Hulu’s “Castle Rock” centers around a young lawyer, Henry Deaver, played by Andre Holland (“Moonlight,” “42”) who has expertise in capital punishment cases. According to USA Today, the show has had many easter eggs from Stephen King’s previous works. The prison where his clients are is called Shawshank, known famously from King’s older adaption, “The Shawshank Redemption,” which was made into a critically acclaimed 1994 adaption, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. According to The New York Times, the newspaper, “The Castle Rock Call,” is a nod to one of King’s older works, a short story entitled “The Man in the Black Suit,” from 1994.

All of Deaver’s clients have some type of supernatural power within them, and they all connect to him in some way. While he deals with his profession, he is also thinking about his childhood which he can't move on from, through flashbacks.

Holland puts on a great performance

Andre Holland is great as Deaver, who easily articulates Deaver’s attributes of anger and distrust. Every time he is on-screen, he always has a commanding presence, and always brings it to every scene he is in. Even when there is no talking, his eyes tell us how he is feeling; whether he is sad or angry. Holland pulls this off exceptionally well, which lets the audience understand right away what he is feeling at that particular moment.

He adds layers to his character, which helps make the audience sympathize with him.

King’s ‘Shawshank’ and ‘Green Mile’ similarities

While there are easter eggs to King’s other works in the show, there are two that stand out to me the most. One is the famous Shawshank prison used in the show, which was also used in King’s “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.” This is where all of Deaver’s clients are.

Also, another famous easter egg from the previous Stephen King works is from his Book “The Green Mile,” which was turned into a great movie, starring Tom Hanks. Michael Clarke Duncan’s character, John Coffey, had supernatural powers, just like Deaver’s clients, who possess a wide range of those powers, one of those being mind control.

Overall verdict of the show so far

After seeing these first few episodes, I can honestly say that this show is staying strong, and is sure to get better as the show goes along further into the season. The acting is phenomenal, and the references to King’s old books is a nice addition to the show, as well.

If you're a Stephen King fan, this is the show for you. ”Castle Rock” airs Wednesday nights, at 10 PM ET, on Hulu.
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