It: Welcome to Derry Recap: Origin Story

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I received some criticism last week for pointing out that Pennywise hasn’t been featured much in It: Welcome to Derry, but my issue isn’t really about missing Bill Skarsgård, although I do enjoy his performance. My main concern is that the show, being so long—eight hours—feels unnecessarily drawn out. While this week’s episode is an improvement, I still feel like the story isn’t really progressing. We’re getting a lot of backstory and characters dealing with childhood trauma, and even more explanation, but it feels repetitive. Halfway through the season, I’m hoping for a clearer direction, especially regarding the younger characters, who currently seem to exist solely to experience trauma.

Last week’s episode felt pointless after it was revealed that the ghostly images of their friends had disappeared from the photos they painstakingly tried to capture. While Lilly does receive some encouragement from Madeleine Stowe’s character—who still hasn’t been named—the advice feels tone-deaf considering her friends were recently killed. For now, Lilly’s new group seems to be holding up, though physically is all. Meanwhile, Will falls apart when Charlotte discovers the cemetery photos and demands an explanation. He then experiences another terrifying event during a fishing trip with his dad. After Leroy goes to the car for more line, Will is dragged underwater by a zombified, burned version of his father, who threatens him. When Leroy returns, he finds blood on Will’s arms. Will insists that something dangerous is happening in Derry. Together, they spot a familiar red balloon floating on the water.

At school, Will tells his friends about everything that’s happening, and they’re all amazed that the creature hasn’t actually tried to kill anyone since the attack at the movie theater. They start to wonder if its goal isn’t to kill them, but just to scare them. Matty, Phil, and Teddy all had terrifying experiences before they vanished, leading them to believe the monster enjoys tormenting its victims. Will, always the logical one, suggests it might even be feeding off their fear. When Ronnie points out they can’t control being scared, Lilly comes up with a plan: she steals some Valium from Mrs. Bainbridge and suggests they all take a pill whenever they start to feel afraid. It’s a decent idea, but I have a feeling it won’t work, just like the photo adventure. For now, though, Lilly feels a little better, especially since Marge is suddenly being friendly to her again. During a biology lesson about a parasitic flatworm (and a warning that it’ll be on the test!), Marge even invites Lilly to have lunch with her alone. Lilly happily agrees, unaware of the secret looks passing between Marge and Patty.

Patty concocts a cruel plan to embarrass Lilly by convincing her that Tim Flanagan likes her, intending to humiliate her publicly. Marge initially goes along with it, encouraging Lilly to approach Tim. However, seeing how hopeful Lilly is, Marge feels guilty and is about to confess everything when she experiences a terrifying physical change. Her eyes begin to swell and distort, transforming into grotesque, worm-like sacs due to a parasitic infection – a disturbing but fitting consequence of a science lesson earlier in the show. Lilly tries to help by retrieving a Valium, but accidentally drops it in the toilet. Marge, now barely able to see through her bulging eyes, races toward the woodshop in a desperate attempt to regain her vision. In a truly horrifying scene, she tries to cut off the newly formed growths with a chisel, and then even attempts to use an electric saw. By the time Lilly returns with the Valium, it’s too late: Marge has already sliced into one of her eyes. The school bursts in to find a distraught Lilly screaming at a severely injured Marge, who is covered in blood and holding the chisel. It’s clear that Marge will need long-term psychiatric care. The episode leaves viewers wondering how much trauma one young girl can possibly withstand.

Even though the unsettling scene with Marge was memorable, the show really shines when focusing on its adult storylines. Charlotte connects with Rose, who confirms that Derry has a dark side but offers her support. This highlights the power of community among those who face hardship and inspires Charlotte to investigate Hank Grogan’s case – either to prove his innocence or ensure he has adequate legal representation. Will already told her that Ronnie’s dad wasn’t involved in the disappearance of the children from the Capitol Theater. When Chief Bowers brushes her off at the police station, Charlotte visits Hank’s mother and shares her experience working with the civil rights movement, helping people wrongly forced to confess to crimes. Back at the station, she leverages this background, threatening to contact prominent figures like Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and the Freedom Riders if she isn’t allowed to speak with Hank directly. Charlotte’s determination, brought to life by Taylour Paige’s performance, makes her the most captivating character. While she can’t prevent Hank’s transfer to Shawshank, she’s certain his rights were violated and believes she can secure house arrest for him soon. However, the revelation that Hank was having an affair with a married white woman on the night of the incident complicates things, potentially leading to even worse consequences than prison, so they need to find another way to clear his name.

In Derry, Dick is helping prepare a space for Black soldiers to relax, but he’s shaken by a visit from his grandmother’s ghost, who warns him to be careful. Before he can fully understand her message, Leroy arrives, clearly disturbed after a fishing trip with Will, who kept insisting something was wrong in Derry. Leroy asks Dick what they’re even searching for, and Dick admits he’s just following orders – a justification that feels increasingly weak. Back home, Leroy can’t shake his unease, especially when he learns Charlotte is determined to help Hank Grogan. They argue about getting involved, with Charlotte pointing out the country Leroy served is full of trouble. Leroy fears the trouble Charlotte’s actions might bring, and when Will sees a shadowy figure resembling Pennywise outside his window, he assumes it’s someone watching them because of Charlotte. But when he investigates, there’s nothing there – only a familiar red balloon in a tree.

Okay, so things are really heating up. Leroy, bless his heart, is still a bit clueless overall, but he’s brilliantly figured out that whatever’s hunting Will is connected to this ‘Operation Precept.’ He doesn’t bother with formalities and just barges into General Shaw’s office demanding answers. Shaw, surprisingly unfazed by the insubordination, takes him to a room where Dick is interrogating Taniel – Rose’s nephew, who’s been monitoring the military’s search. Turns out, Taniel knows where the weapon is hidden, and Dick is tasked with getting that information out of him. The scene is tense. Dick tries the gentle approach first, warning Taniel that what they want to do to him won’t be pretty if he doesn’t cooperate. When that fails – and Taniel spits in his face – Dick resorts to something far more disturbing. Now, we’ve seen Dick as a good guy, thanks to those nods to The Shining and Doctor Sleep, so watching him forcibly enter Taniel’s mind is genuinely unsettling. The young man is screaming as Dick navigates this mental landscape, finding doors leading to…well, who knows where. He chooses one, and steps through.

This is the story of how It first came to be, as told through generations of Derry’s original inhabitants. Young Taniel recounts it to his aunt Rose. Briefly, It arrived on Earth inside a fallen star, which shattered upon impact. The tribe’s wisest man crafted a dagger from a piece of the star to defend against the creature, known as the Galloo. For a time, the locals and the Galloo coexisted, with the creature confined to the Western Wood. However, when settlers arrived and began hunting there, the Galloo retaliated. Over time, the monster grew stronger, and a single dagger was no longer enough to contain it. After the Galloo killed a war chief named Sesqui, his daughter, Necani, ventured into the Western Wood and broke off more pieces of the star. Instead of making weapons, she buried thirteen sacred fragments deep in the ground, creating pillars. Taniel explains that his people vowed to protect these pillars and keep their locations secret, ensuring the trapped monster couldn’t escape. Dick interrupts, asking Taniel where the pillars are now. Taniel, now an adult, points beyond the doorway, advising them to follow tunnels from the old well. This leads them to another familiar location for fans of It: the Well House on Neibolt Street – the place the military has been searching for.

Losers Club

The reveal of the Well House feels a bit underwhelming because we, as the audience, already know that’s where Pennywise is hiding. However, the characters in the story haven’t seen the movies, so it makes sense they’re surprised. In Stephen King’s book, the house on Neibolt Street is simply a place Pennywise hangs out, but the movies turn it into the main entrance to his underground lair.

I initially thought the military was trying to find the asteroid that carried the creature to Earth, but it seems Shaw is actually looking for the creature itself. That’s a risky move, and I have a feeling it won’t end well.

According to the story Taniel tells, Pennywise didn’t originate on Earth. It’s a more detailed explanation of what Bill learns in the book through the Ritual of Chüd: the shapeshifting creature arrived on an asteroid from outer space (or a larger dimension, but let’s keep it simple). Its real form is what’s known as the deadlights – those glowing orbs of light that emerge from the broken asteroid.

The creature known as “Galloo” is a creation of the story. Within the novel, these beings are called glamours – shapeshifters that thrive on fear. The story also reveals that some Native American cultures referred to similar entities as “manitous.”

As a longtime Stephen King fan, I immediately noticed something fascinating about the Galloo. Its supporting pillars strongly echo the twelve spokes forming the six beams that uphold the Dark Tower – a key visual and structural element throughout the series. And it’s not just a structural similarity! Remember Maturin, the turtle who opposes Pennywise? He’s one of the twelve guardians protecting those very beams, adding another layer of intriguing connection. It’s a subtle nod, but a rewarding one for those familiar with King’s expansive universe.

Let’s skip the complex theories, as the character Maturin says in the book. When Pennywise appears as Leroy and threatens Will with “You’ll burn, too,” it foreshadows what will eventually happen to him. (This isn’t giving away a major secret – we already know from the book It that Mike’s parents die in a fire.)

I’m still trying to figure out Madeleine Stowe’s character, and the fact that we don’t even know her name suggests she’ll be important later on. I also suspect she might be the woman Hank was with the night Phil, Teddy, and Susie vanished.

Dick’s grandmother, Rose, often told him to “keep that lid on tight.” This phrase may allude to the mental barriers he uses to contain dangerous spirits – a skill he later teaches Danny Torrance in the novel Doctor Sleep.

The name “Tim Flanagan” in Doctor Sleep might be a tribute to Mike Flanagan, the director of the film adaptation and other successful movies based on Stephen King’s work.

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2025-11-17 06:59