CASTLE ROCK SEASON 2: An Inventive Yet Occasionally Hobbled 2nd Season

The second season of Castle Rock has concluded, and this dynamic anthology series went out on an intriguing note: a whimper more than a boom. I think it was the apt way to close out the sophomore effort, given the emotional way that the final minutes played out (and with a nod to one of the characters stories we all know). Some of the best elements of this season are the characters, and this pays reverence to that.

A New Sort Of Terror

In season one they began the story with fresh characters and then wove our familiarity with King’s work around it. Season two takes someone we know, Annie Wilkes, previously seen in the film Misery from Rob Reiner, but the character has a new story. It’s a risk, and at first I wasn’t sure how to respond to this new incarnation, but it’s a terrific choice and it manages to shift the show in a way that keeps viewers on their toes, while remaining connected to what made season one so effective.

While I think the first season was better, I still think the creators and writers did something terrific here. This is a show that is inspired by stories and places from the works of Stephen King, (who has a lot to pull from) but are entirely their own. We have a few characters this season that we’ve seen, but they are reborn, re-branded, in a way that’s new but also manages to carry the sense of King’s work. Which is crucial.

While the town of Castle Rock is prominent this season, the neighboring Jerusalem’s Lot is especially important. That and the Marsten House (a very significant place in the novel Salem’s Lot) are both big keys to the narrative this time around.

I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s start where the season does, with Annie Wilkes (played here by Lizzy Caplan) who, due to an accident, is stuck in Castle Rock. Her, and her daughter Joy (Elsie Fisher) have been on the run, though we don’ t know why at first, and they’re moving from place to place under fake names. Wilkes works as a nurse to gain access to medication she needs, and eventually they move along. Castle Rock, is inevitably, the worst place they could have crashed.

Caplan plays her in a way that pays homage to the Kathy Bate’s version we saw in the film but is also entirely her own. Here, her mental illness is prominent, and it plays a big role in the circumstances of the season, not just for her.

There’s one episode specifically where we get her backstory and much like “The Queen” was for season one, it’s one of the best. Joy is the complete opposite of Annie, but her influence is clear in the shy teen’s actions, especially as she begins interacting with others her age, like Chance (Abby Corrigan).

Another important family are the Merrills, one some might remember from King’s work like The Body (made into Stand By Me) and who also made an appearance in the novel Needful Things. Pop (Tim Robbins) owns the local antique/junk store and he’s no Andy Dufresne. The Merrills have a vice like grip over the town. Their criminal enterprises aren’t all spelled out, but it’s clear their deeply embedded in the roots. Pop doesn’t have any blood born children of his own but adopted his two nephews: Ace (Paul Sparks) and Chris (Matthew Alan).

He also has two adopted siblings from Somalia. Nadia (Yusra Warsama) is a doctor at a local hospital and her brother Abdi (Barkhad Abdi) runs a construction company. Abdi and Ace are seemingly at war, battling over land and titles, but it’s really Ace’s own resentment at work.

Ace is constructed in a way to be two very different villains – the reason for which I’ll avoid spelling out for spoiler’s sake – but it revolves around his resurrection. Both are interesting, but ultimately with very different temperaments. His initial end comes at the hands of Annie Wilkes, as he’s the landlord of the apartments they live in. While, she may seem softened in a sense here, she’s really not, her protectiveness over her daughter gives her a ferocity, and she can still easily flip a switch and become a sledgehammer wielder of death. She’s often walking a very delicate line, and her hallucinations and traumas haunt her, reminding us that she’s fighting something inside her as much as physical dangers that lurk the streets of Castle Rock.

The Ending Makes Sense, Did The Rest?

Every one of the main characters has their own personal story that is engaging and well-written. I especially love the performances of Lizzy Caplan and Yusra Warsama, and I think that Elsie Fisher, previously amazing in Eighth Grade, is also terrific as she balances the challenging relationship with her mother. Caplan gives this Annie space to reflect other’s emotions and pain, imbuing sympathy, and allowing us to see the full scope of what one’s mental health does to their loved ones.

Things start happening in the town as a group begins amassing at the old Marsten home. Annie “stumbles” across an old crypt underground that leads to the location, and thus begins the major storyline of the season. It’s not what you’d think when you think Jerusalem’s Lot and my previous mention of Ace’s resurrection (caught that did ya?). As per usual, the explanation is unexpected, and not ever fully explained, making for another finale that has you wondering – what’s real, what’s going on in the other worlds, and where’s Henry Deaver? There’s a quick shot of a missing poster with André Holland’s face near the end, that you may have missed.

The season has its issues, like the pacing and placement of episodes and certain storylines seeming so big, yet they are dispensed with haste. There’s also the glaringly big difference of perspective on King characters.

What made season one so special, other than the core storyline which was entirely original, was that the bridge to Kings work was solid. For instance, Alan Pangborn (Scott Glenn) felt like he was that character and that the events of Needful Things could have happened to him at some point. For all we know, Shawshank had Andy Dufresne escape decades prior. While I didn’t mind where the writing went this time around, some King fans might feel whiplash from their desire to be so loose with the material. We know there are multiple worlds here in this series, as it’s been discussed, but what are the rules? Are there any? The balance wasn’t done as well this time around. 

Conclusion: Castle Rock Season Two

Overall, I was happy with the decisions made by showrunners Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason this time around. I thought it was terrific that it found a way to tie into season one, even if it didn’t fulfill on that potential as much as I’d like. We still got a character-driven, compelling season, with the sensation of something old, dreadful and especially eerie seeping out of the history of Castle Rock into its new inhabitants. By the end, things will be wiped clean, for a new chapter to (hopefully) find us, but not everyone makes it out without blood on their hands. And really, should they? “Misery” loves company, and by the finale we start to see the Annie we’ve known take form.

It was a pleasantly peculiar second effort, and I truly hope there’s more to come. I think, if well written, there could be an interesting combination of the first two seasons to culminate in another entertaining addition.

Castle Rock season two can be streamed on Hulu.

What did you think? How did it rank in comparison?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bytPaQ5I8U