Welcome to Derry moved into its most unsettling chapter yet with Episode 5, marking a major turning point in the prequel series as Pennywise emerged in full form for the first time this season. After weeks of buildup through glimpses, illusions and scattered clues, the episode finally brought the characters face to face with the creature behind the growing terror beneath Derry.
The story follows the young group at the heart of the series as they are forced back into the town’s underground tunnels after learning that a missing boy may still be alive. What begins as a desperate attempt to rescue a friend quickly shifts into a trap, revealing that the figure guiding them through the sewers is not a survivor at all but Pennywise hiding in plain sight. The transformation scene that follows sets the tone for the remainder of the season, placing the children directly in the path of Derry’s most ancient threat.
While Pennywise’s introduction dominates the episode, the hour also expands the show’s broader narrative. The storyline involving General Shaw and Rose continues to expose the opposing ways adults understand the danger. Their shared childhood encounters with Pennywise shape decisions that contrast sharply with the dismissive attitudes of the military leadership around them. The series continues to underline how fear and trauma are often invisible to those untouched by them.
The episode deepens the series’ exploration of its 1960s setting, highlighting racial divides, social inequities and the vulnerability of communities that are forced to confront danger without institutional support. Characters like Rose, the Hanlon family and Dick Hallorann carry much of the emotional weight as their experiences reveal the harm caused when authority fails to protect the most at risk.
Visually, Episode 5 shifts into darker, more confined spaces as the children and soldiers descend into the tunnels, creating a tone closer to thriller than traditional horror. While some of the visual effects remain uneven, the series compensates with strong character writing. Lilly, Marge and the others continue to develop into a tight-knit unit, and the episode’s emotional moments often land with more force than the scares themselves.
With three episodes remaining, Welcome to Derry now stands at a defining point. Pennywise is no longer a shadow and the show’s threads involving military intervention, community trauma and the cyclical nature of violence are beginning to converge. Episode 5 signals that the final stretch of the season will lean more heavily on the creature’s mythology while testing every character’s resilience.
