‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Episode 2 review: “The Thing in the Dark”

Poor Ronnie & Lilly! HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry isn’t holding back from having their young heroes face their brutal fears. “The Thing in the Dark” was an eye-opening chapter, one that shed light on the darker façade of Derry and the struggle of its children.

After the blood-filled series premiere, the second episode felt more like the true beginning of the story – the trigger point for how our eventual heroes started. If you wanted answers, “The Thing in the Dark” has plenty of them, but it won’t be the happy ending you’d expect in an evil town like Derry.

A town of evil.

“The Thing in the Dark” kept with It’s tradition of Derry’s blissful ignorance. Three more children go missing, the cinema covered in blood, but no school closings. And why don’t the police, adults, and students take Lilly and Ronnie more seriously?!

Coming on the heels of Matty’s disappearance, this string of bloodshed should’ve been a sign to buckle down and find the truth. But that’s not It: Welcome to Derry. More importantly, that’s not the town affected by the spell of the entity (i.e., Pennywise the Clown).

As frustrating as it was, the plot pacing made a lot of sense. Of course, the town would try to pin it on Hank Grogan; they want a quick arrest and to suit their racist narrative since he was their suspect. It didn’t matter if Lilly had stuck to her story or not; Chief Bowers was going to find a way to arrest him.

“The Thing in the Dark” succeeded by shining a light on Derry’s corruption, their ambivalence to what was truly going on around them. The town wants answers for their crimes – they don’t care about the truth, especially when their inner workings affect their power.

But how the chapter also fleshed out Ronnie’s story was a strong highlight for the series, as well as this theme. Compared to the premiere, It: Welcome to Derry gave Ronnie (and her family) more development as characters, a sense of realness to who they were in Derry. Ronnie wasn’t just the girl who knew of Matty’s last whereabouts – she was the girl afraid of losing her dad due to this disaster. You can’t help but feel connected to her fear, and especially her anger, as everyone let her down around her.

Fear that finds you.

Speaking of fear, “The Thing in the Dark” ramped up the horror undertones. Pennywise’s special power is to feed on fear; Ronnie and Lilly’s attacks were full of it. Ronnie’s demonic mother was a terrifying set piece that knew how to build up the tension. From the bed sheet transforming into a watery cocoon, to her being trapped by the demon’s ambilocal cord, the chapter wanted this to be the memorable scene … and it succeeded.

As mentioned above, we now know what Ronnie’s biggest fear, or at least regret, has been in life. She’s dealt with a lot of sadness over losing her mother. And Pennywise delivered by honing that fear and giving us a truly terrifying attack. The demonic creature seemed like something ripped from the pages of Coraline, an otherworldly nightmare that could never be Ronnie’s mother. I loved the extra touches of the monster’s shambling movements; every time it moved, it felt uneasy and intense.

Lilly’s monster, on the other hand, perfectly captured that unnerving quality, a fear that slowly builds its tension before a climactic reveal. Her horror scene in the supermarket is the closest that It: Welcome to Derry has come to a Pennywise-like appearance. Did anyone else think he would appear as one of the shoppers?

Their creepy smiles felt uncomfortable, creating a sense of silent terror. But the pickled monster of her father was hands-down her scariest enemy; the mass of body parts inching slowly to a trapped Lilly could terrifying anyone if that were to happen in real life. “The Thing in the Dark” outdid itself from the series premiere.

The new members.

Coming on the heels of the surprising death twist, It: Welcome to Derry sheds light on its three new Loser’s Club members. Similar to Ronnie, Marge’s mindset was explored more, sharing why she was desperate for Lilly to hide the truth. Her fears could be tied more to popularity and not being on the wrong side of the Patty Cakes’ clique. She seemed deathly afraid of trying to stay in the good graces of the clique.

Most likely, Pennywise will use them as a way to terrify her, preying on her insecurities. Will she abandon them to help Lilly, or will the clique abandon her first? It’s the pettiness of middle school that could be scarier than the killer clown.

Will Hanlon’s arrival made his dad’s scenes from the series premiere make a lot of sense (we’ll get to him shortly!). With his dad investigating the entity, his son could play an important part in what that means for those targeted by Pennywise. And his love of science could be a handy tool for the group if they decide to fight back.

Still, his fear could be his loneliness of being the new kid in town. For the first day in a new town at a new school, Will had a bad time! A stink bomb, bullying, and detention … that’s bad luck. He’s slowly starting to make friends, like with Ronnie and band kid Rich, so there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. However, I liked how his parents genuinely cared for his well-being; a far cry from the rest of the Derry adults who stood back as kids were bullied and killed. Kudos to his mother for trying to step in and help! We’ll have to see if they’ll stick to their pre-Derry love, or if the town’s indifference will control them too.

Digging up the truth.

Did anyone predict the reveal of Major Hanlon’s twist? My guesses were off the mark, but It: Welcome to Derry weaved an intricate web to get us to this point. A web that pleasantly connects both storylines in a thoughtful and impactful way. For a man who can’t experience fear, he would be the perfect shield against Pennywise’s deadlights.

The military would love to utilize that ability; no wonder General Shaw concocted the elaborate scheme (i.e., the kidnapping attempt) to test the ability. Don’t get me wrong, it was stupid and dangerous, but it worked in his favor.

As the military and Dick Hallorann discover more beacons, it could incite Pennywise to amp up their schemes. We know by the events of It that the entity is still in town and claiming new souls every feeding season. So, the outcome will eventually be that they’ll fail in conquering or stopping the “fear weapon.” From a plot standpoint, it’ll be an interesting arc to find out how the group reaches that decision. Will there be a shocking twist coming, or could some lives be lost along the way?

“The Thing in the Dark” continued the strong momentum and served to complement the series premiere. Fleshed out characters rounds out a cast with likable and interesting stories. And the unnerving atmosphere heightened thanks to the rising tension of its spooky scenes.

It: Welcome to Derry isn’t clowning around; the series’ mystery is unfolding with new layers of terror that could make this a satisfying reveal.

It: Welcome to Derry airs new episodes on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.

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Images courtesy of HBO.