WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for 'Castle Rock' Season 1, Episode 4 "The Box," now streaming on Hulu!
As the old proverb goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This week’s episode of the Stephen King-centric series Castle Rock has finally taken that road, and one of the series main characters has paid the ultimate price for doing what’s right in a system riddled with corruption and deceit. But was this person’s sacrifice for the best? As the mysteries haunting the town of Castle Rock begin to creep out from their dark recesses, it’s becoming clear that the line between good and evil is as blurry as a dark figure viewed across a fog-laden forest clearing.
In the episode titled “The Box,” we watch Shawshank prison guard Dennis Zalewski (Noel Fisher) slowly slip into madness. What seems to be a series of simple rebellious moments as protest against constant reminders from coworkers to smile and be happy turn out to be the tipping point for the young family man. After finding “The Kid” (Bill Skarsgard) in a cage during the pilot episode, Zalewski has been doing his best to make things right. However, the mysterious, mostly mute man, who seems to be doomed under the authoritative regime running Shawshank, might be the true source of horror. After reaching a point of no return, Zalewski retrieves a handgun in the prison security room and proceeds to go on a rampage, gunning down several of his fellow employees.
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It’s a moment that is both shocking but strangely logical. After all, this is a story inspired by the works of Stephen King. Rational irrationality is commonplace for many of the legendary author’s stories. The hearts of good men trying to do the right thing are easily blackened, and the dark forces that drive them can seem both enigmatic and enticing. From the tortured soul that is Jack Torrance from The Shining to the all-consuming notion of cheating death that Louis Creed displays in Pet Sematary, many of King’s “heroes” are not inherently evil.
Zalewski is almost a tragic hero in this world despite his heinous acts. Whatever “The Kid” represents might have just been too much for the young guard to process. In fact, a character who has shown nothing but nobility in a position surrounded by people who have nothing but their own self interests in mind jumping into the deep end is a reoccurring theme among King’s best work. Desperation births desperate acts, even acts that are not supposed to be celebrated.
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“The Box” ends with a bit of cliffhanger, as Zalewski is gunned down by guards in riot gear right in front of the series' de facto protagonist, attorney Henry Deaver (Andre Holland), the man Zalewski entrusted to help get “The Kid” out of Shawshank. Instead of answers, we're left with more questions. To be fair, Deaver had said he was pulling away from the case, which certainly put a strain on Zalewski. Perhaps this act of vengeance was a last ditch effort to keep the attorney in Castle Rock. Sadly, a mind inflicted by madness isn’t always easily deciphered.
The hole left behind by the death of Dennis Zalewski has put several characters in precarious situations. Deaver now might have to admit his connections to Zalewski, who has been in contact with the attorney on the down low. Warden T. Porter (Ann Cusack) will have to explain just why in the hell a guard when on a shooting spree out of nowhere to higher authorities, something she surely wants to avoid given the situation surrounding “The Kid’s” appearance. And the town of Castle Rock itself will be able to tick off another adjacent tragedy to its long-standing of legacy of terrible events.
Let's get one thing straight: We do not condone the actions of Zalewski. No matter how bad things may seem or how dim that light at the end of the tunnel may shine, this sort of viscous act can not be forgiven. The people who were caught up in the shooting also had families and were trying to live their lives like everyone else. But the sudden rage Zalewski displayed does have us question why he decided to take things into his own bloody hands.
The mystery of Castle Rock and just what evil lives in the heart of the town is a tangled web of intrigue and terror. Cutting through those strands only reveal more heartache and horror. Whether or not Zalewski caught a glimpse of the rotten heart of Castle Rock is unclear, but the evil that coils around the soul of men is known to constrict the nobility right out of them.