IT: Welcome to Derry – Episode 2 - “The Thing in the Dark” Review

Thrown straight back into the chaos of last week's episode, we're immediately shown another harrowing view of the massacre before moving into the following week. Lilly (Clara Stack), traumatised from the events, returns to school while the Cold War subplot continues to drag the pace. Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) remains a compelling figure, but the dialogue in the military scenes still feels forced. Outside of those sequences, however, his story shines - grounded in family, identity, and the realities of discrimination. The show handles the subject with care, ensuring the harsh truth of prejudice is translated without losing emotional weight.

Production-wise, Welcome to Derry continues to impress. The colour grading is absolutely stunning - bright, saturated tones bursting against the dark subject matter, creating a brilliant visual juxtaposition. Every frame feels like it's been meticulously crafted. The effects and horror elements once again slap (there's no better word for it). Whoever is behind those nightmare visuals deserves a raise, this is the stuff of pure, unfiltered terror.

Ronnie Grogan (Amanda Christine) has it particularly rough this week. Pennywise casts an illusion so grim and shocking that I audibly gasped - like I'd just sat on a thumbtack. Pennywise has that dog in him (ARF ARF) this season; he's operating on demon time, and it really makes you question how the Losers' Club ever stood a chance in the films. The way he manipulates Ronnie into public meltdowns is chilling, forcing her family, already under scrutiny, further into the town's cruel spotlight.

Lilly (Stack) doesn't get a moment's peace either. Once again targeted by Pennywise, she's tormented in ways that feel sickeningly personal - proof that this clown knows exactly how to break a victim. Though we only see him through twisted visions rather than in physical form, his presence is suffocating. You can feel him lurking, waiting, promising that when he finally does appear in full, the payoff will be immense.

The episode ends on an ominous note, sowing the seeds for something truly monstrous. Where Alien: Earth opted for slow-burn tension, Welcome to Derry takes the opposite route - sprinting headfirst into cosmic horror that feels like it's crawled straight from the darkest pits of hell. It radiates such malevolent energy that I half expect Pennywise to show up in my nightmares next (cheers, Mum and Dad, for that childhood circus trauma).

Welcome to Derry continues to prove that no one, and I mean no one, is safe in Derry.

Episode 1 review

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Blake Reilly