Castle Rock Review: Caveat Emptor (Season 2 Episode 9)

Finality can be a time of acceptance and love, or it can be of fear and anger. Pop Merrill finds a happy medium on Castle Rock Season 2 Episode 9, “Caveat Emptor,” as the newly living come to his doorstep.

While the resurrection of Amity may be the main goal, finding The Kid is just as important to Ace. The letters, a nice little tie-in to the first season and Scott Glenn’s Alan, maybe holding the key to The Kid’s whereabouts is an interesting development, as Warden Lacy’s thoughts during the first season headed toward abject horror at the thought of The Kid, rather than complete interest.

The letters getting burned meaning nothing, and that the knowledge inside Pop is enough for Ace, is such a terrifying thought. It takes “knowledge is power” to a whole new level with this enemy, where it doesn’t matter what you do, they will to use you if you’re intact. It could have been a fun route to explore more, but that moment between Pop and Ace has a lot of impact as is, the creeping realization.

The sense of foreboding and doom that runs through the episode is able to stretch the tension to the breaking point. The episode’s atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting, creating this maze-like system of the Emporium and its many layers and underground spots, with the steam, smoke, and gunpowder filling the air making the location this dream-like hellscape.

Tim Robbins is exceptional here, turning Pop from a bad man to someone with depth who finds closure in his final moments. Though he may not find the acceptance from Nadia and Abdi he wants, he does help them escape and offers himself up as bait, which is about the best he can do, given his state and the circumstances.

Robbins brings an exhausted but still looming force to the role, where despite Pop’s deteriorating health, he’s still that larger-than-life force for Ace, Nadia, and Abdi. Plus, he wields a menacing shotgun.

The bomb vest Pop wears at the end of the episode is a curious moment for his character. He seemingly removes the batteries from the detonator right before confronting Ace, but feigns surprise when it doesn’t set off when confronting Ace.

Is this a ruse on his part, another time for stalling, or is he still afraid of dying? Most of the episode, Pop spends his time accepting his fate and wanting to reconcile with Nadia, and so for him to back down from death, to potentially be reborn, is an intriguing way to close out his character.

Annie continues to be too much of a wild card for her own good, though perhaps Annie and Pop are the only sane ones of the bunch, knowing to take the fight to the enemy that will stop at nothing. Killing the tied up enemy, and stepping into incoming gunfire, is starting to make Annie look like she either has a death wish now that Joy may be beyond help, or that she’s in such a daze that she is beyond help.

Castle Rock, as a town, looks to be nearly completely wiped out. It isn’t clear yet whether or not all of those drawn by The Kid statue will be transformed or simply dealt with, but the wiping out of the remaining townsfolk, including Warden Lacy’s widow (the always wonderful Frances Conroy), is a devastating reminder that there may be no coming back from this one.

With the train blocking the survivors from certain death, there’s the question of how they could possibly fight the enemy with such dwindled numbers. But there is a significant amount of determination in this group, and so the need to rescue Joy may drive them forward into a suicide mission of sorts.

The episode also happens to make the Emporium into a character, through the pawned off items from lives now long gone. It’s a personification of Castle Rock almost, the forgotten relics of the town that is, at least currently, wiped out. For that to become the final stand against the enemy is a perfect spot for battle, as it becomes a battle for the soul of the town, surrounded by the town’s discarded items.

Castle Rock Season 2 Episode 9, “Caveat Emptor,” manages to take the somewhat bumpy ride to this point and turn it to an advantage. The mostly single location does wonders for the rising intensity, and helps settle the show down to a fight for humanity against a sea of inhumanity. Even when death is near, its characters are looking for acceptance, though in the case for Pop, it will never come.

By bringing the main cast together for a battle to the death, Castle Rock sets the stakes higher by turning family history into a weapon, and past decisions as the ammunition. If The Kid is the endgame for the season, it’s going to be an exciting push to connecting both seasons’ narratives in a creative, unique way.

 

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Castle Rock airs Wednesdays on Hulu.

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