Those Cursed Paintings & More ‘Castle Rock’ Moments From ‘Past Perfect’
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Season 1 Episode of Castle Rock, “Past Perfect.”]
After last week’s dream-like journey through Ruth’s mind and reality, Castle Rock put the pedal to the metal with its latest installment “Past Perfect.”
While ramping up the energy, the show also deepens the mystery surround The Kid and his purpose — Is he evil? Is he human? More questions are raised each week and with only two more episodes left in the season we’re exploring “Past Perfect” moments and new theories about what might be next.
One thing is for sure, all is not well in Castle Rock.
New Neighbors
Castle Rock‘s newest residents start off the episode by purchasing deceased Warden Lacy’s (Terry O’Quinn) house. The married couple who are going through a rough patch after the wife (Lauren Bowles) cheated on her husband Gordon (Mark Harelik) create a bed and breakfast with an interesting theme. Using mannequins, they recreate famous murders that occurred within the home — Gordon is a murder enthusiast.
You know things are taking a turn when Gordon’s wife accesses the mysterious basement previously mentioned in the season. So what does this cavern hold? Multiple paintings of The Kid (Bill Skarsgård) created by warden Lacy — when Gordon makes a connection with one of the images you know their doomed fate is sealed. Similar to physical situations throughout the season when The Kid is present, Gordon’s connection to the painting takes and ugly turn to murder when a couple arrives at their establishment.
The ill-fated ending calls into question the reason that Lacy’s wife Martha (Frances Conroy) wouldn’t allow Henry (André Holland) to enter the basement before. Could she have known the paintings were cursed as The Kid appears to be? We wonder…
Henry’s Visions
After being locked in a soundproof chamber, Henry experiences visions in the form of a montage with interesting images. Among the flashes are a basement setting, The Kid’s face, the woods, and a young Henry holding a screw driver. What do they have in common? Viewers will likely have to wait for more, but Molly’s (Melanie Lynskey) ability to find him suggests there’s more to her abilities than previously implied. Later on in the episode she notes that when she’s around The Kid she feels different than any other experience she’s had with her “psychic” powers. Could his presence be heightening that?
The Kid
For weeks the question about who and what The Kid is has haunted fans, and it feels like viewers are finally making leeway. When Henry returned home from the woods, The Kid explains what happened to Ruth (Sissy Spacek) with accuracy, but his tone continues to imply a deep understanding of Henry, whether he’s channeling his dead father or not. The most disconcerting information introduced about The Kid this week though, was his claim that he’s waited 27 years for Henry without any explanation. At the end of the episode he has a scene with Molly that further complicates matters, as he displays a deep knowledge of her life as well, and suggests that she’s… dead? Either way fans are seeing more layers to this otherwise mysterious character each week, will answers be provided by the season’s end? We hope so.
Thank God for Jackie
The horror enthusiast and semi-town historian Jackie Torrance (Jane Levy) drops by the bed and breakfast in the midst of Gordon and his wife’s murder clean-up, and it sets off a red flag. Worried about the situation when she returns she also manages to save Henry from near-death as he and Gordon tussle on the front lawn with a knife. Ultimately Jackie’s axe wins the fight, and hopefully she’ll be there to save the day in the future if need be.
Like Father, Like Son?
When Henry decides to send his son back to Boston, Wendell (Chosen Jacobs) is left on the bus waiting to pull away from Castle Rock when a crow flies into the windshield — an image introduced earlier in the season. Moments later, Wendell is overpowered by a ringing sound, could he be suffering from the same ailment his father has? He definitely seems to have a bigger grasp than viewers are being shown.
Until the next episode the mysteries continue, but there’s sure to be some answers soon, right?
Castle Rock, Streaming Now, Hulu
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