The series doesn’t gain anything by showing more of the human side of Pennywise, and it actually weakens the fear surrounding his most recognizable form. The backstory of who Bob Gray was isn’t important – he was just another disguise the creature used. The show spends too much time explaining this, which slows down the episode. This is especially frustrating because the last episode ended with a tense cliffhanger: a group of armed citizens heading to the Black Spot to confront Hank. Luckily, after a brief flashback, the story quickly returns to that moment. Hank tries to prevent a fight by surrendering, but the soldiers take control and order the crowd to leave. They succeed, but it’s a hollow victory. As soon as the mob steps outside, they start a fire, throwing Molotov cocktails into the Black Spot, trapping dozens of people inside. This event won’t surprise viewers familiar with the book It or the 2017 movie, but it’s still incredibly disturbing to watch. The chaotic fire and desperate escape attempts are sometimes hard to follow, but the sequence is undeniably intense. The most striking image is Pennywise emerging from the flames, and equally memorable is the shot of him eating Jax’s date, Noreen. (There’s even a darkly humorous moment where he jokes to Ronnie, “Do I have face on my face?”)
