‘Castle Rock’ Recap: ‘New Jerusalem’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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People, and all of their transgressions, tend to leave us reeling from time to time. To the point where we reflect upon humanity and whether or not we are able to change our negative ways. Because we all know that deep down, if we found a way to abandon our darkness and work together as one in positive fashion, incredible things would happen to our society and our world. But the harsh fact of the matter is, darkness still remains within all of us, and some indulge in it far more than others, and that’s why we continue to ask that question, because we truly wonder as to whether or not the evil within is something that mankind can ever abandon. And it just so happens, that this particular question served as a prevailing theme for the next episode of Castle Rock.
 
For ‘New Jerusalem’ made Pop Merrill a focal point in this tale because he fits everything we’ve discussed to a tee. For the biggest crime boss in Castle Rock has done many questionable things in his lifetime but has clearly tried to atone for his ways in his twilight years. Something that started with him  taking the time to adopt and care for Abdi and Nadia when they were young alongside going the extra mile to help them be successful in life and follow their dreams and the more the story explored these kinder and gentler transgressions, the more it really seemed to imply that there is hope for us after all. Because if Pop can change, so can we. Something that was compounded by how Pop was all about everyone taking a higher road in this story and being better than what they think they are, and that’s when the story took quite the unfortunate turn.
 
Because as the hour chugged along, and Pop came to realize that Ace was likely dead, Pop began to transform. In fact, there was a fire in his eyes we had not seen in the season premiere, and it burned brighter the more he dug into Ace’s disappearance, signaling the fact that the gangster persona that had served him so well throughout the years had returned to the surface of his psyche and it would help him get all the answers he needed. And it was quite incredible to see him get answers from people, Annie included, with a mere look and a few words and it was quite terrifying to see him instill fear in Abdi and push him to the limit and well, the only lingering mysteries that remains from this segment of the story is whether or not Pop’s collapse, led to harm for his adopted son and whether or not Pop intended for harm to come to someone he cared for, because that would inform for us certain as to whether or not he has changed after all this time.
 
If anything, this segment of the story implied heavily that change isn’t quite what we think it is, and that it is adaptive and subjective since our darkness may never quite leave us, and that making a choice to constantly be better, is what allows for us to believe we’ve left that darkness behind. Which was quite a philosophical idea to find here and I dug it. But while it was fascinating to spend a fair chunk of time with Pop in this tale, the fan service here was also worth our while. Because we came to learn that Annie indeed violated something ancient and evil by trying to bury Ace, and that led to all kinds of homages to Salem’s Lot since she eventually exited the iconic Marsten house and unleashed its evil since Ace is back from the dead and ready to exact a little payback on Annie for what she did.
 
In the end however, this really was quite the magnificent episode through and through. Because this was a powerful character study of a broken man taking inventory in what he believes to be his final days and it was fascinating to watch him fall back on everything he’s learned in the underworld in order to get results and see the conflict within him in doing so. Plus, you cannot go wrong with an hour of Tim Robbins just unleashing his acting skills and he absolutely killed it in this episode and I really am dying to know as to whether or not Pop left his darker side behind or not or if he is that perfect personification of the duality of man. Time will tell I’m certain since this series never wastes a moment, but I’m sure that exploration will have to come after Annie deals with the apparent vampire that’s now lurking outside of bungalow 19.

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