I have never been more conflicted by a TV show premiere, and I watch a lot of shows. If you are a fan of intense gore and unsettling scenes, I would definitely recommend this show to you. However, if you are easily triggered by seeing traumatic events surrounding children– much like the original events of Stephen King’s novel– steer clear of this series.
“It: Welcome to Derry” intrigued me because it was marketed as a prequel to the iconic “It” franchise. I went into the episode somewhat oblivious, not knowing if this was Pennywise’s origin story or just another moment in time where kids disappear. After the episode, I am still unsure of the direction.
There are a few spoilers ahead, so if you want to pause here and come back after you finish the episode, this is your warning.
The opening five or so minutes will leave you extremely uncomfortable. We see little Matty disappear whilst trying to get out of the town of Derry. Might I mention he disappears at the hands of a mutant, flying baby? Yes, you read that right. That scene is mildly traumatizing.
This essentially sets up the rest of the series, leading into a time jump of four months.
We then meet three of Matty’s friends who come together to try to solve his disappearance. There’s Lilly, and then best friends: Teddy and Phil. Phil completely reminds me of Eddie from the 2017 “It” film, and the group overall reminds me of the original Losers’ Club.
Here comes my second phase of absolute bewilderment: Teddy and Phil– yes, the children– are ripped apart at the end of the episode by the mutant baby. We spent the entire episode being drawn into their storyline, only for them to be killed at the end. What?
I suppose it shows the trust horror of this particular series, that no one is safe in the town of Derry. The scene took me aback completely, and my jaw was about three inches from hitting the floor. So the creators had a great surprise aspect in that regard.
I do like how we saw a couple of continuations from the original films. In the 2017 film, we saw Bev get covered in blood after hearing voices from the pipes in her bathroom sink. In this particular episode, Lilly actually hears Matty’s voice from her bathtub pipe.
Similarly, Georgie had his arm torn off in that movie, and we saw Teddy’s younger sister get her arm severed at the end of this episode.
A side plot I’m interested to see develop consists of the air base in the town of Derry. We’ve been introduced to a couple of military men, but I would be lying if I said I understood what’s happening there. The pair of best friends theorized the air base was doing underground experimentation, but that’s about all I comprehended.
I’m excited to see how the producers and writers execute the rest of this season.
