going well, and as things become more complicated for him, Holland continues to play the entire spectrum of emotions. He’s consistently the “non-believer” struggling to separate the logical from what’s all around him as it becomes harder to deny. Henry is our guide in Castle Rock, but he’s also scouring new territory, uncertain of what’s coming next. Holland acutely brings his apprehension and deep contemplation to life.

His son Wendell (Chosen Jacobs who you might recognize as Mike from the new IT) is visiting, though he seems to spend most of his time – like much of the youth now – nose deep in his phone.

Henry also has a conversation with Molly (Melanie Lynskey) and she decides this is a good time to divulge her biggest secret. If you’ve been watching you know what this is, so I won’t paint the spoiler in red…rum. This doesn’t go as planned, though, what was the intended response?

He sends The Kid to Juniper Hill Psychiatric Hospital, but of course, it doesn’t stick. Later we find out there was a fire and some residents were killed, but all we witness is a bird dropping dead from the sky as he enters. An omen? I think yes.

What Happened Then & What Happens Next?

These two bookends of intrigue have kept Castle Rock fans nicely boxed in for six episodes now. With its final moment, I believe we’ll be finally getting some answers next week.

The past has its due in Filter as Henry is, once again, plagued by his father’s memory, and of his disappearance 27 years ago. Yes, that tricky little number again. Conspirators are already considering its meaning, and the potential for a direct connection to It. Seems like it would be a bit too on the nose, don’t you think? I have no doubt it was an intentional decision by the creators, but I’m not sure it goes further than that.

After the Kid finds some home videos, which he just helps himself to, Henry begins down memory lane, and it isn’t a place you’d want to go. It’s full of dark, seemingly-endless forests, bothersome beeping noises, and two strangers who seem to believe they know what’s best. What was his father doing with him as a child?

Enter Odin Branch (CJ Jones) and his interpreter Willie (Rory Culkin) and their soundproofed camper making it easier to listen to the “Schisma.” Branch knew Henry’s father, they shared certain interests, and this scientist came up with a way to hear the “voice of god.” Many of King‘s work flits through my mind as we hear about it, but what exactly this means or will mean is yet another puzzle. Henry decides to take a leap of faith and enter the camper, just as we see Alan return home to a troubling sight.

One distinguishing detail about Castle Rock that I have appreciated, and thus made it superior to some other shows, is its ability to have a strong presence without shoving horror in your face. For me, the slow and sneaky evil is much creepier, especially when blended into a malleable narrative. Its placement in a rural, small town, brings King’s presence without directly embodying one of his stories.

Hats off to the direction of Kevin Hooks, and the unrelenting music to accompany us by Chris Westlake. This episode does a great job of bringing together alternating events, editing them in a way that magnifies their intent.

Conclusion

Filter doesn’t quite emphasize on the stir from last episode, but it’s a bridge to what I’m hoping will be ideally nefarious. It is an impeccably scored episode, with enamoring and vulnerable performances by Spacek and Holland, that level out the grooves this mixed bag left behind. Some of Filter goes a little too heavy on the gas without fully moving ahead, but it doesn’t completely crash. The episode builds as it goes and we’ll see how this plays out in the span of the first season, but here’s hoping we can only go up from here.

Or is it down?

What did you think? How does it compare to the others, and what do you think will happen next? Let us know in the comments below!

New episodes premiere every Wednesday on Hulu.