TV Review: Castle Rock - Series One Episode Five "Harvest"

"I Guess Everyone Thinks They Grow Up In The Worst Place On Earth..."

With the concluding act of last week's episode of Castle Rock undoubtedly the best part of the series so far, a startling five minutes or so which expertly blended the dulcet, lucid tones of Roy Orbison with a genuinely unsettling murder spree conducted by Shawshank prison guard, Boyd, a character whose early demise seems to begun a sequence of events which flows into the mid-way mark of the series this week in an episode which puts Skarsgård's "The Kid" slap-bang in the centre of ominous in-comings after he is released into the wilderness of the titular town. Whilst "Harvest" is undoubtedly the weakest episode of the series so far, with its' slower pacing and lack of real plot movement dragging the quality of the storytelling down a couple of notches in comparison to the first four hours of the show, the halfway mark of the series is also strangely the most important, a forty five minutes which seems to continue balancing historic exposition with contemporary action without ever becoming too convoluted in a sub-Westworld sensibility and one which continues the noble art of finishing on a conclusion which leaves you gripped and ready for more. 

With the release of "The Kid" the real talking point of the episode, his psychiatric evaluation and sudden care change into the hands of Molly is paralleled with the ever-growing and literal oncoming storm of wildfire, a supposedly natural phenomenon set to embrace the town of Castle Rock after already taking lives elsewhere, one which seems to ominously foreshadow events yet to come. With the orange glow of the fire raging in the distance as the episode unfolds, kudos indeed goes to cinematographer's Richard Rutkowski and Jeff Greeley, particularly with a brilliantly executed shot in which "The Kid" overlooks Castle Rock as the screams of its' residents intersect with the sombre, Blade Runner 2049-esque backdrop which unfolds in the distance. With Easter Egg of the week undoubtedly handed to Jackie Torrance during her discussion regarding a familial connection to one axe-wielding lunatic, it's a shame therefore that "Harvest" is an episode which just didn't seem to flow as freely as the rest of the series has done so far, but with the second act of the series on its' way, Castle Rock now has to show whether it is a series which ultimately lives up to expectation or indeed falls under the heavy weight of eager King fans who already have their steely knives sharpened. 

Overall Episode Score: 6/10