Some spoilers ahead
You might think you know the story of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, but the new HBO television series, “It: Welcome To Derry,” is diving into the horrors of the clown’s infamous hometown of Derry, Maine. The series, based on American author Stephen King’s 1989 novel, “It,” serves as a prequel to the two films, “It” (2017) and “It Chapter 2” (2019). With three episodes so far, the series is not shying away from showing the horrors of Derry, while offering a drama-filled plotline that’s debut has drawn in over 5 million viewers over three days, making it the streaming platform’s third biggest series debut.
The first episode, titled “The Pilot,” premiered on Oct. 26 with a runtime of 54 minutes. It began in a movie theater, introducing us to the character Matty (Miles Ekhardt), whose disappearance plays a key role in unravelling the dark and twisted story ahead. The scene is one of the most notable moments of the first episode.
As a fairly common mode of transportation, especially during the year of 1962 when this prequel takes place, odd things can happen when hitchhiking. However, what happens to Matty is far from just odd; it’s horrific and disgusting, yet the visuals and sound effects during the scene are well-done, leaving the viewers watching the grotesque, unsettling moment with one eye open and on the edge of their seats.
As Matty gets in the car of a couple and their two children, he says he wants to go “anywhere but Derry.” At first, the family seems normal as they listen to the radio and the son starts practicing spelling words out loud. Though as the music gets louder and the daughter pulls out a tub of liver, Matty sees a road sign that indicates they’re reentering Derry. In a panic, he begs them to pull over and let him out, but they keep going. In a desperate attempt to stop the car, he grabs the wheel, accidentally knocking into the wife’s pregnant stomach. As the family chants the letters, “O-U-T,” the woman goes into labor and gives birth to an inhumane creature, a demon baby with wings. The bloody, disgusting scene puts the viewers into Matty’s terrifying situation, and his unknown fate leaves you with an aftershock thinking, “What just happened?”
That’s not the last time this demon baby makes its appearance in the episode. As viewers are introduced to more characters, such as this episode’s group of four misfits, Lilly (Clara Stack), Teddy (Mikkal Karim Fidler), Phil (Jack Molloy Legault) and Ronnie (Amanda Christine), in addition to Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) and Captain Pauly Russo (Rudy Mancuso), the story continues, exploring a mixed reception at Derry’s air force base and further investigating Matty’s disappearance.
The most notable scene of this first episode is its ending. No spoilers, but if you expected this series to hold off on gruesome character deaths just because they’re children, think again. “It: Welcome to Derry” is truly saying, “no one is safe,” and it is refreshing to see a show finally stray away from a promise of keeping characters alive or including unnecessary plot armour. This series is bringing back the shock value that many series, especially in the horror genre, have been lacking.
The second episode, titled “The Thing in the Dark,” premiered on Halloween. Centered on the aftermath of the events from the first episode, the story continues and primarily follows Ronnie and her father Hank (Stephen Rider), who has become a suspect in the incident that occurred at his movie theater in the previous episode’s ending.
The horror picks up right where it left off, and to put it simply: horror pickles and monstrous mothers giving us another horrific birth scene.
The visuals are once again outstanding and amplify the horror of everything happening in a unique way. Amanda Chritine’s emotional acting in this episode also adds to the story’s drama and delivers a feeling of empathy to the viewers.
Overall, the second episode helps viewers settle in. It helps viewers develop a reason to care about the characters, while further developing the season’s storyline.
The third episode of “It: Welcome to Derry” premiered on Nov. 9, and the fourth episode is scheduled to be released on Sunday, Nov. 16. With eight episodes total, the finale is set to air on Dec. 14.
