'Castle Rock' Season 2 Episode 1 review: Lizzy Caplan shines in her role as Stephen King's disturbed Annie Wilkes
The first season of 'Castle Rock' was a treasure trove of easter eggs for Stephen King fans. There were elements from 'The Shawshank Redemption', 'Needful Things' and 'Stand By Me' scattered through the series like gems in a rather grisly cake.
While the first season ended on a rather ambiguous and confusing note leaving fans to interpret wildly, season two seems to follow a more conventional narrative. However, this might just work in its favor.
Season one chronicled the adventures of Henry Deaver, who is compelled to discover childhood traumas in Castle Rock while the second season finds its new lead in Annie Wilkes, a disturbed nurse, played by an absolutely brilliant Lizzy Caplan.
We see her driving through America with her daughter Joy, after stealing anti-psychotic medication. However, after an accident, they are stranded in Castle Rock and they discover inhabitants with dark origin stories of their own.
If there's anything the first season of Castle Rock has taught us, it is that the people living in the grim town have distressing pasts, upsetting presents, and bleak futures.
That town is never meant to bode well for anyone. Stephen King fans are well-aware of Annie Wilkes' morbid tale as told in his 1987 novel 'Misery'.
In the first episode, Annie is a nurse, battling severe mental health issues, and yet strives to be a good parent to her daughter, Joy.
However, the veneer of sanity begins to wear thin, and it does not take much to slowly unwind. Caplan has exceptionally big shoes to fill, as Kathy Bates had earlier played the role with much aplomb in the 1991 film earning her an Oscar.
Yet, Caplan doesn't falter and knows how to keep her viewers hooked to the screens. From her manner of walking to the deadpan yet worrying expressions, to even the supposedly-cheery singing with her daughter, Caplan slips into the role with ease.
It remains to be seen how Caplan will show the hastening of Annie's mental deterioration and her final devolvement into a kidnapping psychopath.
The other actors work hard to make the premiere better than the first season. With panache, Tim Robbins essays the role of a man who is haunted by the ghosts of his past and is desperately trying to make amends.
Elsie Fisher, who plays the role of Annie's daughter, is quite effective in her restrained performance. 'Castle Rock' promises to be more engaging and riveting than the first season, thanks to these actors.
In this season, it seems as if the story will focus on the borders of Castle Rock, and expand to the community of Jerusalem's Lot, which is present in the story of 'Salem’s Lot'.
The premiere of the second season's first episode has more power over the viewers than the first one did. The pacing, unlike the first season's episode, is quicker and the storytelling is stronger as well.
While you gradually felt the tension build up to a crescendo in the first season's episode, there were points that were an indefinable lull.
The creators seem determined to learn from the mistakes from the past and are all set to do whatever it takes to keep their viewers hooked, be it with gruesome murders, heart-stopping car crashes or eerie background music.
It’s intriguing to see what the next few episodes have in store. Season two of 'Castle Rock' premiered on Hulu on October 23.
