Castle Rock Season 2 Premiere begins with a mysterious young woman (Ruby Cruz), covered in blood, walking through the woods and carrying a strange box. As she runs, we hear the sound of a typewriter clacking along. At first, it seems like this is just for some kind of effect, but as the scene plays out, it becomes apparent that we aren’t the only ones hearing this noise. The girl, Annie, can hear it too.
Suddenly, Annie (Lizzy Caplan) is an adult, working as a nurse, and “Let the River Run” by Carly Simon adds an weirdly ominous tone as we watch Annie prepare for work, steal a bunch of drugs, and then drive off in a car with her daughter, Joy (Colbi Gannett) who is very excited to head to “The Laughing Place.” Queue a montage of Annie and Joy singing, Annie stealing drugs from different hospitals, and the license plate of their car changing states. Not totally strange at all.
Finally, when Joy (Elsie Fisher) is a teenager, she and her mother are in a car accident, which forces them to temporarily live in the tiny town of Castle Rock, in particular, an area called “Jerusalem’s Lot.” It’s obvious throughout the beginning that Annie is running from something – and it probably has to do with all that blood she was covered with as a teenager. Spoiler alert: it totally has to do with that. Annie’s mystery isn’t the only one we’re about to solve in this series though. The town is still in a bit of dishevelment following the events of the first season, and only more secrets and supernatural happenings are going to emerge.
I’ll be straightforward, I didn’t finish Season 1 yet. I know, I know. It’s a bit taboo to skip seasons, but not when it comes to shows like this one. Following a more American Horror Story-esque approach, Castle Rock changes from season to season, the consistency being that it continues to take place in the same area, with remnants of the previous season lurking in the background. That being said, I’m a big Stephen King fan, so I’m familiar with the original content that inspired the show.
Series creators Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason continue to due justice to the stories of Stephen King, but have drifted far enough into new territory that fans will continue to be on the edge of their seats; wondering how things will play out.
Lizzy Caplan is an amazing Annie Wilkes. When you think of Annie Wilkes, you immediately picture Kathy Bates playing her in the movie adaptation of Misery, which she was perfect in. While it’s true, Caplan’s Annie probably wouldn’t exist without Bates, I cannot say enough just how blown away I was by Caplan – the mannerisms, the accent, even the subtlest gestures all felt so familiar.
This was a great season premiere that immediately pulled me in with great new characters, but Lizzy Caplan is definitely stealing the spotlight.
OVERALL SCORE: 9 / 10
Castle Rock Season 2 Premiere is now streaming on Hulu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bytPaQ5I8U
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