'Castle Rock' Season 2 Episode 4: Bloody murders, shocking revelations and an army of the dead run rife in this nightmarish watch
It’s never a good idea to keep secrets, least of all in the murder town of Castle Rock. They come at a deadly price.
The fourth episode of 'Castle Rock', ironically titled 'Restore Hope' dropped on October 30 on Hulu and plunged right into the background stories of the Merrill family, without wasting much time.
In the previous episode, while it was Annie Wilkes' relationship with her daughter Joy that hit rock bottom, this time the Merrills face some family strife.
Pop Merrill (Tim Robbins) is a guilty man. As most television war veterans do, he has lived with a burning secret for years that involves the reason why he decided to adopt his children Nadia and Abdi.
The reason is far from wholesome, and this ghastly revelation ends his relationship with Nadia. Pop, who is already nearing his death, gets cursed to hell by a broken foster daughter.
Pop in the show is more complex than the character in the Stephen King story 'The Sun Dog'. There’s more to him than just being a hardened crime boss, and it is interesting to see his numerous sides peeled carefully in the show.
There are more tragedies surrounding the Merrill family. 'Castle Rock' leans into its 'Salem’s Lot' influences real thick, without the vampires.
This time, there's Ace Merrill and his version of the army of the dead. Keeping true to the tradition of 'Castle Rock', they’re out murdering people left, right and center and converting them to their unsightly cause.
However, Ace does try to put up a ruse that he’s changed, but we know better. Ace (Paul Sparks) continues his dead look acting and that just amps up the fright factor in the episode.
You want to warn his innocent and dim-witted brother Chris to stay away from him and not wander into lonely churches, but alas! Chris pays the price for his naivety with a knife in his heart and one rather peculiar weapon in the neck. The good can't survive in Castle Rock, clearly.
We had just about warmed up to Chris' romance with Nadia, but that has been struck down like the plague.
As the dead never really die in 'Castle Rock', Chris will probably return as an evil-pod person and wreak havoc in the town along with his brother. Danger is engulfing 'Castle Rock', and surprisingly, Annie Wilkes isn't one… yet.
Nadia's story is tied to Wilkes' (Lizzy Caplan) daughter Joy, who has sought refuge in her home for the moment. Lizzy Caplan makes the most of her limited screen-time and does not fail to disappoint with her deadpan eyes when she runs around town asking for her daughter.
It’s as if the makers of 'Castle Rock' are insistent on redeeming the character of Wilkes because you can't help but feel a little pity for this broken and paranoid mother, whose primary concern is just getting her daughter back.
Joy's friend Chance (who seems to have a bit of a crush on her), barges into her house and takes clothes for Joy, and exchanges a couple of harsh words with Annie. Sigh, the series is really making one root for Annie. Who knew?
This episode of 'Castle Rock' had its mystery, suspense and shock-reveals game on point. The pace quickened throughout the episode and finally hit a crescendo.
The acting continues to be hard-hitting and phenomenal, and you cannot afford to tear your eyes away from the show. Easter eggs from the first season are sprinkled too if you look hard enough!
The anticipation for the next episode has reached a feverish pitch, and the questions are, will Annie Wilkes be the one to save Castle Rock from the murderous Salem's Lot? And in the process of doing so, will she become the nurse we know from 'Misery'?