I decided that I needed to get back to watching Castle Rock because I want to catch up, not get further behind. Then, I considered how many episodes have been published and I began to get anxiety and almost scrapped the whole thing. I don't need this kind of pressure in my life.
So, I sat down and watched episode 3, Local Color, and then I continued with 4, The Box.
The story is compelling and the cinematography is perfect. Somebody on the show could be eating a bagel and I'd be on the edge of my seat. There are a lot of dark rooms, a lot of cast shadows and light falling across faces. Camera angle is well thought-out, ambient sounds do their part to create mood. The closing of prison doors, the crunching of shoes on the ground, it's all used to make a chilling atmosphere.
I found my mind wandering. This is a common theme in my own life. I remember vividly being in kindergarten and first grade, staring out the window when I should have been doing school work. When I was even younger than that people would constantly catch me in a trance, daydreaming. This carries through to my adulthood, right up to this very day. Watching Castle Rock inspired something in me. It inspired stories of my own to tell, visual art I wanted to do. I was tempted at one point to turn it off because I wasn't able to pay attention as much as I should have been. But, I don't know that I would have actually sat down and written. I have a history of contemplating art, and never getting around to producing it. So, I made myself pay attention, stop trying to counsel the characters in what they should be doing and just be a spectator. I literally had to coach myself to just experience the show, to practice being the audience. Apparently this is a challenge for me - I'm not certain I was aware of this before now.
So yay! I've watched 5 episodes now. Wait, four episodes. I've only watched four episodes. I believe that there are currently 9 out there, so I seriously doubt that I'll be caught up by Wednesday when the next one comes out. But, I'm closer than I was. It's a struggle. Somebody needs to watch this with me.