TV Review: Castle Rock - Series One Episode Seven "The Queen"

"God Helps Those Who Help Themselves..."

Continuing on from the double dose of cliffhangers which concluded last week's return to form, Castle Rock utilises an hour length episode this week to expand and develop Sissy Spacek's Ruth Deaver, a character whose shadowy spectrum within the background of events so far comes full circle as we come to understand the true nature of her mental infliction which the likes of Alan and Henry have come to deduce as a simply case of Alzheimer's, but one which instead lends itself more into the paranormal and surreal, with particular previous character behaviours within the series all becoming increasingly clear. With "The Queen" undoubtedly the most impressive episode of the series so far in terms of its' beautiful storytelling, sharp pacing and heartbreaking twists and turns, this week's episode was also the most King-esque to be offered up so far, an hours worth of paranormal imagery overshadowed by a haunting, creeping tone and a brooding, ominous soundtrack which clearly echoed a wide range of previous King related projects in which the series has taken heed from. 

With Ruth's ability to travel through the vortex of time itself made abundantly clear, resulting in last week's strangely odd conversation regarding the importance of the missing chess pieces within her house now making total sense, the hour we spend watching Ruth as she traverses the echoes of her past memories is truly beautiful to behold, with the chance to add a deeper layer of characterisation to the likes of Deaver's over-bearing and unstable religious father figure brilliantly orchestrated whilst in the present, the true nature of The Kid seems to unravel itself with a heartbreaking resolution as Ruth attempts to rid herself of her reincarnated demons. With nods to The Shining in which we see Ruth battle through a very Gold Room-esque party full to the rafters with echoes of the dead and an absolutely stunning use of Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" as seen in the likes of the equally beautiful Arrival previously, "The Queen" was a powerfully emotive and undenaibly creepy addition into a series which continues to impress the more it goes on, an episode which bears similarities to "Kiksuya" from Westworld by showing that even when taking the time to focus strictly on one character, such storytelling can be a real beautiful thing to behold. 

Overall Episode Score: 9/10