Henry Deaver begins to uncover more of the secrets of the mysterious young man hidden in Shawshank by joining the local church choir.

During the voice-over by recently-departed prison governor Terry O’Quinn at the beginning of this episode, we get to hear some interesting context – reference is made to ‘the dog’ (Cujo), ‘the strangler’ (The Dead Zone) and ‘the body’ (The Body/ Stand By Me). What might just be oblique throwaway lines are just an extra layer of added value for the Stephen King fans, who are being well served by this drama.

I wouldn’t describe the main story as being a slow burn, but it’s in no great hurry to reveal too many of its secrets. Erstwhile Pennywise from IT (Bill Skarsgård) continues to impress as the mysterious prisoner, who we discover via the O’Quinn flashback/voiceover has been locked away for good reason, with the warning that he should never again see the light of day… oops, too late! He’s that popular satanic Stephen King character in the same mould as Leland Gaunt (Needful Things) and Randall Flagg (The Stand) and when he’s locked up for the night with a neo-Nazi you just know who’s going to be carried out on a stretcher the next morning.

There’s another King connection in Jane Levy’s character name – Jackie Torrance (is she related to The Shining’s Jack?) – and just what was Sheriff Pangborn thinking messing about with buried dogs? You’d think he’d never read Pet Sematary! But what’s a pleasing departure from a lot of King’s work is the handling of race, which hasn’t reared its head yet. Black lead Andre Holland is treated with suspicion by the locals because of his past, not because of his colour.

Verdict: More threads are dangled in this classic Stephen King-flavoured tale of dark secrets, demonic forces and small town Americana. As a King fan you’ll get an extra buzz from the tips of the hat, but it’s also a strong enough story to engage a novice. 8/10

Nick Joy