This article contains spoilers for the “It” universe.
“It: Chapter Two” has its fair share of merit. The sequel to Andy Muschietti’s 2019 “It” has a stacked cast with great on-screen chemistry and some knotty scares, but it’s also an overstuffed, meandering mess in its approach to pitting the adult Losers’ Club against Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård). While serviceable, the final confrontation lacks bite, as it’s essentially the group ganging up on the clown to intimidate him to death. Of course, the logic behind this is sound: the losers must turn their fear into anger and hurl insults at the creature to release its hold on them. Although the group ends up ripping out Pennywise’s heart and crushing him, it doesn’t have the same effect as the climax of Stephen King’s book, where everyone beats, stomps, and dismembers the creature together.
This disappointing finale has hung over “It: Welcome to Derry” since its premiere, as Pennywise’s hauntings in the 1962 timeline seem more effective/aggressive than anything the Losers face in the “It” films. Unless we’re given a lore-related reason, this opens up a troubling conundrum: why would Pennywise hold back from the Losers Club when he knows they will bring about his demise? Yes, the series finale reveals a lot about Pennywise’s perception of time when he tells Marge (Matilda Lawler) that she will give birth to Richie Tozier in the future before attempting to kill her. Later, Marge also makes a curious statement about time being a loop for an entity like him, where his death could also be his birth… whatever that means.
All things considered, Season 1 of “It: Welcome to Derry” delivers a tense, high-stakes finale that feels much more impactful than Pennywise’s actual death in “Chapter Two.” Let’s dive into it.
Welcome to Derry brings us an epic showdown against Pennywise
The series has done a great job of making Derry feel like a real, lived-in place (so far), as it reflects real-life sociopolitics while also being the lair of a primordial entity. The stakes of the series finale are also pretty high: Will (Blake Cameron James) was kidnapped/exposed to the Deadlights alongside a dozen schoolchildren, the military destroyed (!) a star fragment confining the creature, and Pennywise awoke from hibernation to do her bidding. Lilly (Clara Stack), Ronnie (Amanda Christine) and Marge do their best to take on the creature, while Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) and co. follow suit to protect children. It’s a desperate situation, as the holy dagger resists whoever holds it, making it difficult for the kids to shut Pennywise back inside Derry and put an end to the madness.
Pennywise is also rightly disturbed here, as he turns part of Derry into a foggy wasteland and happily feeds off everyone’s fear. Military intervention only makes things worse, because it prevents adults from doing anything substantial. This is a great way to shift responsibility to children, who were always supposed to be the ones to end this cycle. As Pennywise crawls and flies towards the struggling children to kill them, we see Rich (Amanda Christine) emerge from the afterlife and knock down the clown while rushing to help his friends. It’s an intensely cathartic moment, as it cements the “power of friendship” trope with surprising sincerity. Emboldened by Rich’s ghostly presence, the children plunge the dagger and reactivate the creature’s sigil.
Over the next 27 years, everything will be (relatively) fine. This is clearly the higher climax, even if it’s not the end.
