It – Welcome to Derry Episode 1: The Pilot

It – Welcome to Derry episode 1 kicks off with a troubled young boy named Matty who is standing on the side of the road on a frigid winter night. Much to his relief, he manages to hitch a ride with a seemingly normal family.

The trip becomes increasingly unsettling before culminating in the birth of a grotesque demon baby, which apparently signals the return of Pennywise to Derry.

It’s unclear if the entire family is a hallucination created by “It” to fool Maddy, or if the entity is the demon baby itself. That’s one of the mysteries that the series will certainly explore going forward.

Months go by after Maddy’s disappearance. His friends Lilly (Clara Stack), Ted (Mikkal Karim-Fidler ), and Phil (Jack Molloy Legault) are determined to find him. Ronnie (Amanda Christine), the new girl in town, also reluctantly gets involved.

The show sets this group up to be a ’60s version of the Loser Club from the original novel. The plucky kids eventually end up in a movie theater, where they are confronted with a nasty surprise.

Welcome to Derry illustrates the “It” entity’s shapeshifting abilities. This element of Stephen King’s novel wasn’t significantly emphasized in previous adaptations. This ancient otherworldly monster isn’t just Pennywise the Dancing Clown. That’s only one of many forms he takes.

Pennywise, who will again by portrayed by Bill Skarsgard, does not appear in the first episode at all. The demon baby is okay, but surely the writers could have come up with something better as an alternate form. In any case, the evil clown should return soon.

This episode’s title, “The Pilot”, is a play on words. A pilot is the first episode of a television series, but it’s also a reference to one of this show’s major characters. Will Hanlon (Blake Cameron James) is an Air Force vet who has just been assigned to a new post in Derry.

He’s working on a top secret project. Hanlon, who is Black, faces racist behavior and violent threats. It’s unclear what the Air Force has to do with Pennywise. If was to speculate, maybe they’ve found a portal that leads to Pennywise’s realm.

Episode 1 finishes with a shocking twist ending that reminded me of the famous opening sequence of the original Scream. Yes, I’m comparing the conclusion to one of the most famous twists in horror history. I don’t think that’s hyperbole. Just when you think you have this show figured out, it pulls the rug out from under you.

New episodes of Welcome to Derry will normally premiere on Sundays, but episode 2 streams on Halloween! I’m planning to review each episode of the series.