If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: Newcomers set up shop in Castle Rock, Henry follows a clue. (IMDB)
Writer: Mark Lafferty
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 50mins
Airs: Wednesdays at 10pm on Space (Canada)/ Wednesdays on Hulu (United States)
This episode definitely had a lot to live up to, following last week’s amazing episode, so a drop in quality is understandable. Thankfully, this episode is only a slight drop as it brings all the characters back together again after last week’s detour while setting up the season for the final stretch. Because of this, the plot of the episode sort of gets lost in the shuffle. However, those who stay until the end will be greeted with a cliffhanger that comes out of nowhere.
The episode started with those unsuspecting home buyers who bought Warden Lacy’s home from Strand. They happened to be murder buffs who transformed the home into a murder-themed bed and breakfast. The big discovery here was a series of paintings by Lacy of The Kid that were found in the previously locked basement. Once the husband gazed at one of the paintings, he was compelled to murder their first guests, forcing them to frantically try to clean everything up.
Meanwhile, Deaver was still locked in the filter. Fortunately for him, Strand started to receive the same visions that eventually led her to him. Her visions were all over the place in this episode, including one of her death. The men who put Deaver there also appeared to be gone until we learned that Odin was killed nearby. Strand took Deaver home and they had a moment. Once he entered, he found the aftermath of what happened last week, featuring a tense encounter with The Kid and an the equally tense discovery of Pangborn’s body. The Kid mentioned that he was the one who saved Deaver when he was a child and had waited for him during the 27 years since. Their supposed trip to the forest got cut short, however, once the police arrived.
After learning about what happened, Deaver was remorseful but he couldn’t tell Wendell why he was gone. Ruth tried to explain herself to her son about how she believed that Matthew had come back and that she would stop him this time. Fearful of his son’s life, Deaver put Wendell back on a bus to Boston while he took care of things in Castle Rock. Another discovery came when Wendell could also hear the voice of God. Now how could that be the case? Before his bus arrived in Boston, Wendell got off early and started to head back to Castle Rock.
Deaver and Strand confided in each other about The Kid. To look for some more clues, Deaver decided to look in Lacy’s home. Once he broke in, he stumbled onto a room full of paintings of The Kid. The paintings were painted every year, going back 27 years while not aging at all over that time. The B&B owners eventually showed up and things became tense once again. As Deaver was about to leave, they both came after him with a knife. The wife slit her throat and Jackie was there just in time to kill the husband with an axe. Jackie hadn’t really done much up to this point with her last name being the only thing going for her but she was fun in this episode, saving Deaver and interrupting the B&B owners while they were cleaning up the previous murder scene. When everything was set and done, Deaver got a call about Ruth who had gone missing after visiting the church.
A frantic Strand wanted to go to Deaver’s house to find him but got sidetracked after seeing her family home for sale (long story). When she entered, The Kid was there. She apparently could help him with what he needed to do. He knew a scary amount of details about her and he claimed that she knew him. The Kid also revealed that Strand was dead?
Overall, this was still a good episode that was understandably a drop from last week though it was still very tense and a little funny to watch. The direction was slightly distracting at times but despite this, the performances were still top notch all around, especially from Holland, Lynskey, and SkarsgÃ¥rd. It didn’t offer much in terms of story, however, it did give us some answers about the relationship between Deaver and The Kid though also presented us with a huge question at the end that may confuse some viewers. How could Strand be dead? It may explain her power although how would that work? Hopefully the last two episodes of the season can give us a satisfying enough conclusion because we all know that it probably won’t answer everything.
Score: 8/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.