When it comes to the first episode of any series, I ask only one thing of it. As much as I’ve been looking forward to it, Hulu’s Castle Rock is no different. Of course, I’ll pay particular attention to the direction, and at the very least I’ll hope it doesn’t come off as amateurish. Michael Uppendahl is a seasoned television director, and he knows what he’s doing. He finds a number of impressive shots and camera angles. How about the writing? Naturally, I’ll hope it’s interesting. Series creators Dustin Thomason and Sam Shaw do a nice job establishing the characters and setting up the driving mystery. I’ll also want to believe the acting. Castle Rock has a cast of great, veteran actors, and I had little problem with anybody’s performance. I’ll take all of this into consideration, but it’s all just a part of the bigger question: Do I want to watch the second episode? For a serialized horror show such as this, the answer all comes down to the story.
Castle Rock‘s story opens with a flashback to 1991. A young boy – missing for 11 days – is found completely unharmed, standing in the middle of a frozen Maine lake in -40 degree weather. I liked the feeling I had when it dawned on me why his rescuer was plunging his walking stick with such force into the snow. The droplets of this kid’s backstory intrigued me, and I want to know what happened. Fast forward 27 years, and we discover he’s Henry Deaver (André Holland), now a capital defense attorney in Texas with no memory of anything that happened before that day on the lake. A mysterious phone call brings him back to Castle Rock. It didn’t take long before his story had me. Why isn’t anybody happy to see him? Why is the Shawshank Penitentiary warden lying to him? What’s his connection to that strange man played by Bill Skarsgård? It looks like Henry’s mystery is going to be what propels this story, and I’m sold.
But Castle Rock holds other mysteries and shady characters, and the premiere episode – Severance – provides many. Shawshank’s warden (Ann Cusack) obviously has something to hide. Cusack lets us know she can’t be trusted before she even opens her mouth. We meet a woman (Melanie Lynskey) who also has some connection to Henry. Lynskey is always a delight, and I can’t wait to see where her story goes. Scott Glenn is retired sheriff Alan Pangborn. Glenn supplies his trademark gruffness-with-a-heart, and it’s exactly what the role requires. Sissy Spacek is Ruth Deaver, Henry’s adopted mother. Spacek is a terrific actress, but so far all I’ve seen is a cliché of a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s. Terry O’Quinn and Frances Conroy also show up to add some class to an already stellar cast.
The big draw behind the series, of course, is Executive Producers Stephen King and J.J. Abrams. I’ve been a fan of Abrams since Alias. Even when he can’t match the quality of Fringe or the first two Cloverfield movies, you can usually count on his name being attached to something interesting. King has been a big part of my life since my pre-teen years. Like any self-respecting, horror-obsessed kid from my generation and beyond, I spent my youth devouring anything King wrote. Castle Rock has provided the setting to many of his most popular works. The series isn’t based on any specific story by King, but some names should be familiar to any casual fan. Shawshank Penitentiary showed up most famously in The Shawshank Redemption. Sheriff Pangborn was an important character in both The Dark Half and Needful Things. Leave it to the hard-core King fans to make a list of all the Easter Eggs per episode. I can tell you I didn’t spot Cujo in anybody’s yard, I didn’t see Christine rolling down the street, and there was nary a clown in sight. I’ll enjoy the references as I catch them, but I’m going to watch this series on its own terms.
Which brings us back to my original question. If I haven’t made it clear by now, I actually can’t wait to watch the next episode. This has started out as a good tale, very well told. I hope future episodes follow the example set by Uppendahl, Thomason, and Shaw. I liked the nice, brisk pace that Severance set. I really got a kick out of the shot of Shawshank that immediately brought to mind a Gothic castle in an old Hammer Horror movie. I especially appreciate that the series respects its audience enough not to spoon feed its information. Nobody tells us that Henry is down on his luck. Everything we need to know is there. Castle Rock made a strong run out of the gate, and I’m hoping it can go the distance.
The first three episodes of Castle Rock are streaming on Hulu. New episodes premiere every Wednesday.
