‘Castle Rock’ Recap: ‘Let the River Run’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

It’s no secret that I was a huge fan of season one of Castle Rock on Hulu, simply because it did the impossible; it found a way to inject new life into Stephen King’s vast collection of stories by giving us a new perspective on this universe. For this first year of adventures allowed for us to see how the average person gets along in a world where evil shapeshifting clowns roam free through the countryside and that fascinating twist allowed for a fresh adventure to take place that celebrated the best parts of Stephen King’s work, and I have definitely been counting down the days to a season two since Henry Deaver’s journey came to a close last summer.
 
In part because this show is so good in its own right, but also because I’ve been quite curious how the series was going to handle the arrival of one Annie Wilkes. Because she’s one of King’s greatest villains and making the monster that will one day torment author Paul Sheldon the focal point of season two is a bold move. For it removes us from everything that season one established structure wise. But as it turns out, making Annie the main character of this new journey through this iconic town was actually quite the genius decision when all is said and done. Because taking us to a time before Misery allows for something incredible to happen, since we are able to get to know Annie Wilkes like never before and that somehow makes her a more terrifying villain for certain.
 
Because the Annie we meet in ‘Let the River Run’ is an Annie that’s actually trying to put her life on the right track, in the all the wrong ways. For this season two premiere finally establishes just how mentally ill Annie really is, and how she trusts no one in this world thanks to her checkered past and that puts her in quite the precarious place, where she is always on the run, always wondering whether or not she will get her next dose of meds and that makes for some powerful storytelling. Especially when one considers that she’s trying to raise her daughter on the road and what’s wild about this aspect of the story, is that for the first time ever, we see Annie Wilkes as a shattered human being, one that is alone and desperate and that makes some of the moments in this tale where she receives a shred of kindness quite touching to say the least. 

---

But I called her terrifying, and I definitely mean that. Because in essence, it would seem that season two of this series is going to show us the genesis of a genuine monster. For when Annie is without her pills, she is the maniac that we remember from Misery and it’s clear that regardless of how many pills she takes or what level of kindness she receives, she’s ready to throw down and do what must be done on a moment’s notice, as evidenced by the ending of this story wherein she kills another King legend, John ‘Ace’ Merrill, when he makes the mistake of threatening her. Which means that it is only a matter of time before Annie’s darker side is completely unleashed, and this is the proper place to allow for that to happen since Castle Rock and the adjacent Jerusalem’s Lot, are evil, evil places.
 
However, while this character study of one of King’s most iconic monsters is fascinating in its own right, we would be remiss to not discuss the other King-verse legends present in this tale. Because it is a true delight to see the Merrill family in action once again and learn that John didn’t really get all that much better after the events of Stand By Me and it’s equally as fascinating to get to know his uncle, Pop Merrill, and see the conflicted man that he is right now as the tries to balance a life of crime and a family. Plus, the fact that Jerusalem’s Lot is going clearly play a large part in this story excites me for certain, because that’s a part of this universe we haven’t seen or heard much about in recent adaptations of the master’s works and well, that cliffhanger ending involving what appears to be the Lot’s big secret has me eager to dive into episode two.
 
In the end however, this really was quite the impressive season two premiere for this series. For it was bold and dark and powerful and this story also featured an acting clinic thanks to two key cast members. For Tim Robbins delivers a wondrous performance in this tale since his work makes it clear that Pop Merrill is trying desperately to atone or his sins but hasn’t lost his way as a crime boss and well, Lizzy Caplan as Annie Wilkes steals the show for certain. Because her interpretation of Annie channels the manic madness that helped Kathy Bates win an Oscar, all while adding new depth to a flawed human being and quite frankly her performance is breathtaking to say the least and well, all of these elements point us toward a magnificent new season, one that is going to take this series to new heights and I am ready to enjoy every single chilling second of it. Until next time.

---