Castle Rock Season 2: This "Misery/Salem's Lot" MashUp Is Surprisingly Entertaining

Over ten episodes, season 2 of Hulu's hit series "Castle Rock" takes us from lots of family drama to an all out battle for the survival of the town... and eventually the rest of mankind. That's some pretty high stakes. This season features the unlikely mashup of "Misery's" Annie Wilkes and the citizens of "Salem's Lot". It doesnt sound like it would work but it somehow does. The show gets off to a bit of a slow start as we're introduced to the various characters. But once it gets going, it's great fun.

When we first meet a much younger Annie (than we see in the movie) she and her teenage daughter Joy (who knew she had a child?) are driving away from California as quickly as possible. Annie is troubled by hallucinations and self medicates by stealing drugs from the hospitals where she works as a temp RN. They are one step ahead of the law. Also Annie searches her name on the Internet and sees she is wanted for murder. Hmmm, that should be an interesting story. The pair ends up in seriously screwed up town of Castle Rock, Maine (hence the title). See my season 1 reviews here

We also have another family at the center of the action. Reginald "Pop" Merrill (played by Tim Robbins) is the head a local family. He has four adopted kids. There's his nephew Ace. He's a real jerk and is always getting into trouble. There's Ace's brother Chris. There's also Nadia (played by Yusra Warsama from "The Last Days On Mars") and Abdi (played by Barkhad Abdi from "Captain Philips"). They are Somali and were taken in by Pops as children. Nadia is in a relationship with Chris.

She is also a doctor at the local hospital and tries to help Annie and Joy. Adbdi is working on a real estate deal to build a shopping center for the community. Pops is suffering from cancer and it looks like his days are numbered.

As the season progresses more and more strangeness begins. Ace attacks Annie. She thinks she has killed him... but nope. Suffice to say, you'll never think of ice cream scoops the same way again. Ace and a bunch of other locals are hanging out at the Marsten Mansion over in nearby Salem's Lot. They are obviously up to no good. I wont give away the specifics so as not to diminish your enjoyment. Even though I wished more time was spent on the "Salem's Lot" side of the story (and what happened to the survivors afterwards), the ending was exciting and appropriate.

Grade: 5 Monsters (out of 5). Loved it! Stephen King adaptations are a mixed bag but "Castle Rock" is definitely a winner. Somehow this "Misery/Salem's Lot" mashup works. Despite a slow start, the show progresses like gangbusters in the final episodes. Lizzy Capland (from "Masters Of Sex") shines as the emotionally disturbed Annie Wilkes. I initially wasnt sure how I would feel about THIS Annie (because I love Kathy Bates' interpretation). But Lizzy knocks it out of the park. Annie here is a sympathetic character. She knows she's mentally ill but doesnt do terrible things out of some sort of evil intent. She's trying to hold on to her tenuous grasp of reality. Capland should seriously be nominated for some awards. Elsie Fisher (from "Eight Grade") is also great as her daughter Joy. Their totally bizarre relationship and their need for each other is palpable. Annie's backstory is revealed in the episode "The Laughing Place". We get to see where her catch phrase "I'm your number 1 fan" comes from as well as some of her other strange mannerisms. We see less of the Merrill clan (Pops, Nadia, Abdi, Ace, Chris) but everything fits nicely together when they hook up with Annie. I won't give away the rest of the show's secrets. Watch it for yourself and see what ya think. There are tons of Easter eggs and season 1 callbacks to thrill King fans.