The history of Castle Rock is sometimes unpleasant. There are secrets that have yet to be revealed. Some secrets can haunt a person to the brink of sanity, especially when it hurts others.
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Guilt
Back in 1991, young Henry Deaver (Caleel Harris) went missing. Reverend Deaver (Mark Zeisler) was found almost frozen and with a broken back. The reverend returned home, though and was expected to live. Molly Strand (Cassady McClincy) lived across the street. Late one night, she snuck into their house. She put on one of Henry’s hoodies and walked through the house. She found Rev. Deaver in a bed across from Ruth Deaver. He was hooked up to a ventilator to help him breath. Molly disconnected the ventilator and let the reverend die.
Adult Molly (Melanie Lynskey) walks through the Deaver house. It’s snowing inside. She walks up the stairs and into a church. She finds a casket at the front of the pews. The Reverend stands before. He asks her who she is to overrule the Lord’s will. She turns around to find the whole town looking at her as the Reverend begins preaching. Molly is saved by her alarm. She gets dressed and takes a pill before heading out the door.
Local Color
Henry (André Holland) sits at the bowling alley looking through the paper. He sees Molly’s ad for her real estate business. Molly is at her office with Jackie (Jane Levy). Molly is going to be on Local Color to pitch her idea to revitalize the town. Jackie is transporting Molly’s town model to the TV station for her.
CASTLE ROCK — “Local Color” – Episode 103 – The past catches up with Molly Strand. Molly Strand (Melanie Lynskey) and Jackie (Jane Levy) shown. (Photo by: Seacia Pavao/Hulu)
Molly packs some things up and gets a weird feeling. Henry walks in the door and Molly pretends not to remember him. While she is talking to him, she hears conversations he’s had previously. He says he came to see her to talk about selling Ruth’s house. Molly says she can’t help him because she’s so busy. Henry asks her if he said something wrong. Molly says he didn’t and quickly dismisses him.
Flashback: Molly finds Henry burning a VHS tape. She invites him to her room. He accepts and mentions that he goes to a catholic school because his dad made him. Henry makes it clear that the reverend is not his real dad. Molly tells him that she knows what he does in his room when he’s alone. She says she can hear what he’s thinking and what he feels. It’s like she’s always with him. They hear the reverend yell for Henry. Molly clinches her fist at the same time that Henry does. Adult Molly snaps out of the memory and takes another pill.
Nick at Night
At the prison, the Kid (Bill Skarsgård) sits alone in the cafeteria, eating only the bread from his tray. Zalewski (Noel Fisher) talks with another guard about the “bonus” pay that they all received. It’s not a bonus but a pay off so they don’t talk about the Kid. The Kid gets up from the table and walks towards something. Zalewski warns him to sit back down. The Kid stops but doesn’t look at Zalewski. The guard tells him to listen until Henry can get him out. He turns around to see what the Kid is looking out. It’s a picture of Warden Lacy.
Zalewski meets with Henry and gives an update on the Kid. He says the other guards call him Nick at Night since they have to watch him on the security cameras. Henry asks Zalewksi to get the Kid to trust him and tell him how he got there. Henry needs a burden of proof to get the Kid out.
Pick-Me-Up
Molly drives home and someone has broken into her house and trashed the place. Jane comes over to help her clean up. Molly calls the police to report the break in and notices that her basement door is open. She rushes downstairs to make sure her stuff is still there. Jane finds the poster of Henry. She asks Molly if Henry killed his father. Molly avoids the question saying she has a lot to do the next day.
CASTLE ROCK — “Local Color” – Episode 103 – The past catches up with Molly Strand. Molly Strand (Melanie Lynskey) and Charlie Tahan shown. (Photo by: Seacia Pavao/Hulu)
Molly practices everything she wants to say in her television interview, but she gets distracted by the memory of killing Rev. Deaver. She looks for her pills and finds that she’s out. Molly rushes down to the school to find Dean (Charlie Tahan). Dean is complete out of his supply. He sends her to the Timberland Motor Court to find another supplier, Derek (Russell Posner).
As Molly drives to the motor court, she remembers their conversation about the reverend not being Henry’s dad. Molly thinks back on one Halloween when Henry tried to light a jack-o-latern and burned his fingers. Molly felt it too across the street. And the night he disappeared, Molly was with Henry in the woods. The reverend asks Henry if hc an hear “it.” They walk a little ways up and he asks Henry again if he can hear “it.” Molly wakes up and sees Henry running through the woods away from his dad.
The Death House
In the present, Molly finds the motor court. She looks around, but there are no adults anywhere…just children. They are all gathered in a house, playing out a murder trial with masks on their face. Molly goes in and says she’s looking for Derek. The judge orders her to take a seat. She asks where their parents are. Two little ones tell her their moms are out drunk and their dads are all in Shawshank. The witness on the stand points to Molly as the murderer. Molly asks for Derek again, but the judge silences her. He remands her to the death house.
The judge is Derek. He tells her to keep pretending. Once they are inside, Derek asks Molly for money and to see her breasts. She offers more money than he’s asking for. They are interrupted by police sirens headed straight for the death house.
Posting Bail
CASTLE ROCK — “Local Color” – Episode 103 – The past catches up with Molly Strand. Henry Deaver (Andre Holland) and Molly Strand (Melanie Lynskey) shown. (Photo by: Seacia Pavao/Hulu)
The next day, Henry goes to the police station asking about Dale Lacy’s car. He asks where the DNA samples were sent, but the officer tells him that they didn’t test for any because it was a suicide. Henry says he’s looking for the DNA of his client…the Kid that Lacy kept in a cage. The cop doesn’t believe him. Henry says he will get a court order for DNA tests on the car. The cop reminds him that everyone in town has someone in their family working at the prison. They are interrupted with news that Molly is demanding her own cell.
Henry bails out Molly and walks with her to retrieve her car. She thanks him for helping her, but says she can’t be around him. She explains that she feels things that other people are feeling and can hear their thoughts too. Molly says it’s like when you have a song stuck in your head. When they were kids, Henry was that song and it’s overwhelming. She looses track of herself and she can’t afford to do that again. Molly tells him about her revitalization plan and tv interview on Local Color. She says after spending five minutes with Henry, she lost it. He doesn’t hear her though. Instead he pays the impound and takes Molly to the TV station for her interview.
Lights, Camera, Action
While she is getting ready, she hears him on the phone telling someone about the Kid’s situation. She gets on air and has a hard time talking about her project. Molly puts on her sunglasses because it makes her feel comfortable. She blurts out that Castle Rock needs to wake up. Jackie and Warden Porter (Ann Cusack) watch from the bowling alley. She goes off about the kid found under the prison saying he was never given due process She says it’s a pattern of abuse by local authorities. So yeah, it’s time for a change.
CASTLE ROCK — “Local Color” – Episode 103 – The past catches up with Molly Strand. Henry Deaver (Andre Holland) shown. (Photo by: Seacia Pavao/Hulu)
Molly drives Henry home. He is a little confused on how she knows everything he does about the Kid, but he appreciates her help. She stops at the driveway and they say goodbye. After Molly drives away, Henry gets a phone call from Shawshank prison.
The Deal
Henry meets with Warden Porter who offers him a settlement. The prison will admit to wrongful conviction in exchange for the Kid’s release, $300,000, and a No Disclosure Agreement. The Kid will also not hold the prison, the private owners or any of the employees accountable. Warden Porter says the actions of a rogue employee doesn’t reflect the values of the private owners or its shareholders. Henry says he will talk to the Kid about the offer.
Henry finally meets with the Kid. The first thing he tells the Kid is to never reveal his name. For now he has no identity so he has no record. Henry tells him about the deal, but says not to take it. He’s going to take the Kid’s case to court to clear his name. After they win that round, they will then sue the prison.
The Kid asks Henry how old he is. He’s 39. The Kid asks Henry, “Do you hear it now?” Henry remains silent. That’s the question his dad asked him the night he disappeared. The guards say time is up and they take the Kid away.
Molly arrives back home at night. Someone has broken into her house again. She looks around at the mess and hears footsteps coming from upstairs. Molly grabs a knife and goes to investigate. She looks in the bedroom, behind doors, and under the bed, but no one is there. She walks to the next room and senses someone behind her. When she turns around, she sees Reverend Deaver walking towards her. She screams and runs for a lit closet. The reverend starts to preach as Molly tries frantically to close the door. She looks again…and he’s gone.
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Thoughts
Wow! So Molly is telepathic and maybe a little telekinetic. That was quite a twist that she is the one who killed Reverend Deaver, not Henry. And Henry has let the people of that town treat him so badly for his father’s death. I’m sure he believes he caused his death. I’m frustrated with Molly right now.
I am satisfied that Henry finally met the Kid. And how creepy is it that the kid knows Henry’s past too…How did he know about that question? And what is it that Henry is supposed to be listening for? I’m shook y’all. I can’t wait to find out what happens!
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News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
