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We All Float Back to Derry: Pilot Episode of WELCOME TO DERRY

By. Professor Horror

                                                                            

As a long-standing It fan (It girl?), I was very excited to see the newest exploration of the beloved (yet feared) Maine town in WELCOME TO DERRY. The 1986 novel is not only my favorite King novel, but my favorite novel overall, and has been since I was 12. I’ve done extensive research on the tome and revisit my friends in Derry often (currently on re-read number thirteen or fourteen). And while I enjoyed the recent movies made by Andy Muschietti, I always felt they could not do justice to the 1,184-page epic that is It. So many of the side characters and themes get brushed over or omitted altogether. When minor characters and stories like Dorsey Cochrane or the Kitchener Ironworks remain on the page and not the screen, the films just can’t capture the far-reaching terror It creates or show how deeply the entity’s presence infects every part of Derry. Creepy clowns and blood-splattered bathrooms are only a small part of the fear.

                                                           

 

Philosopher Noël Carroll defines two forms of horror in The Philosophy of Horror: art horror, which deals with imagined or supernatural monsters, and natural horror, which comes from real-world evils like cruelty, prejudice, and human violence. While the films excel at portraying the former (ex: the giant spider, the living Paul Bunyan statue) they tend to sidestep the latter. King’s novel, however, exposes Derry as a town built on both types of horror, revealing that the true monsters often wear human faces. Themes of child abuse, domestic violence, racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia run through its pages, making the supernatural merely an extension of ordinary hate. That’s why the idea of spending nine hours in WELCOME TO DERRY and getting to know its people, its history, and the rot beneath its surface…is a dream (or maybe a nightmare) come true.

                                              

 

Following that cyclical logic, each season of DERRY will rewind another 27 years into the town’s past, beginning in the early 1960s as the show tracks Pennywise’s kill cycle back through the generations. Right now, they predict doing three seasons, with the next two taking place in the 1930s and then the turn of the 20th century. (Smoother transition here) The novel’s main timelines occur in 1958 and 1985, but the modernization of the most recent films placed the Losers in 1989 and 2016. Following the Muschietti timeline, this venture into Derry takes place in the early 1960s. A young couple, Leroy and Charlotte Hanlon, move to Derry as part of Leroy’s military assignment. They bring with them their young boy (who will one day grow up to be Mike Hanlon’s dad). With the character of Leroy appearing in the show, die-hard It fans will already be anticipating an episode focused on The Black Spot, and I hope the show doesn’t disappoint. Additionally, the show quickly establishes themes of racism as Hanlon experiences uncomfortable and even violent behavior from his fellow soldiers. The 60s were not known for their tolerance, and hate-filled Derry only multiplies that racism.  

                                                 

Parallel to the Hanlon storyline, DERRY introduces a new group of outcast kids. Ronnie works at the theater with her father, Lilly still grieves the bizarre death of her own dad, Phil is a conspiracy nut in training, and Teddy is a reserved and thoughtful Jewish kid (a relative of Stan Uris). These kids are connected through Matty Clements, a young boy frequently on the receiving end of his father’s fists, who mysteriously disappeared a few months earlier. While none of the kids knew the missing boy that well, they keep encountering him even after his disappearance. The show might be difficult to jump into with no prior knowledge of It or its inhabitants, but those familiar with Pennywise’s carnage will feel like they’ve returned home. The quiet charms of Derry are never without missing or murdered children, grotesque drains, and strange creatures that find you even within the safety of your home. The parents don’t know what’s happening…and they don’t want to know. So, it’s up to the kids to fight the evil and find out what happened to their missing friend.

                                                        

 

With a pilot episode, there’s a lot of time spent establishing place, developing characters, and giving all the exposition. DERRY does fall into some of this, but it puts a heavy emphasis on the place. We do learn a bit about the characters and the story of Matty, but the episode definitely lets us know what kind of town Derry is and what kind of art and natural horror it will hide. I am invested and plan to visit Derry every week. I’m looking for some familiar faces and would like to hear some of the same stories I’ve been hearing since my first visit to Derry as a child. But I am also ready to learn more and meet new people.

                                           

Some It fans might not care for how the series strays from the initial text, but there are enough of the original source woven into this version of Derry for me to gladly return. This show wasn’t made for people who argue over which Pennywise was cooler (Team Tim Curry) or which member of the Losers Club best represents them (Richie). It was made for those who loved the epic storytelling of the original text and who would happily wear “I ❤️ Derry.”

 

Some questions I have: What will be the aftermath of the theater scene? Will It hide the carnage? Or will Ronnie’s dad be blamed? Will Matty be the driving narrative throughout the season (like Georgie)? And what is the military’s role in all of this?

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