As we delve into the troubled past of Annie, Castle Rock takes a sideways glance from its contemporary plotline to elucidate the reasons behind our protagonist's mental turmoil. It's a commendable episode, even with a few pacing hiccups, that adds an extra layer of depth to this character and showcases her gradual mental deterioration. While not for everyone, as some may lament its slow pace, the ending, and its seamless integration with the first episode, should keep you invested until the end.
We begin in 1994, with a young Annie at school, bullied by her peers. After lashing out at one of the tormentors, smacking her with her lunchbox, Annie is called to a meeting with the school where her parents are informed she needs assistance. Taking drastic measures, her Father withdraws her from public education and decides to homeschool her instead. There, he tells her a tale about The Laughing Place before showing off the beginning of his novel.
As the years pass, Annie's parents' relationship becomes strained, and it worsens when she reveals she still cannot read. After a fight with her Father, we jump forward to the present, where we see Joy and Abdi heading to Jerusalem's Lot. Annie hurries after them, trying to convince Joy to return home. Refusing to speak about her Father, Annie is forced to retreat and looks back at her daughter once before drowning her sorrows at the bar.
Meanwhile, in the past, Annie's Mother hires a tutor named Rita to help her learn to read. As the days and months pass, Annie's Father decides to leave. Soon after, Annie learns she has passed her GED and hurries to call her Father with the good news. However, her Mother is not as pleased and slowly begins to spiral into mental decline. In their car, Annie's Mother locks the doors and drives into the lake, attempting to kill them both. Although Annie survives, her Mother does not.
It's a dark day for the family and one that sees Annie's descent into darkness take a precipitous turn, despite her Father returning to stay with her. Three months after her death, Annie refuses to fill out any college applications and continues to drown her sorrows in apathy. When Rita shows up and her Father announces they are in a relationship together, Annie plunges deeper into despair.
Against all odds, Annie's Father completes the book after 12 long years, but instead of dedicating it to Annie, he bestows it upon Rita. This step is too far for Annie, who has poured her heart and soul into helping write and re-read the book. Her rage boils over, and she pushes him down the stairs in a fit of fury. Tragically, it proves fatal, impaling him on the bannister. Rita witnesses the carnage and screams in horror, prompting Annie to chase after her with scissors, stabbing her in the stomach. With the child in her arms and The Ravenous Angel box in hand, Annie rushes down to the lake, her body covered in blood.
In the present, Joy reads through the story and is shocked to see it dedicated to Rita Green. After conducting some research, she discovers who Rita is and calls her biological mother. It turns out that the scissor blow to Rita's stomach didn't actually kill her, and as she answers the phone, we cut back to Annie in the bar, sitting with Ace. The twist at the end of this episode is a masterful touch, and while it may not resonate with everyone, the exploration of Annie's past does an excellent job of fleshing out this troubled character. The use of color, contrasting cold blues and greys with warm oranges and whites, effectively showcases the different extremes Annie experiences as a child, adding an extra layer of depth.
As we reach the midway point of the season, I hope that Castle Rock improves its pacing and redoubles its efforts on the present-day story. While Castle Rock is certainly an improvement over the first season and the blending of Misery and Salem's Lot is a smart choice that seems to be working well so far with the overarching plot, I just hope that the series intensifies its horror and tension now to deliver a second half that reaches those same heights achieved early on in this season.
