As the townsfolk of Castle Rock continue to remain under the spell of supernatural powers, Pop gathers up the remaining survivors who are impervious to the calling.

Somewhat frustratingly, as with last week’s show, there’s a lot going on, except that we don’t move things along that far. Pop (Tim Robbins) is now coughing up blood and we know that he has little time to make a difference. He finds Nadia and Abdi and they hole up with others in the Emporium Galorium. Pop feels safe here on his home turf, but can everyone on the inside be trusted, and just what is Ace after?

The answer to the last question lies in Season 1, where we find out that the Warden of Shawshank has been writing to former Sheriff Pangborn about the mysterious kid that he had hidden away. That kid is seen as an angel to the cult who are now returning after 400 years, and Pop has acquired the correspondence, which might reveal where he’s hidden.

The majority of the episode is structured under the old favourite ‘house under siege’, and the action is managed well as our heroes fight off the advancing hordes. Considering how much of the show was about Annie Wilkes, she’s still not getting an awful lot to do beyond threatening to kill anyone who gets in her way on her quest to find her daughter. She’s very much a secondary character for now and one hopes that she finds her groove in the final episode.

Verdict: Considering that this is the penultimate episode, very little is done to address the core plotline of the show, and only at the end does it feel like we’re moving towards the finale. After some stellar episodes, these last two are a slightly stumble, suggesting that the show peaked too early. There’s everything to play for in the final hour. 7/10

Nick Joy