IT: Welcome to Derry delivers a “get the gang together” episode for its third installment.
Spoilers ahead…
“Get the gang together” episodes typically involve disparate characters finally starting to come together over some common ground. These episodes can feel like a placeholder because typically there isn’t a ton happening, although – narratively speaking – they’re important for unifying the group and setting characters on a common path.
In short: you need these to happen before a show or movie can really get into it. Alas “Now You See It” often suffers from the sense that the audience is watching characters play catch-up on subjects that we already know and understand.
That’s most evident in the kids’ storyline, which involves Ronnie (Amanda Christine) and Lilly (Clara Stack) trying to convince Will (Blake Cameron James) and Rich (Arian S. Cartaya) about their visions. In order to do so, they propose to summon “it” out and photograph it. This requires most of the episode before building to the climax, wherein the macabre spirits of episode 1‘s Teddy, Phil, and Susie chase our four teen protagonists on bikes through the cemetery at night.
It’s all fine (minus the FX on the ghosts, which is a bit underwhelming). The problem is that “Now You See It” all feels extremely expected. Writers Guadalís Del Carmen & Gabe Hobson needed something (anything) to get Will and Rich on board, so this is what we came up with so that hopefully we can finally start investigating “the clown” next week.
The same thing is more or less happening with the adults as Leroy (Jovan Adepo) begins spending time with Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) – first on an aerial survey, then at dinner with Charlotte (Taylour Paige). It’s another opportunity for characters to come together, form a connection, and realize their shared interests so that they can work together in the future.
Again, none of this is bad…but it’s also not particularly exciting or memorable.
That leaves the historical flashback to 1908 which opens the episode to do some heavy lifting. Aside from the (again) janky FX for the one-eyed carnival freak, the summer escapade/young love storyline involving Francis (Diesel La Torraca) and Rose (Violet Sutherland) is solid stuff. It’s a testament to the child actors that the present day interaction between their adult counterparts (James Remar and Kimberly Guerrero) carries the weight of their shared history. Plus: who doesn’t love a freaky old school carnival.
Overall, though, episode 3 has big spinning in place vibes going on. We’re really all just waiting for the real stuff to kick off down the line.
Other Observations
- I missed that Rose’s store is called Rose Red, which…boooo
- You have to assume that if Madeline Stowe, seen here as the head of housekeeping at Juniper Hill Asylum, will get more to do later. Because, if not, what the hell are we doing?
- While I appreciate that IT: Welcome to Derry continues to include elements of the town’s systemic racism, there’s a growing concern that that’s all Paige is going to get to do. The dinner conversation is useful for bringing Dick and Leroy together, but all it gives Paige’s Charlotte to do is reiterate the details of her activism.
- Not helping the overall “meh” vibe of the episode are scenes like the one between Chief Clint Bowers (Peter Outerbridge) and Hank (Stephen Rider) at the jail. Bowers want him to confess to the murders; Hank maintains his innocence. There’s nothing new or necessary in this interaction.
- We learn that the car that was excavated at the end of episode 2 belonged to mobster Al Bradley and is part of “the 1935 cycle.”
- Mixed feelings about Dick’s vision in the helicopter. Sure, it’s always fun to see the zero gravity lair of Pennywise with the mountain of floating objects, but we’ve also already seen it in the films. This was a bit of a shrug.
- Rich ends the episode by stating the thing we all knew was coming: “It’s a clown.” Yup, it sure is. So let’s get to it, Welcome to Derry
IT: Welcome to Derry airs Sundays on HBO
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