1619 in New Jerusalem, and a young woman and her lover are banished, only to return with magical powers. And as the town prepares to celebrate its 400-year anniversary, something is stirring again.

One of the strengths of this show is that it doesn’t have a reliance on a single character or grouping. It’s an ensemble piece, so much so that series lead Lizzy Kaplan (Annie Wilkes) only has one scene, and yet the episode is not weaker for it. In previous weeks we’ve had the back story of Annie and detailed flashbacks to Pop’s origins, but this week we go wider and look at the history of the town itself.

Enough time is spent on covering the events in the 17th Century when the small community were starving and suddenly prospered under new leadership. Sacrificing themselves in readiness for their return, all of the actions of Ace and his followers in the Marsten House now make sense, with the oblivious inhabitants of the town unwittingly setting themselves up for an ambush.

All of the leads take a back seat this week as we get the necessary narrative catchup, though Tim Robbins’ Pop has got out of his ‘I’m dying soon’ malaise and is possibly the only person left to realise what’s going on. And what that statue is revealed at the end… I didn’t see it coming, but I should have… it’s so neatly played.

Verdict: Another top episode which continues to shape a stellar season of Castle Rock. I’ve said it before, but there’s a confidence in this production that oozes from every pore. It’s not a misguided confidence – they truly have all the ingredients and keep delivering the goods. 9/10

Nick Joy