Hulu’s Castle Rock: Where will season 2 take us?

The first season of Hulu’s Castle Rock was mysterious and mind-bending. Will the second season be a little less puzzling, more action-oriented?

Hulu’s Castle Rock didn’t begin or end its first season in a simple way. In many ways, this made sense, as Stephen King’s stories can be a mysterious, winding road. Why should a series loosely based on King’s fictional town be different?

Nonetheless, a negative critique I’ve heard is that, at least in the beginning, the series was both slow and confusing. Indeed, it took a few episodes for this writer to get into the story.

Once the story advanced, though, I thought it was well-written. I also agree with critics that episode 7, “The Queen,” was one of the strongest points for the season.

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On top of that, I like that Castle Rock was capable of taking its time, and that the show had enough courage to take some chances. In an age of short attention spans and predictable, cookie cutter storylines, a little bit of confusion and challenge is probably necessary.

However, I do have a few light critiques, and I wonder if season two will address any of them.

First of all, I feel the first season had a few too many loose ends. At times it made things seem a little gimmicky, or like certain scenes were purely a device. Fortunately, I think future seasons have opportunities to tie up some loose ends, and maybe to develop characters a little more.

For example, it seems like Molly Strand (Melanie Lynskey) has more to her story, and hope to see more of that. As another example, the characters of Josef Desjardins (David Selby) and his brother should definitely be brought back.

Heck, the complex story of Henry Matthew Deaver (André Holland/Bill Skarsgård) could even be elaborated on a little bit. After all, the entire season revolved around an alternate universe theory and suggested crossing these barriers can lead to bizarrely evil outcomes.

It’s definitely something that shouldn’t be neglected for future seasons, even if it isn’t the central story anymore.

Complications with Castle Rock season 2

There are some potential hurdles to season 2. Honestly, I don’t see how season 2 could be very similar to the first one. Something tells me it will require different elements if it’s going to be successful. It shouldn’t just be a mystery-heavy re-tread of what we saw the first time around!

While I have no inside information on where it’s going, I have a hunch that the action factor will be escalated a little bit. The “slow burn” of the first season will likely leave people desiring less vague developments, and less abstract and theoretical frameworks.

Even people who were fully committed to season 1 deserve some different dynamics and some changes in expectations and style.

Finally, I have to address the way Castle Rock ended in season 1. It is honestly about as open-ended as the story could have been. There is definitely a lack of finality to it, and it seems that very few conflicts in Castle Rock will truly be resolved.

It seems like a challenge.

While “The Kid” is still in the old Shawshank prison, it seems almost necessary to keep him involved, lest season 2 simply come out of nowhere.

If you ask me, a lot of season 2’s energy will depend on how they merge the seasons conceptually. While I trust it can be managed with care, I also understand that TV shows sometimes make huge errors.

With a show that takes chances (or calculated risks), it will be interesting to see where “Castle Rock” ventures in its second round. Even if it’s still puzzling, it may be a puzzle worth trying to solve.

What are your thoughts on Castle Rock‘s future? Let us know in the comments!