The possessed townsfolk of Castle Rock convert one final ‘disciple’ before the return of their leader at sunset. With Joy the intended vessel for Amity, it’s up to Annie Wilkes to save her.

After two episodes that felt like they were treading water, this final instalment leaps into action immediately, resolving the supernatural plot within its first 20 minutes. While on the face of it this is a little rapid, the remaining 25 minutes are spent on Annie and Joy, the strongest elements of the show. Lizzy Caplan and Elsie Fisher have been the heart of the show, respectively as mother and adoptive daughter, and it’s only right that their relationship should play out at the appropriate pace.

The pulpy Invasion of the Bodysnatchers-style takeover of the town is a fun sub-plot that works best when in the background. Abdi, Nadia and even Pop (but I thought he was dead?) all get the chance to perform heroics before the reset switch is hit and the residents are freed from the spell. We won’t be seeing the Marsten House again any time soon, but it’s been fun seeing it as something other than the vampire’s nest from Salem’s Lot.

More than an Annie Wilkes origins story, this ten-part thriller has successfully woven in unexpected threads from the first season, leaving room for further adventures. The Annie Wilkes aspects are by far the most accomplished and surprising, and right up to the end you’ll be wondering when she’ll make the transition to novelist Paul Sheldon’s ‘Number One fan’.

Verdict: A satisfying conclusion after a couple of formulaic bumps in the road, and certainly a worthy successor to the exciting first season. 8/10

Nick Joy