'IT: Welcome To Derry' Episode Three Spoiler-Free Review
Image Source: Deadline
Last time on Welcome to Derry! Ronnie Grogan’s father was arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. Will Hanlon and his mother, Charlotte, landed in Derry. Lilly Bainbridge is traumatized by pickle jars. Marge Truman kinda sucks. And the military found an old ass car with dead people in it. And that’s what you missed on Welcome to Derry!
After two damn near perfect debut episodes, Welcome to Derry is on its way to becoming one of the best horror television shows in quite some time. I’ve gone back to rewatch the first two episodes so often over the last week, I’m pretty sure I’ve now seen them more than I’ve seen Andy Muschietti’s IT duology. So naturally, excitement for episode 3 was high. As the third episode finally arrives, we’re treated to yet another expansive episode that sets the foundation for the rest of the season. Sadly, it’s not the tightest episode. While Episode 3 (titled Now You See It) delivers the same great acting, music, and tension as the first two, it lacks the tonal balance and directorial finesse of the first two. Not a bad episode by any stretch of the imagination, but this likely won't be one I watch 5 times, as I did with the first two.
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Image Source: The New York Times
As I said last time, the actors are the highlight here. We are treated to a lot of Dick Halloran in this episode, which honestly saves it in many ways. While Jovan Apedo and Taylour Paige take a back seat in this episode, we thankfully have Chris Chalk in their place. Chris Chalk is an insanely gifted performer, and his performance here as a younger Halloran is so good that you hope he gets his own project down the line. Halloran’s role in this episode not only peels back the layers of Welcome to Derry’s central mystery, but also introduces us to the insanely weird wider world of Stephen King’s work. Even though we, the audience, know all about Pennywise and where he ends up, the writers (Guadalís Del Carmen & Gabe Hobson this week) use dramatic irony to its fullest advantage. As for the younger actors, Blake Cameron James and Arian S. Cartaya are given more spotlight this week as Will Hanlon and Rich, respectively. Will continues his role as the brains of the operation while Rich cements himself as the show’s main source of comic relief. A scene of the two boys at a diner while Rich drones on about which girls in his class have the nicest “ta-tas” provides the show with a rare instance of levity. It helps that the two actors have good chemistry. Meanwhile, Clara Stack and Amanda Christine continue to be the show’s best actresses. The downside is that they don’t have much to do until the episode is almost over. Reeling from the consequences of episode 2, Lilly and Ronnie put their heads together to prove what happened to the murdered children at the end of the pilot. It’s a shame we don’t get to spend any time with Lilly in Juniper Hill, but it’s nice to see her and Ronnie working together.
The episode officially christens Lilly, Ronnie, Will, and Rich as this season’s Losers Club. After episode 1’s wild kiddy massacre, it’s nice to finally see a team assemble to figure out what’s going on in Derry. The kids’ mission to figure out what’s happening, concurrent with the military’s attempts, finally has the dueling plots on the same path. Who is to say Lilly Bainbridge and Dick Halloran won’t team up to fight Pennywise? It won’t happen, but it’d be so fun! The episode also gives more spotlight to General Shaw (James Remar) and Rose (Kimberly Norris Guerrero), who are likely to become more important later in the season.
Image Source: ScreenRant
On the downside, as mentioned at the top of this review, the episode lacks the directorial finesse of the first two. Andy Muschietti hands the reins to Andrew Bernstein, a veteran television director who has worked on many iconic shows, including (but not limited to) Mad Men, ER, The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Low Winter Sun, The Americans, and Fear the Walking Dead. However, while Bernstein gets the best out of the actors, he lacks the flair, precision, and energy that Muschietti brings. This is evident in the episode's climax, which features a chase sequence at a cemetery. The sequence itself is fun, but it’s also very unpolished.
Spotty visual effects and awkward line delivery (likely ADR) hurt the sequence, which lacks the intensity of the climax of The Pilot and Lilly’s pickle nightmare in The Thing in the Dark. It was confirmed before the show’s premiere that Muschietti would direct four episodes, so thankfully, we have two more under his direction. The opening set in 1908, focused on General Shaw as a boy, was a fun sequence until it wasn’t. We’re also treated to a brief cameo from Muschietti himself.
Despite lacking the same scares as episodes 1 and 2, Welcome to Derry continues to provide intrigue, likeable characters, and musical delight. As the narrative web begins to connect and the mystery unravels, what happens to Lilly, Ronnie, Leroy, Halloran, and the rest of our heroes will keep the audience engaged. While some will bemoan the lack of Pennywise in this series, I, for one, welcome it. Not IT, never welcome IT or else risk not sleeping for the rest of your life.
Rating: 7/10
IT: Welcome to Derry, Season 1, Episode 3: Now You See It is now streaming on HBO Max. New episodes air Sunday nights on HBO.
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