Castle Rock Episode 7
Seven episodes in, Castle Rock is the best “adaptation” of Stephen King’s work ever put on the small screen (and it’s much better than most of the movies, too). But even that is selling this show short. Castle Rock has proved itself to be more than just one big easter egg and reference guide to the King universe. This series is more earnest than that, and it’s to the credit of showrunners Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason and all of the writers and directors that Castle Rock transcends the traditional adaptation. With “The Queen,” Castle Rock solidifies its place as a spectacular drama piece worthy of its own examination separate from King’s work. Ruth spends the episode unstuck in time, floating through the past, present, and maybe even future with a little help from her chess pieces (“breadcrumbs,” as she calls them). At times, the story is hard to follow, and the episode spends a little too much time retreading scenes we’ve already watched and not always in new ways, but that’s exactly the effect “The Queen” wants to have on you. Ruth establishes the beats of her narrative with her chess pieces, hoping that she can dig herself out from the past, and that means following all of the breadcrumbs. Along the way, she has the chance to exorcise her demons, both new and old. Castle Rock doesn’t take the obvious path with the episode’s “stranger in the house” storyline. The Kid remains the most ominous aspect of the show but never quite threatens Ruth. Instead, he channels the Reverend, the dead husband and father who has torments Ruth and Henry (and Molly) from the grave. It’s never clear what the Kid means to do to Ruth — or what he means to do to anyone, honestly — and it’s the mystery of his character and the way he’s able to recall intimate moments from Ruth’s past that make their scenes together so frightening. Ruth sneaking around the house, looking for the bullets while the Kid draws her a bath, is the most edge-of-your-seat terrifying and exhilarating this show has been thus far. We watch as past Ruth fails to do what she knows she should — leave the Reverend and run away with Henry and Alan — a life-defining moment anchored by the memory of a suitcase and a gun. Ruth is haunted by her inaction. It’s not her fault that the Reverend fucked up her son — she’s as much a victim as Henry is — but she feels that. It’s hard to watch as Ruth tells young Henry that it’s not his job to protect her from the Reverend, but the other way around. That Ruth feels she can’t escape unless she takes up with another man and runs away with him makes the whole situation all the more gut-wrenching. In one of the episode’s most shocking moments, we learn that Ruth was watching the night Molly killed the Reverend in their room. “It didn’t take,” she tells Molly, who comes looking for Henry (I assume he’s still stuck in the Filter, forced to listen to the schisma). Ruth decides to make things right by shooting the Kid, which she hopes will let her finally be rid of her husband once and for all. John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9.
