In the seventh episode of HBO’s “IT: Welcome to Derry," the audience is first introduced to the man who famously performed as Pennywise in front of hundreds of laughing children. Bill Skarsgård plays Bob Gray, the original Pennywise before IT killed him and took over the clown persona.
In 1908, Gray is lured into the woods by IT, in the form of a little boy searching for his family. Later, Gray’s young daughter, Ingrid Kersh (Tyner Rushing), learns of his demise from other carnival workers.
In the present storyline, the masked men led by Clint Bowers (Peter Outerbridge) force the people at the Black Spot to give up where Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider) is hiding. When they refuse, the masked men board off all the exits and set the Black Spot on fire. As a result, this kills many of those inside, including Rich Santos (Arian S. Cartaya).
Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk), Will Hanlon (Blake Cameron James), Ronnie Grogan (Amanda Christine), Marge Truman (Matilda Lawler) and Hank Grogan escape into the woods. Adult Kersh (Madeleine Stowe) shows up as Periwinkle to see Pennywise devour her husband. IT congratulates her for helping IT feed, and then Kersh sees that IT is not her real father.
IT as Pennywise taunts her, eventually using the deadlights to render her catatonic. During the fire at the Black Spot, Hallorann connected with the spirit of a deceased Native American, who led him to one of the pillars that contains IT in Derry.
Hallorann informs the military of the pillar's location and they quickly locate it. They are soon to transport it back to base, and Gen. Shaw (James Remar) informs an irate Maj. Leroy Hanlon that his goal is to collect the pillars and destroy them so that IT can be let free. Gen. Shaw wants to use IT to control the American public through fear and manipulation.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Hanlon (Taylour Paige) takes Hank to the last person she can trust: Rose (Kimberly Norris-Guerrero). Rose agrees to hide Hank Grogan in her home, who is believed to be dead.
After the destruction of one of the pillars, Pennywise reawakens. He appears in Hanlon’s house and uses the deadlights to capture him.
So much happens in episode seven in what feels like so little time. For what it’s worth, the show’s pacing is fast but not too fast. It knows when to slow down and when to speed up, and boy, does it ever speed up here.
It was a nice inclusion to see Skarsgård act as someone different from his portrayal of Pennywise in the opening prologue. Bob Gray’s Pennywise and overall demeanor are opposite to that of IT’s interpretation of Pennywise. The former is kind and goofy, whereas the latter is creepy and cunning.
It’s a superb performance since Skarsgård is required to play the same clown character from two different perspectives. How he does it honestly makes his role one of the best modern horror characters.
All of the other acting jobs in this episode are excellent, especially the child actors. A highlight is Lawler’s role as Truman. Although Truman and Santos were only together for a short while, their relationship felt so much longer than that. Good writing and good performances from both Lawler and Cartaya make for good television.
In this particular episode, one choice that stands out like a sore thumb is the twist reveal of that Shaw is actually a villain. What makes the giveaway weak is that there were little to no hints of Shaw being a person with an ulterior motive.
It comes out of nowhere, which might be what the showrunners were hoping for. However, it just does not feel like it’s earned in any way. Despite this critique, now that IT has been let out of the cage, it provides a rather dark idea of what the season finale could be like.
How it plays out will likely not sit well with viewers since the Pennywise in the show is canonically the same one from “It” (2017) and “It: Chapter Two” (2019). But hey, that’s the nature of what this show is clearly going for.
