The dead can still speak in Castle Rock, or at the very least, Warden Lacy speaks to us through a letter, or possibly a suicide note, he wrote his wife. Lacy’s voice over is an admission of sorts, or even a mission statement of why he’s locked a man in a cage underneath the prison. His words not only shed light on his own state of mind, but also the state of the town of Castle Rock itself. Now these words either reveal the inner workings of a disturbed and deranged mind, or as he believes, prove a revelation from God.

Was Warden Lacy truly the hidden protector of the town he loves, or a deluded psychopath who locked up a boy believing him to be the devil? That’s the trick of his confessional. It needs to be gathered into the evidence Castle Rock has shown viewers so far about both the town and “The Kid”. Clearly a darkness has settled on the town or coursed through its veins ever since Warden Lacy was a kid, and he goes through a laundry list of dark events, including the suicide of his own brother, telling how death and murder touches nearly every house in Castle Rock, including his own. His capture and imprisonment of “The Kid” was his way of holding the darkness back. Keeping the kid out of the light was helping keep bad things from happening in Castle Rock.

It seems new Warden Porter is in an awkward position to keep Lacy’s secret so it doesn’t take her down with it, only she’s unsure of how to move forward. Zalewski’s call to Henry further complicates matters, because now she’s got a lawyer poking around and asking questions. There’s a scene in a hotel bar between Pangborn and Warden Porter that reveals a whole hell of a lot about Sheriff Pangborn, his knowledge of, and/or role in helping keep Warden Lacy’s secret. Pangborn tells her about a time he pulled over her predecessor for speeding. Warden Lacy told him he’d finally figured out what was wrong with Castle Rock. Lacy had always thought the devil was just a metaphor, but now he knew the devil was a boy, and that he’d caught him and locked him in a box. When Warden Porter asks how long ago this was, Pangborn warns her, “Don’t let that fucking kid out.” It’s clear Pangborn believes there’s something evil about “The Kid” as well, but what does he know? How is he involved? He’s fought evil in that town before. Did Warden Lacy use these experiences as a way to sell Pangborn on the idea of keeping the kid captive?

Like any good man of faith, Warden Lacy also had his doubts. Was it really God’s will? Was he doing the right thing? It’s why he kept an entire wing of the prison empty for thirty years, why he stopped actually going to his church anymore, and why his forced retirement created such a problem. Once he was no longer in charge of the prison, the truth would get out. Light would be shined on his actions, and he would most likely be misunderstood and judged to be a lunatic. By decapitating himself (don’t worry, the shaggy dog finds his head in this episode), he avoids any of the spotlight or questions, and instead leaves a mystery for someone else to clean up. The only explanation he’s left is a letter to Martha we hear him read, but at the end of the episode we see the actual letter burned by Sheriff Pangborn, forever silencing an explanation from reaching anyone else’s eyes or ears.

Reeves, the deputy warden, already insinuated in the pilot that they put “The Kid” in a shared cell with a murderer who’ll take care of their problem. After Pangborn’s warning, Warden Porter gives him the go ahead to do it. We’ve already seen “The Kid” manipulate a guard (Zalewski) into thinking he’d escaped and killed other guards, only for it all to have been an illusion, so we know there’s some power inside him. When Reeves locks him in with a neo-Nazi it’s clear Reeves doesn’t expect “The Kid” to last the night. In the morning the neo-Nazi is dead, with no apparent physical explanation for it. Somehow “The Kid” was able to project cancer so advanced into him, that the M.E. is shocked.

I was under the misguided assumption after the first episode that Henry and Pangborn would join forces, but now it’s clear they are in opposition about nearly everything. They’re already butting heads over Ruth and her care, and soon it’s going to be over Henry’s role in representing “The Kid” as a lawyer, if he can ever get access to him. In his attempts to understand who “The Kid” is, and how he came to be locked up in a cage, Henry visits Warden Lacy’s widow. She’s blind and has no idea who Henry is, which is why she’s so accommodating to begin with, but this abruptly changes after a neighbor calls to tell her who Henry is. She’s immediately rude and upset, and kicks Henry out of the house.

In his short time inside he’s noticed a few strange things. In Lacy’s home office Henry finds a folder detailing all of the tragedies Castle Rock has endured (referencing Cujo, Stand By Me, Needful Things, and other King novels), as well as dozens of daily Bible verse calendars all stopped at the same verse: “Even at that hour of night, the jailor cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. Acts 46:33.” This one verse may go a long way into explaining why Lacy spent time with “The Kid” and kept him alive. Henry also notices the door to the basement is padlocked. What more secrets could Warden Lacy be keeping?

One of the biggest revelations in this episode is Jackie Torrance (possibly related to Danny from The Shining, and played by Jane Levy) and her no nonsense approach to talking to Henry in the bar where he waits for Zalewski to show up. She has no problem telling the truth no matter how uncomfortable it makes Henry or asking pointed questions about his past. She’s an interesting character, who we also see when Henry visits Warden Lacy’s former church. She volunteers to pray with one of the worst criminals they’re going to visit at Shawshank. It’s through this same volunteer program that Henry coordinates with Zalewski to see “The Kid”. If he has proof “The Kid” exists, the Warden will have to give Henry access to him.

The other big revelation is Molly Strand (Melanie Lynsky), her empathic abilities, and the possibility she knows or experienced what happened to Henry while he was missing. They were childhood neighbors, and she was obsessed with him. Molly saw Henry and his father leave in their car early the morning he disappeared. A cop later comes to ask her if she knows anything about Henry’s whereabouts, after he leaves her breathe is frosty and visible even though it’s warm in her room. She’s clearly connected to Henry emotionally, and may be the key to explaining what really happened all those years ago.