As the townsfolk of Castle Rock fall under the spell of witchcraft during its 400th anniversary celebrations, Annie plans her escape from captivity.

After a very Annie-light episode last week, it’s great to see that our erstwhile nurse/mom/murderer is back in the spotlight, and the question is whether we need the medicated or off-the-leash version. The latter is definitely more fun to watch, though she has the added complication of seeing and hearing her dead mother, who is instructing her to kill her ‘dirty’ daughter.

Nadia is also in the firing line and manages to escape with her life by throttling her assailant with a stethoscope. It looks like it’ll be her, Pop, Abdi and Annie who will be squaring up against the horde, under the leadership of evil Ace. The undead ghouls are preparing to bring back their leader, Amity, by rebirthing her within chosen vessel Annie, but what if they got the wrong person?

It’s a brutal and short episode (only 35 minutes when shorn of ad breaks) as Annie breaks into alpha mama mode, slashing throats or crushing the skulls of those who stand between her and Joy. And yet, for all this drama, the plot doesn’t progress far. It serves only as a warm-up for Annie, getting her back in the ring in readiness for the final push.

Verdict: Tense and dark, we get to see Annie in full maniac mode, and yet after last week’s more considered instalment, featuring a wonderful cliffhanger, this feels like it’s treading water. Hopefully we can now move forwards. 7/10

Nick Joy