âCastle Rockâ - thoughts on the first three episodes.
With summer comes specific shows and âCastle Rockâ is one of them. An atypic project buth with famous fictional names and a famous real name: King.
The King related projects are in real high lately: of course âItâ, the attempted âDark Towerâ. Not long ago we got a miniseries â11/22/63âł. A âPet Semateryâ remake is on the way. Basically if we like King books and adaptatons, we are in a good time. But itâs not new to see Kingâs adaptations.
âShawshankâs Redemption, Stand by Me, Cujoâ ect. From the start it seems that Iâm only name dropping. And it was the danger, the tightrope walker numero of âCastle Rockâ.Â
I will take my example and try to expand a bit: I really like Kingâs novels. Iâm far from having read all and I donât even recall much from the ones I read (or seen as adaptations matter too). So, very early in the show we see Shawshank, maybe one the most famous name in Kingâs work. There is a high chance that a high amount of people know the movie and the name. Then we got some subtles/not subtles hints of other things that, as of now (three episodes in) donât seem important for the story, where Henry Deavers is the main protagonist.
My main concern is this: what if, as we continue in the episodes some big twists are happening but they refer to some Kingâs novels/movies that I just donât remember or know at all? Or are my knowledge of King will be a burden and I will foresee things that I wish I havenât? You see the particular balance the show must do? And it must also welcome viewers that are not familiar with King , because it would be alienating.
But without being an hypocrite, I expect the show to use Kingâs work in some way. Itâs like seeing a âVenomâ movie and not expecting to see Spider-Man...hum well, you get it.
However, the show is doing its thing with original characters (apparently) and it does it well. There is a mood, an atmosphere that is associated with King and that was surely the main thing we expected above all the names. There are mysteries that the show give us and we want to know more and where it goes.
In the end of season 1 we will see the answer to this question: is the balance between originality and fan service achieved?