Castle Rock 1.06 "Filter" - Review:
Directed by Kevin Hooks, Written by Vinnie Wilhelm & Marc Bernardin
Filter peeled back some of the secrets behind Castle Rock in another consistent episode of the show. Not much was revealed but we still learned more than we had done in the past, as the show put its own missing pieces together for a change after relying on mystery built upon mystery. We finally get that much needed Henry and Molly scene where she goes all out, holding back nothing and confessing that she killed his father, not Henry. It's chilling for Henry to hear the truth especially how crazy Molly sounds when she explains that she felt that he wanted his father dead, so she did it for him but believes that they did it together. Whilst you get the feeling that there's yet more revelations to come in this department, the show does a good job at giving us an idea of what the conversation between the two that needed to happen would look like. She felt that he felt afraid, and then relieved.
A lot of actions from Henry in this episode go some way to help him on his way to learning more about his past. He might have brought his son to Castle Rock for more than just to see his grandmother before she forgets who he is, but given that the age of Chosen Jacobs' character Wendell is around the same age as Henry was when he went missing, there might be something more at play. Does he hope to trick his mother into remembering more details about the past? As always, Sissy Spacek knocks it out of the park in this episode and her presence always continues to be welcome. Jacobs too impresses as Wendell, and I hope this isn't the last actor from IT wo we see on the show and he plays a major role in the remaining episodes.
One of the more welcome additions to this week's episode was deaf actor C.J. Jones, who starred in the awesome Baby Driver earlier last year as one of the film's best characters. Here, he strikes up a Twin Peaks-esque companionship with the young Willie, who Henry meets when he finds himself in a wood near Castle Lake around a fire. Willie and Odin tell him that Odin knew Henry's father and they shared a belief that nature was the true Church of God, and you could hear the voice of your lord if there were no other voices around, with all the loud, twenty-first century sounds being excluded and cast aside. Odin calls it the Schisma, and it focuses on people being able to connect with other realities, endless plains of existence. He believes that the ringing in Henry's ear means that he has the Schisma, and it's louder than it's ever been before. And then Henry makes the mistake of standing in The Filter, a device that was built from the mind of Henry's father by Odin, who promptly closes the door on him.
In true Castle Rock fashion, it seems that answers are only answered with more questions, and the show does a very good job at keeping us in suspense. The film does a good job at playing out like a traditional movie in its structure, and I'm interested to see how well this series holds up when binged on a rewatch. A good amount of this show bases itself in its reliance on mysteries that may cause it to lose its novelty when watched with the knowledge of everything that's going on. So it's a good choice by the writers to keep us in suspense for as long as possible, never shying away from a memorable ending cliffhanger.
The other main part of the storyline focused on Alan and The Kid who had struck an unlikely partnership when Alan believed that The Kid was able to help him. That's a big mistake right there Alan, it's never going to end well for you. His first order of business was to search for Warden Lacy's car, which we've seen both times. Once when he held The Kid in the trunk, and again when in the present day, he commited suicide, driving off the cliff edge and decapitating himself.
I wonder if The Schisma will allow Henry to explore "What If?" timelines of what could have happened in Castle Rock. Will we get to see different versions of now? Somewhere, there's a timeline where Henry never went missing and his father never died. And somewhere, there's a timeline where Alan took The Kid out of the trunk of the car. It's also another connection to the Stephen King Universe, with The Dark Tower possibly being drawn into the thick of things as well. King is a diverse author who although is known for his horror has written one of the best long-running fantasy series ever, combining the western elements into his epic really well. If there's more about the connection of The Dark Tower and even a reference to either Roland Deschain or Randall Flagg, I'm going to welcome it.
Alan ends up stealing the car for The Kid in the end, succeeding in his effort to get it back but in doing so leaving Ruth unguarded and open to the unpredictable nature that The Kid provides, a terrifying threat. It's hard to believe that both Wendell and Ruth are dead, but the question as to what condition they were left in remains to be seen. The Kid is an enigmatic force of nature and he's providing that further edge of unpredictability to this show that makes whatever he does so memorable. I hope this isn't the last we see of either Ruth or Wendell, as Ruth still feels very underdeveloped as of now and it would be a real waste of the acting talents of Sissy Spacek.
"Why would you leave me in trunk, Sherriff?" The Kid asks. Casting Bill Skarsgård has easily proved to be the show's best decision so far. The impact that comes every time his character speaks is nothing short of unsettling. He may not speak much, but when he does, you know he's going to leave a mark.
What did you think of Filter? Let me know in the comments section below and be sure to check out the next episode of Castle Rock tomorrow on Hulu.
