Is It: Welcome to Derry a Show About Time-Travel Now?

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Be warned: the following contains spoilers for the HBO series It: Welcome to Derry, covering everything up to and including the season finale, “Winter Fire,” which aired on December 14th.

In the season finale of It: Welcome to Derry, with the immediate danger past, the survivors can finally relax. Pennywise appears to be defeated, though he’ll likely return to terrorize the Losers Club again in the late 1980s. However, young Marge (Matilda Lawler), who had a particularly frightening encounter with the clown, is deeply disturbed. On the frozen lake, Pennywise reveals a shocking prophecy: Marge’s future son, Richie Tozier, will be one of those who ultimately destroys him, bluntly stating that Richie and his friends will bring about his end. (He certainly has a colorful way of speaking!)

It’s a lot to process for Marge – discovering she’s destined to have a son and that his name must honor a past love. But beyond the emotional weight of that reveal, she’s especially disturbed by Pennywise’s claim that time – past, present, and future – is all the same to him, which raises serious concerns. Towards the end of the episode, Marge wonders to Lilly if Pennywise could even travel backwards in time, potentially harming people from before their parents were born. It sounds far-fetched, but based on my experience watching TV, I suspect the writers are setting up a storyline for the next season.

While HBO hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, it seems very likely that Welcome to Derry will be back for another season. The show’s creators have stated they envision at least two more seasons, exploring events in 1935 and 1908, and a recent question suggests this is where the story is headed. However, the first season left many unanswered questions, and I’m sure you have some too. Let’s discuss the biggest ones now that the finale has aired.

Okay, so I’m totally confused now – is Pennywise actually able to travel through time? It really seems like it! At first, I thought he just experienced all time at once, like that character from Watchmen. He said things like “Tomorrow? Yesterday?” are all the same to him, which made sense because we see him as a baby when the Losers finally defeat him. But then I started thinking about what he said to Marge, and it could mean he’s actually living his life backwards – starting with his defeat and ending with when he was first created. Marge thinks he can intentionally jump around to different points in time, and honestly, that seems possible too. It’s all a little mind-bending!

Throughout the various versions of the story – the book, movies, and 1990 miniseries – Pennywise has never shown the ability to travel through time, likely because it would create too many complicated problems. However, the new story introduces this possibility! Pennywise’s sudden jump back to 1935 seems to be a consequence of General Shaw’s reckless choice to destroy one of the pillars that contain him to the town of Derry. Pennywise hints to Marge that these pillars aren’t just about location – they’ve also kept him stuck in 1962, preventing him from freely moving through time.

Wouldn’t trapping Pennywise again stop him from traveling through time? You’d expect so! When Marge, Lilly, Will, Ronnie, and the ghost of Rich use a magical dagger to imprison Pennywise, he’s forced back into a 27-year sleep. However, the show’s creators have announced a second season set in 1935, meaning they plan to revisit the past no matter what. The information revealed in the finale suggests Pennywise’s ability to travel through time will likely be a key part of the next season’s story.

Doesn’t the fact that we can’t see all of time at once make this discussion pointless? Well, yes, you’re right. Even if Pennywise can’t actually travel back in time – whether physically or just mentally – he says he experiences all time periods simultaneously. If that’s true, then the idea of ‘time travel’ doesn’t really apply to him. The Pennywise from 1962 is the same being as the Pennywise we see in the movies (1989 and 2016) and any future stories (like those set in 1935 and 1908). This means the Pennywise in season two would already know what happened in season one, even though season one happens later in the timeline. (It’s confusing, I know!)

Beyond making time travel pointless, I’m concerned that giving Pennywise the ability to know everything also makes him too strong, which ruins the suspense. It’s hard to create a compelling story when the villain already knows what you’re going to do.

Is this something new for the story? Well, not entirely. The entity known as It, or Pennywise, originates from a dimension outside of time and space. However, that hasn’t meant he’s been everywhere at once. At least not on Earth, where he’s been bound by time, forcing him to reappear and then retreat into a 27-year slumber.

Some fans believe Pennywise doesn’t experience time in a straight line, and this idea fits with Stephen King’s other works, especially the Dark Tower series. (No spoilers, but those who’ve read it will understand!) Also, It itself isn’t told chronologically, frequently jumping between the Losers’ adult lives and their childhood memories. While this is more about recalling the past than actual time travel, it establishes a connection to non-linear storytelling. Essentially, Welcome to Derry isn’t inventing this idea – even if the way Pennywise’s powers work here feels fresh.

Did Pennywise intentionally target the ancestors of the Losers Club? It’s possible. Marge believes Pennywise tried to kill her to prevent her son from eventually defeating him, but that seems like a lot of intricate planning. Pennywise naturally hunts and eats children, so it’s unclear how much foresight he actually has. In the first season of Welcome to Derry, if he was trying to eliminate the Losers’ parents, he wasn’t very successful. Only Marge and Will (Mike Hanlon’s future father) fit the bill, although he might have mistakenly killed Teddy Uris (since it was Teddy’s brother who later fathered Stan).

If we believe Pennywise can now see the future because the cage holding him was removed, he might start targeting the ancestors of those who will eventually defeat him. However, the show has already suggested he has this ability. For example, in episode four, he tells Will, “You’ll burn, too,” which probably foreshadows Will’s future death in a fire, as well as the fire that will claim Mike’s mother.

It seems likely that season two will focus on Pennywise targeting the parents of the kids we met in season one. Marge expressing her fear about her parents being in danger hints at what Pennywise will do next. Her parents, and especially Teddy’s father (who is Stan’s grandfather), are prime targets. The show might also connect to other families with a history in Derry, like the Denbroughs, Marshes, and Kaspbraks.

Naturally, the season won’t focus solely on that. If it did, it would eliminate any suspense, as harming the ancestors of the Losers Club would erase the events of the original movies – something the show likely won’t do. Plus, there are other stories from 1935 that need to be explored. Most notably, the story of the Bradley Gang, whose bullet-riddled car appeared at the end of episode two. The killing of George and Al Bradley and their crew is what ultimately stops Pennywise’s spree in 1935, so it’s reasonable to expect the second season will culminate in a shootout, mirroring how the first season led to the Black Spot fire.

Does the show successfully recreate the atmosphere of 1935? I’m skeptical. The first season didn’t quite capture the feel of the early 1960s, with issues in both the dialogue and visual style, and recreating 1935 feels like an even bigger challenge. Still, it appears the show, Welcome to Derry, is determined to stay true to a specific historical period. That leads me to one last thought…

Could “Welcome to Derry” eventually jump forward to the present day? The show’s creators initially planned a three-season arc moving backwards in time, but there’s speculation about a different path. It’s tricky to continue the story after Pennywise is seemingly defeated for good by the adult Losers in 2016. However, it’s not impossible! Stephen King’s book reveals Pennywise’s true form as a giant spider – a female, specifically – who laid eggs under Derry. While Ben Hanscom tries to destroy them all, what if one survived?

While eggs didn’t appear in It: Chapter Two, introducing Pennywise’s children would require some creative storytelling. Luckily, Welcome to Derry has shown it’s willing to take those kinds of liberties. If the creature from the spider egg could also shapeshift, the show could even bring back the iconic Pennywise in a contemporary setting without feeling forced. It seems like a great solution for everyone involved!

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2025-12-15 06:56