- "You know how this story ends. You're going to kill her."
- ―The Tall Man
| "Ties That Bind" | |
|---|---|
| Series Castle Rock Season 2, Episode 3 | |
| |
| Air date | October 23rd, 2019 |
| Writers | Scott Brown; Obehi Janice |
| Director | Anne Sewitsky |
| Producers | J.J. Abrams; Deborah Hayn Cass; Stephen King; Dustin Thomason; Ben Stephenson; Sam Shaw; Vince Calandra; Liz Glotzer; Greg Yaitanes; Rachel Rusch Rich; K'naan Warsame; Scott Brown; Daria Polatin; Andrew Balek; Trevor Baker |
| Starring | Lizzy Caplan; Paul Sparks; Barkhad Abdi; Yusra Warsama; Elsie Fisher; Matthew Alan; Tim Robbins |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "New Jerusalem" |
Next "Restore Hope" |
"Ties That Bind" is the third episode of season two of the drama series Castle Rock and the thirteenth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Anne Sewitsky with a script written by Scott Brown and Obehi Janice. It premiered on Hulu's instant streaming service on Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019.
Synopsis[]
As Pop Merrill collapses on the floor, Abdi manages to break free. He escapes from the dog and is ready to leave, but decides to bring Pop to the hospital where he is diagnosed as having suffered a mild stroke.
Georgia LaChance convinces Joy to come out and spend the day with her and her friends. They take a rowboat out onto Castle Lake and Chance gives Joy a brownie laced with something (likely marijuana), which helps her to loosen up a bit.
Annie goes to the Marsten House and is spooked by the image of Hassan, standing shirtless in the dark, covered with some glistening substance and eating an uncooked egg. She then believes that she sees Ace Merrill. Annie leaves in a panic, convinced that she is suffering from hallucinations. She telephones Nadia and tells her that something is wrong with her medication. Nadia has little time to deal with Annie as she is concerned for her brother, whom she has been unable to contact.
That evening, Joy returns home and finds her mother in a state. Annie confesses that she had murdered Ace Merrill, but somehow, he has returned from the dead. Joy enacts a prearranged emergency plan and injects a syringe into her mother, which knocks her out. When she awakens, she finds herself tied to her bed. She begs Joy to let her go, but Joy refuses. She forces Annie to take her meds, even though Annie believes they are tainted.
As it turns out, Ace truly is seemingly back from the dead. He goes to the hospital to see his father, and acts very strangely. Later, he is driving his truck down the road while drinking a bottle of alcohol and gets pulled over.
Back at their house, Annie begins to act lucid again, having been tied to the bed for several hours. Joy demands to know why they keep running from town to town, and Annie finally tells her the truth. Joy's father never wanted her, so Annie took her and ran. She believes that her father is pursuing them, and will do everything in her power, even compromise her own morals to keep Joy safe.
There is a knock at the door, and Joy goes to answer it and finds that it is Nadia. Nadia asks her about her mother, revealing that she had called her earlier, but Joy tells her that Annie is merely suffering from a stomach bug, and that she'll be fine soon. While Joy is busy at the front door, Annie smashes a glass and uses the broken shards to cut herself free.
Meanwhile, Ace abducts the cop who pulled him over and brings him back to the Marsten House. He later arranges to meet with a realtor named Valerie Blount. As he brings her inside the house, she discovers the officer covered in some glistening substance.
Annie receives another visitation from the Tall Man, who tells her that she is going to kill her own daughter.
Cast[]
Note: Listings marked with a (†) symbol indicate cast members who are credited in this episode, but their character does not make an appearance.
Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Lizzy Caplan | Annie Wilkes |
| Paul Sparks | Ace Merrill |
| Barkhad Abdi | Abdi Howlwadaag |
| Yusra Warsama | Nadia Howlwadaag |
| Elsie Fisher | Joy Wilkes |
| Matthew Alan | Chris Merrill † |
| Tim Robbins | Pop Merrill |
Guest Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Alison Wright | Valerie Blount |
| Greg Grunberg | Boucher |
| John Hoogenakker | The Tall Man |
| Skylan Brooks | Timothy |
| Abby Corrigan | Georgia LaChance |
| Tenea Intriago | Vera |
| Faysal Ahmed | Hassan |
| Isayas Theodros | Jamal |
Notes & Trivia[]
- Castle Rock was created by Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason based on characters and concepts developed by author Stephen King. The character of Annie Wilkes was the central antagonist from the novel Misery, which was published by Viking Press in June, 1987. It was adapted into a feature film in 1990 by director Rob Reiner with Kathy Bates playing the role of Annie.
- This series is rated TV-MA. It contains scenes of graphic ooginess, intense cockadoodiness and dirty birdy language. Viewer discretion is advised.
- This episode is production code number T50.10203.
- Co-executive producer Rachel Rusch is credited as Rachel Rusch Rich in this episode.
- K'naan Warsame is credited as a consulting producer on this series.
- "Let the River Run", "New Jerusalem" and "Ties That Bind" all premiered on Hulu on the same day.
- This is the first episode of Castle Rock directed by Anne Sewitsky. She directs two episodes of the series in total. Her next episode is "The Laughing Place".
- This is the third episode of Castle Rock written or co-written by Scott Brown. He writes four episodes of the series in total. This is his first episode from season two. He previously wrote "Henry Deaver". His next episode is "Caveat Emptor".
- This is the only episode of Castle Rock written by Obehi Janice.
- Actor Greg Grunberg is close friends with executive producer J.J. Abrams, and appears in most of Abrams' projects either as an actor or a voice actor. He has played characters in both of Abrams' helmed Star Trek and Star Wars film projects.
Allusions[]
- The title of this episode may refer to the existential crisis of how Annie is bound to protecting Joy, and visa versa. It may also be interpreted in a more literal sense as Annie spends the majority of the episode tied to her bed.
- The Marsten House was a central setting featured in the Stephen King novel Salem's Lot, published by Doubleday Publishing Group in 1975. It was also featured in the 1979 television movie adaptation, Salem's Lot, by director Tobe Hooper, and the 2004 remake film, by director Mikael Salomon.
- Reference is made to Shawshank Prison in this episode. It is stated that the warden of Shawshank committed suicide in this lake. The body was discovered, but not the head.
Quotes[]
- There are no quotes available for this episode at this time. Be the first to add some! Just click on the edit tab under the section heading and start typing. The preferred format for quotes is an asterisk, followed by the character's name (bold and hyper-linked), semi-colon then the quote itself (without quotation marks. Quotes should be separated by four elipses (....) unless multiple quotes are used between characters as part of a conversation.
Production crew[]
See also[]
External Links[]
 This article relates to articles pertaining to season two of the Hulu original series Castle Rock. Episodes
"Let the River Run" • "New Jerusalem" • "Ties That Bind" • "Restore Hope" • "The Laughing Place" • "The Mother" • "The Word" • "Caveat Emptor" • "Clean" Main Characters
Other Characters
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