Parijat Ghosh 
If you thought the IT: Welcome to Derry premiere might ease you in, think again. Episode 1 slams the door open on the horrors of childhood, fear, and what lurks beneath small-town Americana—all while keeping that playful yet unsettling vibe that we know from the It mythos. Let’s decode the first glimpse of what the show can become with upcoming releases.
The Set-Up: Derry, 1962
We’re in the picturesque town of Derry, Maine, 1962. On the surface: neat houses, happy families, the stuff of nostalgia. Underneath: something grotesque is waking. The episode wastes no time. We meet Matty Clements, twelve, awkward, sucking a pacifier—yeah, we’re not in sugar-coated territory. He sneaks into a screening of The Music Man at the local theatre, gets kicked out, and then gets picked up by a seemingly friendly family. Spoiler: things are not what they seem. His ride ends in the birth of a winged mutant baby, and Matty’s hitchhike turns into a nightmare.
Four months later, Matty is missing and presumed dead. Enter three kids in Matty’s orbit: Teddy Uris (cautious bookish type), Phil Malkin (comic-book-loving real-world cynic), and Lilly Bainbridge (haunted by her father’s death in a pickle factory explosion). They start to sense – something’s wrong. Meanwhile, the adult world drifts in via Major Leroy Hanlon arriving at the Derry Air Force Base, facing racism and uneasy truths.
What Works (and What’s Messy)
Atmosphere nailed. The show nails the creepiness of childhood shadows and the idea that small towns with big secrets are the worst. Moments like Matty’s fingers reaching from Lilly’s bathtub drain? Nerve-tingling.
Bold horror. The theatre set piece is unforgettable—a screen flickers, the mutant baby bursts into real life, kids scream, chaos. It doesn’t mess around.
Themes: Bullying, being the “weird kid”, racism in the adult world, trauma from childhood—painted on a horror background. The Hanlon’s arrival frames institutional evil alongside the supernatural.
Too many threads? Some critique that the adult storyline (military base, racism, secret projects) may distract from the kids’ arc. It’s solid but heavy.
Fan-service vs freshness. The show leans hard into familiar beats from the “It” franchise. If you’re expecting wholly new ground, you might feel some deja vu from every scene that is so traditionally IT.
Conclusion: Final Verdict
Episode 1 of It: Welcome to Derry doesn’t tiptoe—it leaps into the deep end, and yes, the water’s cold. It sets up an eerie tone, juggles horror and coming-of-age themes, and reminds you that fear sometimes hides behind the most ordinary façades. If you’re down to watch kids confronting monsters, and adults confronting their own ugly pasts, you’re in for a ride.
Ready for more nightmares? Because once Derry opens its gates, there’s no quick exit. And, honestly, we might be looking forward to it.
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