Castle Rock

Had to wait a few days to write this. I loved the series leading up to the finale. The penultimate episode was the best of the lot. Great expectations for the end but I was let down. I understand the need to allow the audience to write their own conclusions but could you have at least offered better clues to enable them to do so? The ambiguity was totally unnecessary. Reward your fan base with some type of resolution. I'll give season 2 a go for now but I'm sure some people won't even bother.

It's a great show. Season 2 is quality. All the references to Stephen king books and how they tie in to the series is just brilliant. Lizzy makes a superb Annie Wilkes.

I wasn't going to write a review, but after seeing the majority of people giving this 5 stars or less, I felt like I had to. Preface - I am not an avid reader of King's books, but I appreciate the films I have seen. This show was well written, acted, and had really beautiful cinematic moments. And yes - it's confusing, but it all gets explained in episode 9 and 10. Now, if you're not a fan of mystery or supernatural-ish/alternate realities, this is not for you. And if you want an answer to something right away, forget it. In my opinion, I disagree with those stating that it's poorly paced, slow, boring and written badly. There is a reason why the show flows the way it does. It kept my attention the entire time, so much so, that I didn't ever look at my phone (that's saying a lot).

I can't see how people can leave negative reviews when the show is only a few episodes in! Thankfully I'm a bit more patient. I'm enjoying it so far and I'm intrigued to know where it's heading.

The recently dissolved rundown town of Castle Rock, Maine is controlled by the Shawshank State Prison. It's the town's main employer. The warden commits suicide and the new warden Porter reopens an abandoned wing of the prison. Guard Dennis Zalewski finds a mystery prisoner (Bill Skarsgård) locked in a bunker who refuses to give his name and only says Henry Matthew Deaver. Henry Matthew Deaver (André Holland) is a defense lawyer in Texas. He returns to Castle Rock after Dennis calls him and takes up the mystery boy's case. His adoptive mother Ruth Deaver (Sissy Spacek) suffers from dementia and he's wrongly suspected in the death of his adoptive father. Alan Pangborn (Scott Glenn) is the former sheriff who has been living with Ruth. Henry's childhood neighbor friend Molly Strand (Melanie Lynskey) suffers from her own mental issues and takes illicit drugs to alleviate the symptoms. She intents on using her inheritance to renew the town. In the second season, nurse Annie Wilkes (Lizzy Caplan) is on the run with her daughter Joy (Elsie Fisher) and they arrive in Castle Rock. Pop Merrill (Tim Robbins) is the head of his crime family and adoptive father to Somali siblings, Abdi Omar and Dr. Nadia Omar.

This is an intriguing series especially for Stephen King fans who recognize various Easter eggs scattered all around town. The first season creates a nice murkiness which permeates this town and this series. The narrative gets a bit muddy. I would prefer a clearer story telling but it is intriguing nevertheless. The second season comes with a whole new story. It's an anthology series and I really like Lizzy Caplan's Annie Wilkes. Overall, it's one of the better TV series in the Stephen King world and fully supports his darker sensibilities. As with many shows nowadays, it's canceled after two seasons for whatever reason. This is a show that could have mined the King library for more stories.