Welcome to Derry Season 1(Review)

I’ll be upfront I wasnt expecting them to actually release the prequel series to IT called Welcome to Derry. There was a lot of talk of it happening but then they went for it. I also wasnt expecting it to be any good. I was totally proven wrong as this series ended up being remarkable and genius.

The plot is based in 1960s Derry that is under the influence of Pennywise who is nearing the end of its 27 year feeding cycle who manifests one final act of violence and a proto Losers Club that is trying to stop things before its too late.

So one thing this series does from the beginning is keeping away from the horrors of entity causes and instead focusing on more the psychosis its presence causes. For example it escalates the racist tendencies of the doomed community. It shows the human kind of monsters. Now also we see manifestations of Pennywise. First couple episodes will present nightmare fuel in that regard. Yeah let’s say things are somehow more sinister than the movies. They went towards more fear, less humor. It works very effectively.

We watch the formation of this version of the Losers Club and I love how Marge was the character you first wanted to hate but got a well deserved redemption arc. They all come together and are the very first ones to realize something is not quite right with Derry. They eventually come to meet Pennywise face to face and are locked in a battle to stop him.

Now of course Bill Skarsgard is back to portray Pennywise, and at first it’s goofy and also overuse of CGI. However this series literally feels back the layers and this version of the character is the most sadistic we seen yet. IT is very powerful to the point not even a man with mind powers stands a chance against it. They bring in Dick Halloran from The Shining showing us his story from before he stepped in the hotel. Yeah Pennywise mentally breaks him. Thats a part I felt the episodes did well was really portray the ways the influence of the creature was polluting the minds turning people against each other or just showing their ugliest aspects of themselves.

Oh Ingrid Kersh first makes her appearance here, the one who would become Mrs Kersh later down the road. Her story sees us get a glimpse of Bob Gray. Before the creature took his form. This whole story was very fun. And I loved how her story ended up going. That whole sequence was just amazing.

The only downside was the military being a part of the events as they was seeking to use the entity as a weapon. So of course they end up making matters worse. Pennywise showed they was in way over their heads. But I totally didn’t buy into let’s use this creature we know nothing about and turn it into a weapon. Like yeah we see how fear drives people. But that was going to go well and yeah military couldn’t stop the creature.

Things get super gory and feels like they don’t hold back on some of the sequences. Whenever Pennywise feeds, we hear and see the effects of that happening. Whats fun ia when you see it’s face staring at you with literal drool on its lips. Yeah thats an image you won’t easily forget. But then let’s make it worst let’s make the clown covered in mostly blood. It was very horrifying yet very cool to look at. Some of the manifestations were very goofy. But mostly we get the idea of this clown was no joke.

When it came to the final episode, that was definitely a way to end the series. Just the way everything ended up going. That tug on the heartstrings. The reveals that connected to the other IT movies teasing its own multiverse. And the post credits scene.

I dont know what to say, I was at first impressed but then this series took me by my surprise on how great it was with story and presentation. Each episode revealed another piece of the puzzle. I will just say this is one of my favorite series to exist. The titles theme music is very catchy. That’s a fun sequence to watch. I wlll go on record and die on the hill this series outdid Stanger Things. I hope that we get to see Season 2 and 3 which will be going backwards in time. A prior 27 years. That should be fun to see what else we uncover.

I cant say anything more other than I highly recommend watching this series it is currently streaming on HBOMax. Don’t be quick to just write it off. It is an enjoyable experience and we see some of the best performances from Pennywise yet. More brutal. Just go see.

For those who seen Welcome to Derry Season 1, how did you feel about it? Which was your favorite episode or moment? Let us know in the comments below!

Till next time, stay scared!
-Tha Thrilla-

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