February 2026
By Kimberly Martinez, Managing Editor, and Diana Villanueva, Editor in Chief
Derry has always been a town that forgets its dead, but IT: Welcome to Derry remembers EVERY scream. This chilling prequel drags viewers backwards through time, exposing the history beneath Stephen King’s cursed town. With Pennywise’s return, the series blends cosmic horror, historical trauma, and emotional tragedy, expanding the myths in ways that feel both terrifyingly new and deeply familiar for longtime fans alike.
Ep 1: The Pilot
The series opens with the murder of young Matty Clements, one of Pennywise’s earliest victims in this cycle. Pennywise lures Matty by disguising himself as previous victims, presenting a disturbing reminder that his victims are truly never gone. We are introduced to the central ensemble of characters, including Lilly Bainbridge, Ronnie Grogan, Teddy Uris, Phil Malkin, Rich Santos, Will Hanlon, and Dick Hallorann. Meanwhile, Major Leroy Hanlon arrives in Derry on a secret military mission to locate a mysterious “weapon,” later revealed to be IT itself.
The episode establishes Pennywise’s cruelty with unforgettable imagery, particularly when he transforms into a grotesque flying infant during a confrontation at the Capitol Theatre. The massacre of Teddy, Phil, and Phil’s sister Susie sets the grim tone of the series, leaving Lilly and Ronnie as traumatized survivors and making it clear that Derry is once again trapped in Pennywise’s deadly cycle.
Ep 2: The Thing in the Dark
The second episode focuses on the emotional aftermath of the theater murders. Hank Grogan, Ronnie’s father, becomes the prime suspect, while Pennywise continues tormenting survivors. Ronnie experiences one of the show’s most disturbing scenes as Pennywise recreates her birth trauma, dragging her by an umbilical cord under her blankets. The series reinforces a core concept from the books: Pennywise feeds on fear, growing stronger with each psychological torment.
We also learn more about the military subplot, as Dick Hallorann uses his psychic shine* to help locate the entity underground. Pennywise later attacks Lilly by appearing as her deceased father trapped inside a jar, driving her to a breakdown that lands her in Juniper Hill. The episode balances horror with character development, deepening the emotional stakes.
Ep 3: Now You See It
This episode flashes back to 1908, revealing General Francis Shaw’s first encounter with IT as a child. Pennywise appears as a skeletal old man, nearly killing Shaw before Rose intervenes. Back in the present, Hallorann, Major Hanlon, and Captain Pauly attempt to locate IT by air. Hallorann physically enters Pennywise’s lair, where the victims’ fear is consumed, nearly costing him his life.
The episode’s second half centers on the kids attempting to prove Pennywise’s existence by summoning him at a cemetery. Their ritual spirals into chaos as Pennywise manifests as the ghosts of dead loved ones. Though photographic evidence fails, the experience bonds the group and confirms that the horror they are facing is real, even if the town refuses to see it.
Ep 4: The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet’s Function
When the kids bring their evidence to the police, the photographs show nothing, reinforcing Derry’s pattern of denial. Will Hanlon nearly drowns after Pennywise appears as his father, foreshadowing the deep psychological manipulation that defines IT’s attacks. Meanwhile, back at the school Marge tried to fix an issue with Lilly, but suddenly IT appears and makes marge hallucinate her eyes bulging out of her eye sockets as if she were a snail causing Marge to run to their shop class and attempt to cut off her eyeballs before Lilly stops her.
The military storyline intensifies as Taniel, Rose’s nephew and a descendant of the Shokopiwa tribe, is abducted for interrogation. Pennywise infiltrates Hallorann’s mind, disguising himself to extract crucial information about how the entity was trapped in Derry, showing that even those fighting IT are vulnerable.
Ep 5: 29 Neibolt Street
This episode dives into Pennywise’s origins. Through Taniel, we learn that the Shokopiwa tribe confined IT using pillars made from fragments of the asteroid that brought IT to Earth. Pennywise resurfaces throughout Derry, escalating violence and fear. The children, drugged to summon courage, venture into the sewers and encounter both hallucinations and soldiers. Captain Pauly is unfortunately killed, and the kids finally confirm Matty’s death, gaining vital knowledge of Pennywise’s weakness when Lilly threatens IT with one of the pillars at the end of the episode.
Ep 6: In the Name of Our Father
Set partially in 1935, this episode explores Ingrid’s tragic obsession with Pennywise, whom she believes to be her father, Bob Gray. We see how Pennywise manipulates belief just as effectively as fear. The looming destruction of The Black Spot, a historic Black gathering place, draws direct parallels to the intergenerational trauma explored in King’s novels.
Hallorann begins unraveling under the weight of the spirits he sees, while Lilly uncovers Ingrid’s connection to Pennywise. The episode builds dread as a racist mob gathers, signaling inevitable death for everyone inside the juke joint.
Ep 7: The Black Spot
The Black Spot is burnt down, killing nearly everyone inside, including Rich Santos. His death becomes one of the show’s most devastating moments, deeply impacting Marge and directly connecting to the IT films through the legacy of the Tozier family. Ingrid finally confronts Pennywise and learns the truth: he is not her father, but an ancient creature wearing his face.
The military unearths one of the pillars, hoping to harness IT’s power. General Shaw believes Pennywise can be controlled to prevent any future wars, echoing humanity’s repeated mistake of trying to weaponize evil. Pennywise awakens early and targets Will Hanlon, signaling catastrophic consequences for everyone trying to fight against this evil.
Ep 8: Winter Fire
The finale unleashes chaos. Pennywise announces himself at the school over the intercom, murdering the principal and abducting children in a grotesque spectacle. Derry descends into fog and death as Pennywise attempts to leave town. Hallorann physically battles Pennywise from within, while Lilly, Marge, and Ronnie confront him using the Shokopiwa dagger.
One of the episode’s strongest moments is Pennywise revealing his awareness of time, addressing Marge as “Margaret Tozier” and referencing her future son, Richie, directly tying the show to the film adaptations of IT. Ultimately, the pillar is restored, Pennywise is re-contained, and the cycle resets. The series ends with Ingrid revealed as the woman Beverly Marsh sees in IT: Chapter Two, completing the bridge between timelines.
Final Thoughts:
IT: Welcome to Derry is a powerful, terrifying, and emotionally rich expansion of Stephen King’s universe. It respects the source material while adding depth to understanding Pennywise’s mythology, the town of Derry, and the generational trauma that fuels the horror. With outstanding performances, especially from Bill Skarsgård and the young ensemble cast, the series proves that Pennywise’s story is far from finished, and that Derry will never truly be free of him.
*Shine; a psychic ability enabling telepathic communication and the sensing of supernatural abilities. Mentioned frequently in the Stephen King Universe.
The Cardinal Post 