Emmys 2020: With a story inspired by Stephen King universe, here's why 'Castle Rock' should've been nominated
It was in 2018 when we visited the gloomy town of Castle Rock. It was packed with numerous Stephen King elements and references, and only an obsessive fan would pick up on the Easter Eggs. The first season was uncomfortable and dreary and kept you twitching. You felt that an ax was going to fall but it didn't. Yet, the uneasiness remained. While the season’s storyline took its own course, the second season drew inspiration from Stephen King novels, including iconic characters like Annie Wilkes (Lizzy Caplan) and Pop Merrill (Tim Robbins). The second season amped up the horror and the jump scares along with its emotional power. The real horror was not in the zombied townspeople or the haunted backstory but in the distraught and disturbed childhoods. The real villains were over-indulgent or frenzied parents that led to the ruin of the children.
It's the children who were the victims. Distraught childhoods at the hands of haphazard parenting is a common theme in the Stephen King universe. From Al Marsh, a potential sexual assaulter in 'IT' to an abusive mother in 'Carrie', King has often used a child as a protagonist, specifically someone who has been through the worst at the hands of their parents. Sometimes the scars show and sometimes the child has learned how to conceal them.
Surprisingly, the show was not nominated for the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards. The story had been woven out of King's characters and storylines and seamlessly been stitched together. It had powerful performances and scenes to back it up as well. Caplan had to step into Kathy Bates's shoes for the role of Wilkes, the diabolical nurse, and she rose to the occasion with finesse. She got every twitch and dialogue to induce goosebumps. Every scene with her in it was fraught with tension and there wasn't a moment of peace. Her story in 'Castle Rock' served as the origin tale of Annie, just before she kidnapped the author in 'Misery'. In 'Castle Rock', Lizzy's Annie was on the run from her disturbing past, where her parents were too busy grousing or battling with their own depression to see that their child had a possible psychotic streak. They failed to get it addressed along with their own problems and things got out of hand.
There is blood as Annie acts impulsively, and then she goes on the run. Later, she brings up her child, Joy. As she has no model of parenting, she begins to suffocate Joy. She isolates her daughter from everyone else, but still loves her and is willing to do anything to protect her. She hasn't realized the damage she has inflicted on Joy by cutting her off from the world. The horror of the town creeps up on them, takes a toll, and finally, Annie loses her sanity and does the unthinkable. In the process, she loses Joy.
The show would have made a good contender for the Emmys. Do you agree?
Emmys 2020 will be held on September 20, 8 pm ET.
