If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: Some birds can be caged. (IMDB)
Writers: Mark Lafferty and Dustin Thomason
Director: Nicole Kassell
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 51mins
Airs: Wednesdays at 10pm on Space (Canada)/ Wednesdays on Hulu (United States)
The goal going into this season finale was to hopefully get a satisfying conclusion to what has been for the most part an excellent series but unfortunately this was not the case here.
The episode started with a flashback sequence where Lacy confided in The Kid while serving him food. Meanwhile, Shawshank was being cleared out. Ruth was back on top of the bridge again as had re-lost her grip on reality. The Kid wanted Strand’s help to get Deaver to take him back to the woods. Strand later found Ruth and talked her down with an alternate reality where she left with Pangborn. While rushing back home, Deaver got into a car accident. Going back to Warden Porter for whatever reason, she became transfixed on The Kid once again. Once she returned home, she found a bad omen.
We were then treated to another flashback of the trip in the woods with his father that led to Deaver’s disappearance. Matthew had plans to get rid of Ruth so she would no longer be in the way of some master plan. This was enough for Deaver to run away. In the present, Deaver woke up and drove away as Wendell found himself in the woods with the schisma and found what was left of the filter. When returning home, Strand tried to convince Deaver to help The Kid but Deaver was understandably skeptical of his story.
Deaver’s reunion with his son was cut short as he finally was faced with the consequences of his actions despite the deaths being not of his doing. He was not interested in answering any questions. All he wanted was for Wendell and Strand to leave Castle Rock and him for good. Meanwhile, an unstable Porter caught up with Strand to warn her about The Kid. As she left, she was struck and killed by a Shawshank prison bus.
Deaver was put in a cell but he wouldn’t be alone for long as The Kid soon joined him. The Kid shared his story with Deaver. They were later joined by a group of Shawshank inmates presumably from the bus that struck Porter. The Kid used his powers to incite a riot so that he and Deaver could escape to the woods where this time happened to be eerily similar to that with his father. We also see the moment where a younger Deaver pushes his father off a cliff. In the present, Deaver and the Kid fought and that was it.
The episode ended with a one year flash forward where Deaver continued to practice law in Castle Rock. Ruth passed away and he was now living in the same house with Wendell while Strand had moved to Florida. What happened to The Kid? Deaver put him back in a cage underneath Shawshank. The Kid still found the time to warn him about what happened to his last captor before grinning as the light went out.
Okay, so the episode didn’t end there as there was a post-credits scene which may hint at where season 2 may be going. In the scene, Jackie talked about visiting the Overlook Hotel, an obvious reference to The Shinning and her uncle.
Overall, this was still a decent episode despite the underwhelming way in which it wrapped up the season. The abrupt ending followed by the one year flash forward was frustrating to watch to say the least. We were clearly not going to get all the answers here but it could have done a much better job. Regardless, the acting continues to be the best part of the series and this was still the case here. Being a self-contained story, it will be interesting to see where season 2 goes and if anyone or everything from this season will cross over. The post-credits scene may imply a direction but it could just be an Easter egg for fans.
Score: 6/10
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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.
