I loved It (2017) and politely refuse to talk about It Chapter Two. So, I have been impatiently waiting for It: Welcome to Derry to drop. I leaned in as soon as it was announced that Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs were developing the prequel series for HBO Max. So, while I was denied screeners at the eleventh hour, I still tuned in Sunday night to see if it would live up to the hype. I found myself overall pleasantly surprised, despite having a couple of questions, comments, and concerns.
What’s Going On In Derry?
‘The Pilot’ takes place in 1962. We meet Matt Clements (Miles Ekhardt), a kid with a pacifier habit who loves to sneak into movies. He is caught in a showing of The Music Man and has to leave the venue. He makes the mistake of hitchhiking with a family that turns out to be the last time he is seen. The demonic car ride sets us up to know that kids are in danger in this series, and Matty is clearly not our lead.
Matty’s friends Teddy Uris (Mikkal Karim-Fidler) and Phil Malkin (Jack Molloy Legault) are still reeling from his disappearance. Teddy seems to be taking it the worst as everyone in town refuses to talk to him about it. Another kid taking this disappearance hard is Lilly Bainbridge (Clara Stack), who was on the brink of a possible friendship with Matt. She also has her own baggage, so when Matt’s voice and fingers make their way into her drain, she connects with his friends.
This leads them to form a kid gang to investigate, which includes Susie (Hunter Storm Baker) and Ronnie Grogan (Amanda Christie). As an audience, you assume this will be our core group. However, you know what they say about assuming and It: Welcome to Derry makes a bloody ass out of you and me. The ending is shocking, and the reason I will be tuning into the second episode.
Who’s Who?
While we know Bill Skarsgård will be reprising the role of Pennywise, we do not see him in the first episode. Which is smart because you have to leave the audience wanting more. However, we do meet Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo), who is the grandfather of Mike Hanlon. So, that’s a huge connection to The Loser’s Club we all know from the book and films. He’s experiencing racism at a military base and is ambushed by a weird group that he and his friend fend off. His story was sort of sidelined, so I’m waiting to see how it fully intertwines with what the kids got into. It’s still early yet, and whatever we think we know might not be the gospel. However, his wife Charlotte Hanlon (Taylour Paige) will also be getting screen time. I’m happy to see this because most King adaptations become overwhelmingly white cast affairs.
Speaking of Black characters from the Stephen King Universe getting more to do, young Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) will be involved in the story in some way. Constant Readers will remember Dick from The Shining. He was the Black character who also had “the shine’ and saved Danny and Wendy from the Overlook Hotel. In my least favorite adaptation, he is played by the late and great Scatman Crothers. Stanley Kubrick decided to axe the Black psychic character and perpetuate a trope with his version of King’s tale. A choice I still side-eye, and why I love to see this character in other iterations of the tale. So, I am very excited to see how he will fit into It: Welcome to Derry.
Am I Feeling It: Welcome to Derry?
As a former Constant Reader and a lover of horror television, I’m an easy target for this show. While I think the pilot had a couple of things that don’t quite make sense (yet), I’m still leaning in. I am here for the vicious way children are dispatched, the surprising deaths, and for the expansion of one Stephen King’s most iconic baddies. So, I have a date with It: Welcome to Derry this weekend. I want to see where it goes now that most of the cast we were introduced to is dead. I also want to see Pennywise on the small screen to see if Skarsgård can creep us out again. More importantly, it is a fun and intriguing story, and that goes a long way with me.
It’s too soon to say if It: Welcome to Derry will be one of the best shows of the year. However, I have hope that it’s ramping up to be a good time. If it avoids falling into fan service territory and tightens up some of the story, this could be a damn good time. There is so much potential in this pilot. I cannot help rooting for it to find its footing and surprise us all. Sadly, hope is a dangerous thing, so I am so nervous it could be another fumble down the line. All I know is I plan to show up for the next two episodes and see where this all goes.
Watch the ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Trailer
