'Castle Rock' Episode 10: 'Romans'

At long last we reach the end of Castle Rock's first season.  It's been an interesting ride, to say the least?  Does the conclusion follow through, or does it botch like many other shows and stories have before?

All in all, I think this was a satisfactory conclusion.  It tied up a lot of loose ends whilst also keeping the viewer engaged.  The performances are all top notch and there are some real highlights peppered throughout.

The scene between Ruth and Molly on the bridge is tense and unsettling, but also heartbreaking in its own way.  You can't help but feel bad for both characters and the situations that they're in.

I also rather enjoyed the conversation between the two Henry Deavers in the prison cell.  The two have shared scenes before, but with the recent reveal (and Henry himself learning about it) it puts their interaction into a completely different and very surreal light.

It seemed like the episode wasn't sure what to do with "the Kid".  After a whole episode of giving him a sympathetic backstory and a simple motivation (to get home, I guess all that monument talk was just posturing?) the episode actually throws out some hints that maybe he's lying.  He seems to have no qualms about using his abilities to trigger a slaughter as a way to help them escape (something even Henry Prime is mortified to see unfold) and there's a shot of him near the end as some sort of demon.  It could be Henry mentally coming up with a justification for what he does, but then again, maybe not.  In either case, you get why he does what he ends up doing. 

The downside to this series being noted as an anthology is that answers may not actually be given.  It seems like season 2 is moving on to a completely different story.  That could easily work, but hopefully the events and characters we've followed thus far aren't completely forgotten.  They worked rather well and it would be nice to continue following them as the show progressed.

I did find it surprising how the episode managed to tie up loose ends that seemed completely forgotten.  We see what happens to the new warden as well as Shawshank Prison itself.  I'm sure if the characters had been left unmentioned, some viewers would have sounded the alarm, but it was pretty jarring to see them jump back into the narrative at the last second.

As noted before, this was a solid resolution.  It wrapped things up about as neatly as one could expect.  There wasn't any sense of frustration as there have been with other finales.  The closest it came was with the time jump at the end.  It initially gives off a feeling of anti-climax, but there's no way to do the big reveal without it, so it was kind of necessary. 

While it's a shame that season 2 will likely be independent, I'm still looking forward to it.  I rather enjoyed this outing.  It's a shame that it took so long to get through.  Hopefully, I don't fall into that trap with season 2, but I always go in with that attitude and, well, here we are.  We'll see.

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'Castle Rock' Episode 9: 'Henry Deaver'

As the season comes to its penultimate episode, answers are given to many of the show's burning questions.  Unlike say, "Lost", this won't leave you screaming obscenities at the screen and calling out how lame it all felt.  This is actually quite well done.

First things first, the central focus of this story is "the Kid" and how he came to be.  Who is he? Where did he come from?  It turns out that he actually answered the question waaay back in the first episode.  He's Henry Deaver (if the episode's title didn't spoil that fact, the episode's recap of the plot so far will pretty much give it away.)  Now I had this spoiled by reading both TvTropes and Wikipedia.  I can't help but wonder if that reveal line would have packed more punch if I wasn't aware of it ahead of time.  Some twists still work, but this one didn't put a whole lot of emphasis on it, so maybe they weren't banking on that being such a mind-blower.

More specifically, he's the Henry Deaver of an alternate reality.  We see this through a flashback that accounts for most of the episode.  As with any alternate reality or timeline, there are differences to be sure, but the similarities were the more fascinating part.  Heck, even the way this episode plays out is very similar to how the show's story has unfolded over in the "Prime" universe.

Both involved someone deemed "the Kid" (this time, it's young Henry of our world, explaining what happened when he went missing as a child) who was trapped in a cage for years as a result of being thought a devil and was only discovered after their captor killed themselves.  Juniper Hill burns down both times and it seems the woods and the Schisma still play a role in things.  It's trippy and intriguing just how much these two universes mirror each other on so many levels.

On other fronts, it was nice to see Skarsgard actually get a chance to converse and show emotions.  Here we see him happy, well adjusted, and easy going.  He's married and is even planning on building a family.  It's a stark contrast to what we've seen in earlier episodes.  Hopefully we'll see more of that in the next episode.

Speaking of, there are still a few questions to be answered, leaving viewers some incentive to tune in for the finale.  Still, this did provide a lot of information and did it in an engaging way.  It managed to cram a lot into just one hour and that's not easy.  This easily could have come off as clunky or out of left field, but instead, it worked very well.  It's definitely a highlight for the season as a whole in my opinion.  Maybe not as good as "The Queen", but still pretty impressive in its own right.  The finale has quite a bit of momentum built up, hopefully it can follow through.

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'Elevation' by Stephen King Novella Review

Contrary to what the cover of the book will tell you, this is not a novel.  Many a review on Amazon have pointed this out, and it's pretty obvious when you see the book yourself, but it still seems worth noting.  The book is only 150 pages and it's not even that large.  This is a novella that's being billed otherwise for reasons beyond my understanding.

Having some light, fast reading material does have its perks.  If you're a going on a decent length drive or flight, this will help pass the time.  I think the sticking point is the price.  $20 for the hardcover is pretty ridiculous.  Buying a used copy or getting it via e-book or Audible helps mitigate this to a certain extent, but it is something to take into consideration.

With that said, the story itself is...OK.  This was like a watered down version of "Thinner".  The main character is losing mass, but there's no explanation like there was with the aforementioned work.  There are some other tweaks so that it isn't a complete rehash, but it's hard to avoid the similarity.

Oddly enough, it's something of an afterthought.  No explanation is ever given and the main character doesn't really take pains to address it.  It undermines the tension, though it does give the book a way to stand apart from "Thinner".

The plot synopsis had me worried.  I was expecting the same heavy-handed political "commentary" that weakened "Insomnia".  Some reviewers have cited the book as heavy handed and preachy, but it's not nearly as bad in my opinion.  There's one scene where the main character picks a fight with a straw conservative, but that's about it. 

I think the biggest weakness here is the characters themselves.  Scott, the main character, and his doctor are the only two who feel like real people.  Dierdre is bizarrely antagonistic to the point where it doesn't seem natural.  It also undercuts any sympathy I might have for her plight.  Maybe her business is tanking because she's a terrible host? Just a thought.  She falls into that same trap as Hogarth has in Jessica Jones' second season where the character is incredibly unlikable to the point where it's a legitimate detriment.

Even her partner, Missy, doesn't come off much better.  She's a lot nicer, but her meekness gets taken to such an extreme that it doesn't feel natural.

On the flip side, the book isn't without poignancy.  When grudges are settled, the story focuses on Scott basically saying his goodbyes and getting his affairs in order.  It actually does manage to tug on the heartstrings rather effectively.

The ending itself may undercut this for some.  You could view it as symbolic and deep or just silly.  You might even see it as some weird mix of the two. 

This will pass the time well enough.  If you have a reading goal and you're behind schedule because you're busy as hell, this will help you close the gap.  I wouldn't call this a must-read by any stretch, but if you can nab a cheap copy or find one at a library, you could do a lot worse. 

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'Castle Rock' Episode 8: 'Past Perfect'

The last episode saw the Hulu series soar to new heights.  Can the follow up keep the momentum going? Let's find out.

So, remember that couple of prospective home buyers that Molly met a few episodes back?  They make a return.  It seems that, rather than retreat from the town's dark history, they decide to turn into the skid, as it were, and use Lacy's house as a gimmicky murder themed bed and breakfast.  Even Jackie notes that she had considered the idea, but never ran with it, and commends them for doing so.

At first, I thought it was weird to give such bit characters the spotlight, but they don't eat up too much of the episode's time and they serve their roles well enough.

With only two episodes remaining, this episode starts tying threads together.  You can sense that things are coming to a head and it works really well.  Hints are dropped here and there that are likely to pay off as we reach the season's end.

The Kid's continued cryptic dialogue can get frustrating.  It seems like he's abandoned his aforementioned desire to pay back wrongs done to him, but if he's trying to present a more benevolent side, he might want to consider not lurking around and being his usual creepy self.  It's fun to watch from the viewer's stand point, and Skarsgard is great as usual, but how he acts doesn't really mesh with his apparent newfound desire to get people to trust him.

It is also odd how quickly Henry finds himself in another dire situation.  After being held captive, he finds himself being threatened by the aforementioned family.  Granted, he stumbled into this, where the prior had him being lured out specifically, but having them back to back makes it more comical than it needed to be.  Thank God "The Queen" was there to act as something of a buffer.  Could you imagine if the plot had just ignored that and had Henry go from one group of hostile weirdos to the next?

Speaking of "The Queen", there is little mention of Alan's death.  You'd think the episode would spend more time on that, but he only gets a couple of lines worth of mention. The most notable instance is when Ruth tells Henry to get him in order to help clear up her legal troubles.  It stings, but considering the previous episode ended with her reuniting with him on their doorstep, you can't blame her for thinking he's still alive...Of course, her joy at seeing him alive was largely fueled by his recent death, so it's still arguable whether or not that makes any sense.

The show's atmosphere continues to be one of its strongest attributes.  The episode is very well shot, the lighting is effective, and the music helps add to it all.  You can almost feel yourself leaning forward as things start to ramp up.  The fact that this kicks into high gear in the show's final scenes makes it very binge-friendly. 

While it doesn't hit the heights of its predecessor, this episode still managed to be very engaging in its own right.  I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how things wrap up in the next two episodes.

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'The X-Files' Season 11, Episode 10: 'My Struggle IV"

Alright, it's been long enough.  It's time to finally wrap this up and close the book on "The X-Files".  Up until now, the "My Struggle" episodes have all been bad.  When I brought up the idea of a fourth entry, I was largely kidding, yet here we are.

Credit where it's due, this is the best of the bunch.  It's not god-awful like its predecessors.  There aren't any mind-bogglingly stupid plot twists (well, one, but I'll get to that).  While the "end of the world" aspect is brought up again, the episode is largely a race to find William.  It's simplicity works in the episode's favor.  Unfortunately, the fact that the ongoing story has been largely ignored means that any sense of tension is gone.  To be fair, the stand alones have been quite solid, so it worked for the season as a whole, but it doesn't stop the fact that this whole thing feels rushed and underdeveloped.

Unlike "The Truth", this episode doesn't spend a lot of time just summarizing and explaining the plot of the show.  It does, however, recycle some elements.  This isn't unsurprising as they are both series finales of sorts.  Once again, the X-Files are closed and once again Smoking Man is killed.  Normally, three gunshots to the chest of an old man would be fatal, but we did see him take a sidewinder to the face and come back unscathed, so I'm guessing the finality of this death depends on whether the show comes back or not.  Same goes for the closing of the agents' branch.  It's been done before, but given that this is supposed to wrap things up, it really can't be avoided.

Oddly enough, it does leave some loose ends.  Skinner's fate is never determined and the last shot of the episode shows that things may not be as in the clear as one would have hoped.  Honestly, I could have done without that.  If you're going to wrap things up, do it.  That sequel hook was kind of pointless.

Before that, though we have to talk about the ending.  Long story short, William lets himself get offed by Smoking Man to stop the impending apocalypse (I'm pretty sure spoilers are no longer an issue at this point, yes?)  While the character was underdeveloped, it did let him die a noble and somewhat sad death.  Even the two agents are rather devastated.  Unlike the season opener, actual effort is put into making this a sad scene.  Credit especially goes to Anderson, she was acting her ass off here.

Sadly, it's undercut the the aforementioned stupid plot development.  The two agents are reeling from not only the death of their son, but the revelation that he wasn't theirs.  Smoking Man cooked him up in a lab and used Scully as a surrogate of sorts.

It's now, seconds after William's death that Scully decides to reveal that she is really pregnant with their actual child.    This is just stupid on so many levels.  Sure it gives the two agents a more uplifting note to go out on, but really?

Overall, this episode was...adequate?  It had some structural problems, but the last few minutes are really the only cringe-worthy parts.  Some of the dialogue is clunky, but again, it's been much worse.

One last thing, and this is something of a nitpick, but don't the agents know Reyes?  They worked with her a while back, right?  She doesn't do much here, but when she does contact them to give them a warning/lead, they talk as if they have no idea who she is.  I feel like this is another thing that the show did before, but I might be remembering it wrong.  Maybe it was a meta-jab at the character, nobody remembers her because she really hasn't done anything important as of late.  It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but it's still strange.

I'm kind of hoping that this is it.  The relaunch did ultimately validate it's own existence, but I'd hate to see the show try to wrap itself up for a third time.  Let's just call it a job done (or a case closed, eh?) and move on to other things.

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'Castle Rock' Episode 7: 'The Queen'

The last episode had Ruth Deaver reveal that she (at least believes) that she has become disconnected from linear time.   This episode brings the idea to central focus, as she takes center stage, bringing us with her on a journey through time.  This allows the episode to revisit certain scenes and put them in a slightly different context, but it also allows us to get a better look at events that had only been discussed in episodes prior.

I had mentioned my theory that her condition was akin to Picard's in "All Good Things.." This turns out to partially be the case, but there's also  shades of "A Christmas Carol".  We see two Ruth's, with one largely invisible (though she does seem to be able to see herself) in several scenes as she places her chess pieces around.  I get that they indicate that she's not in her time, but I'm not sure how that helps her "get back".  The jumps seem to happen at random and she has no control over when they happen.  Maybe it's a focus thing? I don't know.

Matt Deaver, her husband and Henry's adopted father benefits the most from this as we get a better look at what life was like in the Deaver household all those years ago.  It turns out that the preacher was more than a little unbalanced.  He doesn't do anything directly, but his dialogue (as well as the actor's delivery) shows us what a disturbed individual he really was.

Ruth herself also shines.  Spacek had a lot of weight to pull and she did a great job of it.  You can see her fear, disorientation, concern, and joy throughout the episode.  Had she not done such a good job, the episode might have fallen flat, but as it is, it stands as likely the best episode of the season.  I kind of feel bad for the next episode as this set the bar quite high.

The time jumps can be a bit confusing at first, but the episode is still very well constructed.  You can tell that a lot of effort was put into making this work and it paid off.

We also get some strong hints as to the identity of "the kid".  Ruth herself is convinced that it's Matt back from the dead.  Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he seems to go out of his way to confirm this. Given his lines of dialogue, you can see why Ruth jumps to the conclusion that she does.  He knows a lot about her and about their history.  While I knew it was all a red herring (again, I spoiled myself on this big reveal,) there is one line here that pretty much tells you who he is.  Not much is made of it now, but it'll probably be elaborated on later.

As with many episodes prior, this one ends with a bang...literally.  Ruth accidentally shoots Alan.  Had I been keeping up, I'd probably be more concerned with dropping a major spoiler, but at this point, I don't think we need to worry.

That scene gives us the plot based wham moment that makes for good binge watching, but the following scene where Ruth is transported to Alan first showing up on her doorstep is what really made the ending work.  The look on Spacek's face just sells the weight of the scene and it'd be hard not to mark yourself as being hit hard in the feels after that.  I mean, damn. 

So yeah, if you couldn't figure it out by now.  This episode was amazing, a fantastic hour of television if ever there was one.  Hopefully, the remaining episodes can keep it going, because the show is really starting to shine.

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'Jessica Jones' Season 2, Episode 6: 'AKA Facetime'

I noted before that the last episode's "cliffhanger" tried to make a big deal out of something that wasn't.  It turns out that I was, more or less, correct.  While we do see people fleeing the aquarium, the only real effect of the implied tsunami is that Jessica's phone is messed up, preventing her from taking a photo of the car as her targets make their getaway.  Even that is quickly dealt with via the old "bag of rice" trick.

From there, the episode proceeds to move onto several other issues.  The most prominent is Trish's addiction to Simpson's drug.  When we first see her, she's just itching for a fight; but once she's cut off, she starts to show the standard symptoms.  You'd think Jess or especially Malcolm would start to notice that something's up, but both remain oblivious.

Jess does get to show off her loyal, kind-hearted side.  Not only does she offer a shoulder/sounding board for Trish to vent about her romantic woes, but she even offers to act as nurse when Trish falls ill.

This seems to have positive ramifications as her romance with the landlord takes a step forward.  It seems his hangups about things moving too fast are no longer a concern.  Not only do the two hookup, but he paints her while she sleeps.  A little creepy, not going to lie.  I'm sure he meant it to be romantic, but some better judgment could have been used there.

On the flip side, she also relapses in regards to giving into darker impulses.  You see this mostly in terms of her investigation.  She breaks into a country club to pump a guy for information and when that doesn't work, she accosts his son.  She does acknowledge it via a voice over, but it seems her desire to be better has been put on hold. 

Said investigation does yield some results.  She manages to obtain the name of the IGH scientist responsible for the experiments: Karl Malus.  It's quite close to the name of the big bad on "Legends of Tomorrow".  Were these not two completely separate and independent shared universes from rival comic book companies, I'd say a crossover might happen, but I doubt it.  Would be interesting to see, though.

The other big development comes in the episode's last five seconds as the killer's identity is finally revealed.  It turns out that the woman is Jessica's mother.  It explains the parallels quite well and does add a more personal stake in the established conflict.  You'd think that this would come off as eye-roll worthy, having the villain be related to the hero is a rather old trope at this point, but it seemed to work here.  I think that Jessica's shocked reaction being what reveals it helps a little.  Normally, it's the antagonist who makes the declaration. 

Unlike last episode, this ending has more umph.  The conversation between the two should be interesting, to say the least.  Where things go from there remains to be seen.

It'll also be interesting to see what comes of the Malcolm/Trish...fling?  The idea that Malcolm has been pining for Trish does come out of left field.  The two just came off as good friends.  Yeah, Trish is gorgeous, so I can understand some degree of attraction, but the idea that he's been in love with her this whole time raised an eyebrow.  It does give Trish something to manipulate once she gets her drug fix in.  It also puts a whole new spin on the term "crack pairing".  At the very least, it adds a more literal element to it. 

All in all, this episode was OK.  Pacing was an issue; I did find myself checking the remaining time more than once.  Still, there were seeds planted that could lead to interesting plot development down the road.   

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