Most of the streaming networks have amazing programming; this is a fact that cannot be denied. From Stranger Things, The Crown, Mozart in the Jungle, The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Harlots to so many more that should be named, but for time sake I will leave out, choices are almost unlimited. With more added almost every month, the flood can be daunting. I want to throw out a new one, one that has me looking forward to Wednesdays.
Hulu’s Castle Rock is the brainchild of Stephen King and J. J. Abrams. Castle Rock is an American psychological horror anthology based on characters and settings from the stories of King. The show creators Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason do an excellent job of telling a mind bending story about the strange town of Castle Rock. Not only is Shawshank prison located just outside of town, but strange and horrifying occurrences happen regularly in the sleepy town’s history.
We follow criminal attorney Henry Deaver, played by André Holland, as he returns to his boyhood home of Castle Rock after being away for most of his adult life. As we walk through this weird story, Holland’s performance lends the audience an excellent point of perspective. We are constantly guessing, wondering, and conjecturing with him. We are also concerned and hopeful for him–since we know he’s in a Stephen King story and we know how those tend to end.
I hesitate to say too much about the show. As I write this, we are only seven episodes into the ten episode first season. With a second season being confirmed a little earlier this August, it is sure to be a wild ride. While not saying too much, I do want to say a quick something about a few other locals that you will meet.
Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek as Ruth Deaver, Henry’s mother who is struggling with dementia, is brilliant. Having just lost a close family member to Alzheimer’s, Spacek’s performance is heartbreaking and wonderful to me. You really see that at times she knows exactly what is happening to her and she is fighting against it, and then there are times when she doesn’t know her only son, and that just hurts your heart.
Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Lynskey’s performance as Molly Strand keeps you wondering and guessing. Through her real estate company, Molly has used her entire savings to buy the abandoned mill in order to revitalize her hometown. Lynskey’s performance of the slightly odd Molly brings light, maybe a weird light, to the entire show.
Bill Skarsgård
Lastly, I want to praise Bill Skarsgård as “The Kid,” or, as I like to call him, “He-Who-Cannot-Be-Named.” Due to the nature of spoilers, all I am going to say is that, considering Skarsgård’s performance of Pennywise in the new IT, his ability to be spine-tinglingly creepy should surprise no one, and yet, his subdued performance brings a whole new level to his creepy factor.
New episodes come out on Wednesdays, with the season finale dropping on September 12th. You can binge the first half and then join the club waiting, old school like, for new episodes to come out. Just maybe watch them under the covers.
Have you been watching Castle Rock already? What are you thoughts? Let’s talk about them! (Without being too spoilery.)
1 Comment
So so obsessed with this show and you’re absolutely right– even if someone’s not familiar with the Stephen King multiverse, they def need to give it a shot for this amazing cast! Sissy Spacek was FANTASTIC in last week’s episode.