‘Castle Rock’ Recap: ‘Clean’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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Often times, horror films or horror shows end their seasons or their storylines on a positive note. Simply because these tales of terror more or less put us through the wringer emotionally, so offering us some semblance of hope or an ending that satisfies, is the viewer’s reward for sticking with a story mired in darkness. But sometimes, the happy and/or satisfying ending simply isn’t possible in horror, for this genre is all about the worst parts of our world or our imaginations and honestly, I applaud scary stories that take the time to be bold and keep the ugly right in front of us, even as the story comes to a close. And it just so happens that the season two finale of Castle Rock meets that particularly unpleasant criteria, for this conclusion to a wild and twisted story is about as bleak as they come.
 
Which is a fascinating surprise to say the least. Because initially it seemed as though ‘Clean’ was going to give the audience a satisfying and perky finale. For there was a final showdown as the Marsten House, Abdi and Nadia set explosives everywhere to destroy the place, and we were even treated to Pop’s redemption. Because as it turns out, Pop did indeed take that Haldol before his death and resurrection, all so that he could do something good for his adopted kids and his hometown for a change. And for that matter as well, Annie and Joy were able to escape the ensuing madness before the house was blown to smithereens, with Pop still inside of it, and well, you really cannot ask for a more satisfying ending than that since it brought about the end of the Kid’s machinations and this twisted little berg gets to survive another day. But that was the only joy to be found in this particular ending.
 
For there was still one journey that needed to be wrapped up, and that would be the one belonging to Annie Wilkes. Because despite the fact that she played the hero to get her sister out of quite the mess, this was always her origin story, and we needed to know exactly how she goes from surrogate mother to obsessive monster and sadly, the back half of this tale addressed that particular mystery in nightmarish fashion. Because shortly after Joy and Annie escaped the madness of Castle Rock, they made their way to Canada, wherein Annie picked up a simple caregiver gig at a beautiful lake house, one far away from the troubles of modern civilization. And she also immersed herself in the works of a young author named Paul Sheldon and seeing her with one of his novels in her hands quickly became commonplace. 

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​Which should have signaled a happy ending, for they were a family again and free from trouble. But Joy simply wasn’t herself after Castle Rock. For she was despondent and silent most days and her newfound love of films that feature the French language and her strange artwork suddenly concerned Annie. To the point where she now believed that Amity inhabited her sister’s body after all, and it seemed that the only way to bring her sister/daughter to the forefront of an infected mind, was to drug her with some Haldol and bury that alter ego. But that of course did not go exactly to plan and Joy’s fiery response to the discovery that she was being drugged, led to a violent and unsettling confrontation; one that ended Joy’s life in the water in the same manner that Annie planned for sixteen years ago. 
 
But the discovery of a letter from Joy, one that detailed how she wanted to branch out on her own in life, helped Annie to realize that her baby sister was fine after all and she worked to save her and once again it seemed we were back in happy ending territory, with a family reunited. But a stunning twist at the end, wherein Joy and Annie went to attend a Paul Sheldon reading, revealed that Joy was a figment of Annie’s imagination, for she died on that fateful day. And now that all that remained was Joy’s memory and a mistake that would haunt Annie for all time and clearly, the death of her sister is what broke her at last and made her a monster that had no qualms with killing anyone that she saw fit. And the tragedy therein, is that we know now that her story ends in the same way it began here, with Paul Sheldon right in front of her, while her madness runs rampant, and that is one powerful and sobering way to bring this second season to a close.
 
If anything, it’s just best to go ahead and declare season two of Castle Rock as downright brilliant. Because not only did it offer up an old time Stephen King story, one that has the fate and future of the planet hanging in the balance, it also tied season one into the mix in magnificent fashion and more importantly… this season provided us with some incredible insight and depth in regard to one of King’s greatest villains. For Annie Wilkes was indeed quite the mystery in Misery, but now her unbridled fury and shattered thoughts make perfect sense, and honestly, I think it is safe to say that learning her backstory here, makes her the most terrifying villain in King’s stable to date. Because now, she’s about as real as they come, she’s the monster we see on the six o’clock news and hope to avoid meeting in real life. And her ability to come unglued on a moment’s notice and tear a man to shreds, is horrifying enough to make the Crimson King tremble and prompt the Walkin’ Dude to turn around and take another path. If anything, I have to tip my cap to the writers’ of this season’s show for gifting us with such a powerful and dynamic exploration of Annie, and I am quite eager to see what other characters from King’s rich universe will get their day in the sun in season three of this dynamic saga. Until next year.  

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