This article contains spoilers for Castle Rock (mostly the show’s latter half).
Having enjoyed season one of Castle Rock, my expectations for season two were high. When I learned that we would be following Annie Wilkes from Stephen King’s Misery, my intrigue intensified, curious as to the type of narrative we would see. What won me over with Castle Rock’s first season was its world building and mystery; from all the King references and Easter eggs, to the chilling presence of Bill Skarsgård, I was wonderfully immersed in the spookiness of Castle Rock.
However, season two hasn’t really been that way for me. Instead, I find myself far more interested in its protagonist, rather than the overall creepy atmosphere. I watched Misery years ago and enjoyed it; watching the first two episodes of Castle Rock season two, I noted a sense of tension surrounding Annie. I figured that layers of her character would be revealed over time, and we would get some interesting twists regarding her backstory.
It is alluded to early on through physical and vocal mannerisms that Annie is someone who struggles with mental illness. Now the horror genre doesn’t have the greatest history in portraying mental illness – but when it does it right, it does so masterfully. What I didn’t expect from this new season of Castle Rock and its protagonist Annie Wilkes, was to see such a moving, heartbreaking, and solid representation of what it means to suffer with mental illness.
As we follow Annie throughout the show’s beginning episodes, we see a disconnect between her and everyone else who is not her daughter Joy. Early on it is hard to tell whether or not Annie’s actions will dive into mental illness tropes, but thankfully, it doesn’t take long for Castle Rock to fully flesh her out. While the writing behind Annie demonstrates a respectful approach to mental illness, the true recognition for such representation goes to actor Lizzy Caplan; her portrayal of Annie is not only brilliant in adding to the story’s tension and mystery, but superb in how she conveys the character’s pain.
In a special feature found on a collector’s edition DVD of Misery, forensic psychologist Reid Meloy states that Annie suffers from bipolar disorder, severe borderline personality disorder with schizoid, and has schizotypal and obsessive compulsive features. Among these disorders there are a variety of symptoms, such examples being intense anxiety, fear of abandonment, strong emotional reactions, a lack of interest in social interactions, and derealization.
Castle Rock’s Annie displays each of these symptoms at various times; she is anxious around most people, has a warped sense of how cold the world can be, and is fearful of losing Joy, therefore she embodies an almost constant state of anxiety. Caplan never over delivers on these symptoms, and even during the show’s supernatural elements, she always maintains Annie in a grounded manner. Throughout numerous stories, it can be common for mental illness to be portrayed as melodrama tragedy; in this manner of representation, mental illness symptoms can be misconstrued or flat out false. Because of this lack of psychological depth, the severity of mental illness is undermined.
Castle Rock provides further depth into Annie in the episode titled “The Laughing Place”. It is here where we learn more of the events and environment that has shaped Annie. We see that she deals with dyslexia and later hits a girl who makes fun of her. Sitting down with her parents and the school’s principal, the principal makes the recommendation to speak to a psychiatrist, angering the parents and pulling Annie out of school.
From there, neither of her parents ever acknowledge Annie’s mental health. Her mother displays behavior that is similar to that of Annie in Misery; over time, the audience begins to recognize the mother’s growing detachment from reality. When the mother eventually tries to kill herself and Annie, distraught from her husband having an affair, Annie comes out of the attempt mentally scathed. Living with her dad and his new girlfriend Rita, who was once Annie’s tutor, her despair intensifies over time. Mind you, even though this sequence of events takes place over one episode, each scene is well crafted and never rushed. The audience sees Annie in a state where she is in need of help, but is also a delightful kid. As the episode progresses, we begin to see her internal conflict blossom, that joyful spirit dissipating.
Annie is a complicated character given her actions within the narrative. Early on in the show we see her kill Ace, later learning how she accidentally killed her father, attempted to kill his girlfriend Rita, and almost killed their baby (who we learn is Joy and Annie decided to take as her own). In many other stories, these actions would be used to further dramatize Annie’s mental illness; with Caplan’s Annie, however, we are able to recognize where Annie has done wrong, while still obtaining a sense of sympathy for her. This is because we have that dedicated time to see Annie’s past, to see how her family broke apart and how her parents ignored her mental health. The show makes an effort to evade dangerous tropes like “she was just crazy and that’s why she killed him,” but instead, shows how sane she can be. Her decision-making may not always be rational, but she is in control of her actions.
In the episode “The Mother”, Joy confronts Annie about the past and what the latter has done. It is here where Annie decides to take down her walls, not only acknowledging those actions, but also acknowledging the struggles that go on within her. At one point Annie says, “I’m not normal Joy. There’s a whole lot wrong with me and very little right. But the thing that keeps me on the right side of the double yellow line is knowing how to love one thing, and that’s you.”
I think this scene is very moving in how Annie has to confront Joy and bare herself to her. Given the various tropes utilized throughout stories of the past, I think it’s significant how Annie demonstrates her ability to own up to what she has done. The show doesn’t fall into a “she’s just crazy” trope, but presents a person who is fully aware of their actions and who they are.
What Castle Rock and Caplan have done with Annie is phenomenal. As someone who has spent their life with struggles of mental illness, I have always recognized the importance of healthy representation. The conversation surrounding mental health is still a battle. Whereas many of us are making an effort to go to therapy, seek help, and open up to others, there are still those in the world that deny the horrors of mental illness.
The portrayal of Annie’s mental illness is an important contribution to storytelling. Even with horror’s rocky history depicting mental illness, it is also the one genre to push the conversation, as well as make improvements regarding representation. As we move forward with our stories, I think characters like Castle Rock’s Annie Wilkes will make an impact on how we represent those who struggle with mental illness.
Author’s Note: My take on the character is that of my own opinion. Living with mental illness, as well as knowing many people in my life who struggle with different disorders, my goal is to provide an insightful and respectful take on the character of Annie Wilkes – as well as be respectful to all those who struggle with mental illness.
