2016
A doctor reads Henry a list of words as part of her examination of him. He then undergoes a MRI. Afterward, the doctor tells Henry that his scan looks clear and Dr. Greene will walk him through his results. She suggests that Henry is suffering from tinnitus, and she asks if he gets back to Maine much.
Now
Five days after Dennis has killed the prisoners and guards at Shawshank, the reporters are still inquiring about why he did it. Wildfires continue to spread through nearby Black Mountain, and dozens of towns in Maine have been evacuated. Henry is on the phone trying to get the Kid's hearing held. He arrives at the church and the pastor thanks him for coming down. The pastor takes Henry to the church basement and shows him that the coffin is leaking Matthew's liquefied remains. He explains that it's not uncommon in recently-buried bodies but is surprising in one that has been buried as long as Matthew's. Henry hears a ringing in his ears and flashes back to Dennis shooting up the prison.
Porter talks to her superior, who complains about her incompetence and tells her to make the Kid disappear without anything being traced back to her superiors.
Henry sets up surveillance cameras in the house. Alan arrives and Henry explains that he's putting in a new system to keep an eye on Ruth. He says that they can watch her via a smartphone app. Disgusted, Alan asks why Henry doesn't just chip her. Henry gets a call and steps outside to take it.
The Kid watches a video by Lou Hadley about prisoners adapting after leaving prison and becoming new people. Afterward the Kid steps hesitantly out of the prison. Henry greets him and tells him that he's a free man, while the guards load up prisoners to fight the fires. The lawyer introduces himself and asks the Kid's name, and the Kid stares at him.
Dale sits with the Kid and quotes the Bible to him as the Kid eats. The warden says that the Kid drags evil behind him, and he was righteous when he brought the Kid down there. Dale admits that he's old now and still doesn't know what the Kid really is or if he did the right thing. The warden removes his glove and touches the Kid's hand, then touches his face with his other hand. The Kid looks at him, and Dale asks if he remembers the crazy story he told him the first night that he was there.
The Kid undergoes a psychiatric exam, while Henry and Dr. Vargas watch via a surveillance camera. Vargas says that the Kid is suffering from retrograde amnesia and it's purely emotional. Henry suffers from tinnitus, and Vargas tells him that there's no easy cure to restore memories. She tells Henry not to push it, and Henry says that he's just the Kid's lawyer. Vargas says that she might be able to get the Kid into Juniper Hill, and Henry wonders what to do with the Kid until then.
Henry takes the Kid to Molly, who sets up an inflatable bed for the Kid in her family shirt building. When the lawyer warns that it's a good idea, Molly assures him that the Kid needs a place to sleep and they have one. Once they go outside, Henry tells Molly that just because he got the Kid out of prison doesn't mean he wants him near his "friend". They glance back and see the Kid standing at the window looking out at Castle Rock.
That night, Alan returns to the Deaver house and finds Ruth looking out the window. She wonders where he's been, and Ruth remembers when Henry disappeared. Alan says that she's having a bad night, and Ruth tells him that something terrible is going to happen.
The Kid finally goes out and walks down the street. He comes to a house and hears a song playing on a record. The Kid looks in the window and sees a birthday party going on. He enters the house and watches from the shadow, sitting down. The mother cuts up the birthday cake and sets the knife down. The Kid stares at it and stands up, and the family start arguing. The father grabs a knife and kills his wife and older son, while the Kid walks upstairs, goes out onto the roof, and listens to the screams and finally, the baby alone and crying.
The next day, the Castle County fire department is unable to explain why they can't stop the fire. Alan finds a box with a chess set inside.
Alan gives Ruth the chess set as a present. She knows the origin of the pieces, and figures that Alan gave it to her to help with her dementia.
Jackie arrives at the shirt factory and hears footsteps upstairs. She investigates and finds the Kid's inflatable bed and h is clothing lying on the floor. Jackie lies on the bed and finds a handle underneath the pillow. The Kid steps out, naked, and stares at her.
Alan dresses for the ceremony in his honor. Ruth comes in and helps him tie his tie, and tells him that there's no shame in having stage fright. Henry comes in as Alan tells Ruth that he loves her. The lawyer interrupts to ask if he can borrow the car, and Ruth insists that he take Alan's car.
The townspeople gather at the town square for the ceremony. The current sheriff calls for a moment of silence in honor of the people at Shawshank. Henry is watching and hears the ringing in h is ears, and remembers Dennis dying. The sheriff talks about Alan's contributions to the community, while Henry notices two men watching Henry intently. Alan steps to the podium and Alan talks about how he was never good at the patter. A dog barks and Ruth stares at it. Alan thanks the townspeople for the faith that they've given him, and then notices that Ruth has left her chair. Ruth is standing on the bridge that the town is dedicating to Alan. Henry runs over but is too late to stop Ruth from stepping off into the water below. The lawyer dives into the water after his adoptive mother.
Molly returns to the factory and calls to the Kid. There's no response, and she finds flower petals torn up on the floor. Police cars go by and Molly calls Henry and leaves a message that the Kid has wandered off.
Jackie has taken the Kid out in her car and tells him some of the tragedies that have happened in Castle Rock. She explains that she's a writer but the town is so blah compared to the 1980s when all of the tragedies happened. Jackie talks about her uncle, a writer, who tried to axe his wife and son. As she explains that her real name is Diane, the radio plays a story about a firefighting helicopter that exploded near Castle Lake. The pilot apparently lost control of the helicopter, killing himself and two firefighters aboard.
Alan arrives at the hospital and offers a can of pop to a waiting Henry. Henry takes it, and Alan says that Ruth will be okay in the morning. He explains that he bought a ring for Ruth in 1991, but Ruth said that it would be confusing to Henry and she didn't deserve happiness. Ruth refuses to move south with him, and by the time Alan moved back he figured that it was too late. When he did, people called him and said they heard gunfire from the Deaver house. Alan went there and Ruth hugged him and begged him not to leave. He tells Henry that he thought he could keep Ruth safe.
A nurse tells them that Ruth is awake, and the two men go in to see her. Ruth tells Alan to get back to the ceremony and worries that she ruined it, and Alan assures her that she didn't. She explains that the dog set her off and nothing stays dead in Castle Rock. Alan takes her hand and cries, and Ruth figures that Henry understands what it's like to forget his own story.
When Molly drives back to the factory, she finds Jackie waiting. Jackie points up to the factory roof where the Kid is standing on the roof, and Molly runs up. Meanwhile, the Kid stares out at the town and hears the sound of children crying and dogs barking in his head. Molly approaches him and says that she was worried about him, and hears his "voice" in her head saying that he should still be at Shawshank. The real estate agent tells him that Dale was a sick old man and the Kid didn't deserve to be there, but the Kid continues hearing the voices in his head.
Henry calls his ex-wife Marret and says that he wants their son Wendell to come to Castle Rock and see his grandmother Ruth while she's still reasonably coherent. He goes home and finds Molly waiting for him. Molly explains that she used the hidden key to let herself in, and explains how she found the Kid on top of the factory. She says that the Kid feels wrong, and explains about her psychic ability. Molly tells Henry that with the Kid she listened to the pain of everyone in Castle Rock all at once. Henry clearly believes her, and Molly describes his tinnitus and everything that he's feeling. She insists that there's something wrong with the Kid. The Kid comes in from Molly's car and Henry suggests that he stay there for the night.
Later, Henry watches as Molly drives away. He then takes the Kid to the guest house and makes up the pullout. The Kid finds an old piano and starts playing it with increasing skill. He says that he remembers, and Henry tells him that it will all come back to him eventually.
Alan is on the bridge drinking. He priest off the commemorative plaque and throws it into the river below. The smart app comes on, showing the Kid on the security cameras. Alan stares at the image in shock.
The Kid is walking through the forest when Alan approaches him and asks if he knows who Alan is. He figures that the Kid remembers.
Alan pulls over Dale's car in the middle of the night. He hears someone in the trunk and Dale hands over the keys. Alan finds the Kid in the trunk, and Dale asks Alan to trust him.
Alan says that he used to dream about the Kid, takes out a gun, and points out that the Kid hasn't aged in 27 days. He asks if the Kid is the Devil, and the Kid says that he isn't. Alan asks him what he is, saying that he tried to keep the townspeople safe and when he got the woman he loved she slipped through his fingers. When he wonders where the justice is and aims his gun at the Kid, the Kid says that he can help Ruth. He stares at Alan and figures that he has no idea what's happening there.
Written by Gadfly on Aug 11, 2018