IT: Welcome To Derry Episode 7’s Easter Eggs Are All Great, But I Have A Special Love For The Surprise Nod To One Of Stephen King’s Best Stories

For the past seven weeks, HBO has consistently delivered scary and exciting television. If you’re a fan of Stephen King, you’ve likely been thoroughly enjoying it. IT: Welcome to Derry hasn’t just offered plenty of frightening moments; it’s also cleverly expanded the story from IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two, with each episode including enjoyable references to other Stephen King works. This was true when the series began in late September, and it continues with the latest episode, “The Black Spot.”

More IT: Welcome To Derry Easter Eggs

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6

Like most episodes before the finale, this week’s installment of the HBO series moves the overall story forward significantly. It’s also packed with hidden details and references – some connect back to the original source material in interesting ways, while others are nods to the broader world the story is set in. Below, I’ve listed all of these details in the order they appear, for you to explore.

A Cameo From One Of IT: Welcome To Derry’s Co-Creators

It’s always enjoyable to find hidden details, and the episode “The Black Spot” includes a fun cameo early on. Right after Pennywise the Clown finishes his performance in the 1908 flashback, you can spot Andy Muschietti – the director and producer of the IT movies and a co-creator of IT: Welcome to Derry – as an organ grinder near the crowd of children. He’s wearing a black vest and smoking a small cigar. While it might have been too obvious to show him directing Pennywise’s act, it’s fitting that he’s the one playing the music that begins…

The Pennywise Dance!

One moment in IT: Chapter One that sparked debate was Pennywise’s dance while holding Bev Marsh in the sewer drain. Some found it a bit too ridiculous, but others, like myself, appreciated it as a way to show how truly insane the villain is. However, the scene gains more meaning in “The Black Spot” when we discover the dance wasn’t just a random act. It was actually part of the original performance by the real Pennywise the Dancing Clown, before the entity known as ‘IT’ took over and twisted the act for its own evil plans.

The End Of Bob Gray

The series IT: Welcome to Derry revisits the backstory of Mrs. Kersh, a character first introduced in IT: Chapter Two. She revealed that her father was a clown, which explained how the entity IT eventually took the form of Pennywise. The episode “The Black Spot” delves into this part of the story. The opening scene shows a carnival performer, never named, whose bloody handkerchief – embroidered with the initials “R.G.” – is discovered. These initials belong to Robert Gray, also known as Bob Gray – a name Pennywise uses in Stephen King’s original novel. Interestingly, this particular aspect of the story was a key reason Bill Skarsgård agreed to play Pennywise.

Monsters! (In Mask Form)

While the IT movies generally stayed true to Stephen King’s novel, some details were left out. The new show, IT: Welcome to Derry, gives the creators a chance to include those missing pieces. We’ve already seen this with the slingshot in Episode 3, and again in “The Black Spot” with the masks worn by the former gang led by Chief Bowers. In the book, the creature ‘It’ often appears as classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and werewolves. Episode 7 brings these looks to life using plastic masks.

A Familiar Demand From A Threatening Force

One of my favorite details in “The Black Spot” episode is a clear nod to another Stephen King story. When Bowers and his gang search for Hank Grogan, they state their demand simply: “Give us what we want, and we’ll go away.” This might seem like a common threat, but it’s almost exactly the same message delivered by the villain, André Linoge, in the 1999 miniseries Storm of the Century. He originally says, “Give me what I want, and I’ll go away,” and it’s obvious that IT: Welcome to Derry is intentionally referencing that moment from the earlier series.

A Memorable Ghost

In “The Black Spot,” Dick Hallorann gets a chance to be a hero, rescuing Hank, Ronnie, and Will from the fire. However, this act comes with a dangerous price. Because Dick uses his psychic ability, known as the Shine, to interact with ghosts, they begin to interact with him – a frightening situation that the evil entity, It, quickly takes advantage of. While confronting Dick during the fire, It summons a collection of disturbing ghosts, including one particularly striking figure: a ghost without a head. This ghost is especially notable because it’s the same one that attacked Ben Hanscom in IT: Chapter One while he was researching at the Derry Public Library.

Can A Fridge Earn Redemption?

I don’t have many complaints about IT: Chapter One – I actually think it’s one of the best Stephen King movies ever made – but I was a little disappointed with how Patrick Hockstetter died. In the movie, Pennywise just kills him while he’s searching the sewers. However, the book’s version of his death is much more memorable: he’s attacked by a swarm of leeches after opening a fridge he used to torture animals. That fridge is a really creepy element in the novel. Interestingly, it gets a bit of a second chance in IT: Welcome To Derry. Instead of causing death, it’s used to save someone’s life – Rich hides Marge inside the overturned fridge to protect her from the fire at The Black Spot.

That wraps up our list, and we’re nearly finished with Season 1 of IT: Welcome to Derry! With “The Black Spot” being the second-to-last episode, the finale is just a week away. Now that the “gate” is open and the monster has woken up, what’s going to happen? Come back to TopMob next week for full coverage of the season’s conclusion.

2025-12-08 06:43