The first two episodes of Castle Rock were eerie, intriguing, and chock full of easter eggs, so we're here to break down everything we got from the first two episodes of this giant Stephen King homage.
The show feels like a mystery thriller, a bit subdued and very cryptic. The show is set in Castle Rock, a town that is referenced in many of King's works. It opens with Henry Deaver, a death row defense attorney from Castle Rock who hasn't been back in a long time because many people from town hold him responsible for the death of his father. We also get a look at John Lacey, the warden of Shawshank prison who commits suicide under mysterious circumstances, leading to the discovery of a guy who has been locked up in the Shawshank basement for a long time. He seems innocent, and yet there is a sinister air about him.
Several other characters are introduced including the guard with a conscience and the potentially evil new warden and her assistant. Perhaps the most interesting however, is the introduction of Pangborn, who is one of the only canon characters in the show so far. He is also the only person who knows what's going on in the town. He is involved with Ruth Deaver, Henry's mom played by Cissy Spacek, who we're pretty sure will have no connection to the character Carrie who Spacek is famous for playing.
Speaking of characters from the canon though, one character did set off some alarm bells because her name is Jackie Torrence which seems like a reference to Jack Torrance, the famous killer from The Shining. It's unclear at this point whether she has any relationship to the character, but the name doesn't seem like an accident.
If you'd like to hear more about the show, and find out what references we caught, check out Ryan and Greg's video above.