'Castle Rock' Season 2, Episode 7: 'The Word'

 

This episode takes us back to the past.  Not to play bad video games, but...wait, I have deja vu.  We do kind of have another flashback episode fairly quickly.  However, where that focused on Annie's upbringing this one reveals the origins of the cult that is slowly overrunning the town.

I was expecting this to be a whole episode flashback, but instead, this intertwines those with events that are unfolding in the present day.  I think it worked out for the better.  While the flashback story did have highlights once it gained momentum, I don't know if there was enough there to carry a whole episode.

Annie and Joy mostly sit this one out.  There is one scene where Annie is trying (not very successfully it appears) to maintain the cover story that she was the one who committed the murder in the previous episode.  It seems like they're overcomplicating this.  The woman really was trying to do Annie harm, so wouldn't that give Joy a pretty strong defense in court?  It seems like they're lying when they don't necessarily have to.  We'll have to see where that goes.  In the meantime, though, the cult is still aiming to make her a vessel for their prophet, Amity, who's story is told in the aforementioned flashbacks.

Most of the present day plot focuses on Ace, as he is made aware of the strange things his son has been up to.  There's a little bit of dumb luck to get things started, but once Ace is put on the trail, his part becomes pretty compelling.  Even though he doesn't have all the pieces, it was interesting watching him put the pieces together to figure out that something is up.  He even tries to warn Abdi, who ignores said warnings.  The latter is later made aware when he sees 

It was also amusing to see Tim Robbins return to Shawshank.  Sure, it's a different character under entirely different circumstances, but that had to be intentional.

This also allows this season's plot to tie into that of the first.  While this season has done well telling its own independent story, the link was a nice touch.  The timing fits, as we are nearing the end of the series.  I doubt it'll tie everything up, but it does shed light on some things that were left hanging.

It's been quite some time since I was able to sit down and watch this.  Despite the gap, I was still able to keep up with what was happening.  Really, the only point my brain needed to stop and think about what was going on was with Annie and the cops.  Even that didn't take that long to click back into place for me.

The episode is fairly well paced.  I wasn't sure about the flashbacks at first, but they found their footing and became just as engaging as the present day plot progression.  

We're down to the final three episodes and it's quite clear that things are being set up for the final confrontation.  It'll be sad to see the series go.  This season has been quite strong overall, but I am still looking forward to seeing how things wrap up in the episodes to come.

Click here to open an E-Trade account

Click here to open a RobinHood account

Click here to become a Swagbucks member

Click here to become an E-Poll member

Content Creator Mk II

 So, I've been feeling the itch to get back to writing. A heckin' busy schedule and a slow as all get out netbook had been hindering me for some time.  While the schedule is still somewhat absurd, I am finding windows here and there.  This has been helped by the fact that the aforementioned netbook died, forcing me to upgrade.  I have also been making an effort to pull back at work, so as not to burn myself out mentally and physically.  

Now, this won't be like the last time around.  The jobs stay put.  This is going to be more of a "Buzz Beer" situation as opposed to trying to go the "self employed content creator" route again.  So, for all intents and purposes, I will be working three jobs as far as I'm concerned.

While content will be more consistent on both sites going forward, the plan is to ultimately move into fiction. I talked about it back when the Patreon was up and, while the means are different, the end goal does remain the same.  I do still like the idea of monthly novellas.  Short stories and full-on novels are also possibilities, but the novella seems like it would strike the right balance for me.

So, how does this little endeavor finance itself?  Well, from where I sit, there are four main sources of revenue.

1. E-Poll

Not a huge money maker, but every little bit counts.

2. Swagbucks

You know, it's funny, as much as I feature the referral link, I haven't really used the site that much. It didn't really get along with my old computer.  Now that my tech is more up to speed, I need to put this site to use to increase cash flow and boost my metrics even further.  I doubt it'll be big money, but again, every bit counts.

3. Reviewstream

This one is probably the best, as it is actually tied to writing.  Not only that, but I can throw the content on to either site. There is a pretty high payout threshold, so it'll take a while to get funds, but when they do come, the needle will move.  On the plus side, I don't need to come up with some outlandish number in terms of articles per day to ensure my bills get paid.  All that is already taken care of.  I can just work at a reasonable pace and still allow myself to put some focus on bigger projects

4. Dividends

This will really be the backbone of the operation.  It may not seem like it now, but as time goes on.  It's going to play a bigger and bigger role.

Wait, you're using side hustles to fund a side hustle?

Yes.  It's like seed money or startup capital.  

The Patreon...stays down.  It had its chance.  Truth be told, I think I put together a good system, but it didn't go anywhere after several years, so there's no sense in wasting time and energy with it.  I'm on a better path anyway.  Not only is this delivering much better results, but it suits me better.

I am toying with the idea of taking certain aspects of the campaign and applying them to the dividends, namely the quasi-basic income guarantee pledge (where at $1,200/month at least 10% goes to other creators to help build their income floor) and the charity milestone (where at least another 10% goes to charity).  Back when the Patreon was up, I had the latter milestone set at $4,000/month, but I am considering lowering it to $3,000.  Overhead isn't the concern that it was then and getting there sooner would be better.  We're still a ways away from that, but it is something to look forward to in the years to come.  Better yet, at that point, I'll be able to put E-Poll and Swagbucks points towards charities to bolster things even further.

One tricky thing, though, is that dividend payouts aren't even from month to month.  So, would I have to cross the threshold for all three quarter months before the perks get initiated or would I apply it to each quarter month as it hit?  The latter seems like the better way to go, but it is something that will have to be ironed out.  Again, I've got time on that one.

Could this phase out the current second job? Theoretically, it's a nice idea, but I don't want to get ahead of myself like I did the last time around.  I'm taking great care not to make the mistakes I made in the first go around.

I'm excited for this.  It'll be some time before you see anything substantial.  I still have brainstorming, drafting, and quite a bit of rust to shake off; but I think getting back into this will be good.  I think the setup is a lot better than the one I was trying to run on previously.  It's going to be interesting to see how things play out this time around.  I'm looking forward to it, though.  

Click here to open an E-Trade account

Click here to open a RobinHood account

Click here to become a Swagbucks member

Click here to become an E-Poll member