Castle Rock: Season 1 Review
9 / 10. A dark tale told in true King style with its own unique outlook and foreboding aesthetic, much is left up to your own interpretation *MINOR SPOILERS*
Hulu’s Castle Rock season one commences with a flashback to 1991 and missing child Henry Deaver being found by King regular, Sheriff Alan Pangborn (played here effectively by Scott Glenn). 27 years later, Shawshank Prison Warden, Dale Lacy (Terry O’Quinn), takes his own life, after spending many years burdened with a great mission, which becomes clearer (and more murky) as the season unfolds. Upon searching the depths of Shawshank, a mysterious prisoner, the kid,’ with no records is found locked up …
Adult Henry, now a criminal lawyer, returns to Castle Rock to investigate and reunite with his family, natural and supernatural events intertwine, and we are led on a darkly twisting ride. Episode by episode flashbacks tell snippets of the story, which either explain events or add more questions. The mystery of ‘The Kid’s’ identity is central, but intimate and endearing characters are at the heart, as they always are in a King story, and all are connected.
I awaited Castle Rock with much excitement, based around King’s fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine (the setting of Cujo, Needful Things and The Body), and stitches a rich tapestry of characters and stories from his wide-ranging universe. The tale is told in true King style with its own unique outlook and dark, foreboding aesthetic.
As mentioned in reviews for Doctor Sleep and The Outsider, these recent adaptations are more in keeping with King’s style in my opinion, as is Castle Rock, although it isn’t a direct adaptation of one book - King himself likes it, which speaks volumes.
André Holland is a strong lead as Henry, and Bill Skarsgård is great casting as the mysterious Kid, following his great turn as Pennywise in the recent adaptation of IT. In Castle Rock, Skarsgård does understated creepy well. Melanie Lynskey is great as quirky Molly Strand, a childhood neighbour of Henry's whose skills prove useful.
Diane "Jackie" Torrance (Jane Levy), is a good albeit minor addition, an aspiring writer and niece of Jack Torrance. She possesses a vast knowledge of Castle Rock's history, which makes her useful in exposition and a nod to The Shining and King’s trademark of character’s who are writers.
Another effective small role is the brilliantly cryptic Odin Branch (Charles Jones), who provides further questionable evidence of what the heck is actually going on.
The standout, however, is Sissy Spacek as Ruth Deaver, Henry's adoptive mother. Her heart-breaking struggle with dementia leads her back into her past to uncover secrets long hidden, but as she can’t trust herself, this is no easy task. We go along with her on this journey into the past, witnessing events from her point of view in the fantastic episode 7 – The Queen, providing us with enlightening insights.
In the end, a lot of what takes place is up to your own interpretation, other books in King’s universe may assist in making up your mind (IT, Salem’s Lot, The Dark Tower). Season 2 is already here, but Castle Rock is to follow an anthology format, so will all the ends tie up?
“Life used to go in one direction, forward, like one of those people-movers at the airport, but somehow I got off it.”