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It: Welcome to Derry has been emotionally kicking our butts for the past few episodes... and episode 7 might be the most gut-wrenching and scream-at-your-TV shocking one yet.
While the series has been pretty faithful to not only the novel's overall plot, but to Losers Club member Mike Hanlon's detailed research in the indexes, the show has taken several creative liberties... and they all come to a head in the penultimate episode of Welcome to Derry season 1. Whatever you thought you knew, you didn't. The writers were setting us up for an impossibly cruel twist that we truly couldn't have seen coming, and we still have one episode left.
How is the Black Spot fire in It: Welcome to Derry different from the novel?
In both the novel and Welcome to Derry, it's Dick Hallorann who ends up opening a bar in Derry known as The Black Spot. The bar specifically catered to Black soldiers in the United States military and their families. Now, the Black Spot is burned to the ground by a violent group of racist white men in both Derry and the novel (with Pennywise present)...but Derry goes as far as to retcon the true reasoning behind the massacre – using a particularly creepy character created just for the show.
In the novel, the attack on the Black Spot is motivated purely by racism and hatred... and Pennywise shows up to feed as he is attracted to the gore and fear. The TV series takes this one step further: When the racists descend upon the Black Spot, they demand the release of Hank Grogan, who is hiding out. When the Black soldiers defend themselves, the hate group sets fire to the Black Spot with the intent of killing everyone inside as punishment for hiding Hank.
How did they know Hank was hiding at the Black Spot? Ingrid Kersh, the white woman Hank had been having an illicit affair with, tipped them off. Unbeknownst to the people of Derry, Ingrid is the daughter of Bob Gray aka the real-life man who ran a popular children's clown act known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in 1908 – before It appeared and took over his body. As the bar continues to burn down, Ingrid appears in her own clown costume, named Periwinkle, and feeds her abusive husband to Pennywise (which is probably the only good thing Pennywise has ever done). She tells Pennywise that it was she who tipped off the angry racist mob, and sold out her lover in the hopes that a massacre would ensue and wake It from his slumber, because he wouldn't be able to resist the 'fear.' This is because Ingrid has believed for her entire life that Pennywise and her father are one and the same, and all she ever wanted was his approval. Well, she finally realizes that there isn't any Bob Gray left in that demon-clown body – and he stuns her with the deadlights before returning to the sewer to finally sleep for the next 27 years.
It's also worth noting that, in the book, Hallorann uses his Shining ability to find and rescue survivors, one of them being Will Hanlon, father of Losers Club member Mike Hanlon. Dick does save Will in Welcome to Derry, but he uses quick thinking and practicality. In fact, his Shining ability is almost what gets him killed – as a young Native girl appears and takes his full attention, causing him to stand there and stare as the Black Spot continues to burn. Oh, and, It doesn't end up going to sleep right away...and we'll explain why in just a sec.
Most importantly of all, The Black Spot massacre doesn't break the cycle in the show. Instead, It is woken from its 27-year slumber by the military destroying one of the pillars keeping It trapped in Derry. It would seem that all bets are off for next week's season finale.
What does the US Air Force actually want with Pennywise – and what was that turtle?
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In episode 3, we learned that the U.S Air Force is not only well aware of Hallorann's Shining ability, but well aware of the existence of It. The Air Force, under the command of General Shaw, had been using Hallorann to lead them to Pennywise...which we presumed was so they could destroy It once and for all.
This is due to the fact that Shaw had a near-fatal encounter with It as a boy, and has been well aware of the scope of its powers all his life. Well, in what is the most shocking moment of maybe the entire season (and I'm still a little gobsmacked, to be honest), Shaw and the military aren't trying to capture and kill Pennywise: they're trying to use It as a weapon.
In both the It and Dark Tower novels, as well as It: Chapter Two, the only other living being on earth that can defeat It is a sentient, benevolent turtle named Maturin. In Welcome to Derry, the U.S. Air Force retrieves Maturin – and rather than protect the creature, decide to throw it into an incinerator in order to completely and totally destroy it. Leroy Hanlon, realizing that they're about to kill the only thing that can defeat Pennywise, tries to hold the entire army at gunpoint... but no dice. It's then that Shaw explains that they plan to use It as a weapon for reasons that I'm honestly still unclear on, though Leroy describes it as "turning America into Derry." In a nutshell, it's pure evil.
It: Welcome to Derry airs on HBO every Sunday at 9pm PT/ET. Episode 2 was made available to stream on HBO Max earlier, on October 31, in honor of Halloween. Stay up to date on new episodes with our Welcome to Derry release schedule.
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