The first three episodes from Castle Rock season 2 are up at Hulu and there were a ton of Easter eggs in the season premiere alone.
Here is a look at the Castle Rock Easter eggs from the season 2 premiere.
Annie Wilkes
It all started out with Annie Wilkes and her daughter Joy heading across the country, clearing running from something. Annie worked as a nurse and stole several medications from her clinics.
The medications were for her own psychosis and that makes sense because this is the same Annie Wilkes from the Stephen King classic novel Misery.
Lizzy Caplan was amazing as Annie and if you closed your eyes, you could almost see Kathy Bates delivering her awesome quips.
There is also the interesting sound of a typewriter before she has her visions, which ties into her obsession later in life with author Paul Sheldon.
Her love of piggies is on display here as well.
Shawshank Redemption
When Annie Wilkes and Joy are heading into Castle Rock, they pass the Shawshank Redemption prison. There was also a news broadcast shown in the first episode that explained prisoners were being moved back into Shawshank.
Of course, Shawshank Redemption was the basis of a Stephen King story in Different Seasons and is a movie of its own. It was also a large part of the first season of Castle Rock.
Jerusalem’s Lot
Also shown was how close Castle Rock is to Jerusalem’s Lot. This show has one foot in Jerusalem’s Lot as well.
Also known by the shortened name ‘Salem’s Lot, it is the town of vampires in the novel by Stephen King. There isn’t a vampire to be seen in the second season of Castle Rock, but there is the talk of Satanists in the town’s past, which lines up with the novel.
There will also be a famous house from ‘Salem’s Lot shown in the second episode of Castle Rock as well.
Ace Merrill
Ace Merrill is the son of a man in Castle Rock who has several illegal business ventures and has become quite the bully as well.
This makes sense as Ace Merrill, as a teenager, was the bully and psychotic killer from The Body from Different Seasons. He was also in the movie Stand By Me, based on The Body, and Keifer Sutherland played Ace.
Ace Merrill also appeared as a bully in the Stephen King story Nona and in the novel Needful Things.
Pop Merrill
Pop Merrill is Ace’s dad in Castle Rock season 2. In Needful Things, he is already dead and Ace believes he hid his fortune. However, in The Body, he is Ace’s uncle.
There was another appearance of Pop Merrill in Stephen King’s The Sun Dog (in Four Past Midnight) where he owned a store called The Emporium Galorium, the exact name of the same store he owns in Castle Rock.
Also, Tim Robbins plays Pop Merrill and he is no stranger to Stephen King fans. He also played Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption and returns here in a different role (like Sissy Spacek last season).
Hidden Castle Rock Easter Eggs
There are lots of fun things to see by looking closely as well.
That wheelchair scene where it rolls in with no one in it pays homage to Misery. However, it is also a throwback to a Stephen King Dollar Baby by Frank Darabont (who also directed Shawshank Redemption) which had a similar scene.
There is talk about kids disappearing into thin air, which ties into the first season of Castle Rock. There is also still the memories of It.
And, how about that opening title sequence? There are pages from Stephen King’s novels, including Needful Things, ‘Salem’s Lot, and Misery. There are also hints of It and a map of King’s fantasy version of Maine, which includes Castle Rock. ‘Salem’s Lot, Derry, and Haven.
Castle Rock drops every Wednesday night on Hulu.