The latest episode of Stephen King It Welcome to Derry delivered a major shock as Bill Skarsgård returned to the series as Pennywise, dramatically altering the story’s direction in a moment rooted in unused ideas from the film adaptations. Fans witnessed Pennywise, disguised as Matty Clements, lure the new group of children into Derry’s infamous sewers, marking a crucial escalation in the struggle against the entity’s terror.
Pennywise’s Return Sets the Stage for Drama in Derry
Sunday’s episode saw Bill Skarsgård reprise his chilling role as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in a pivotal scene, finally giving fans what they had eagerly anticipated through the series’ tense buildup. The episode revealed that Matty Clements, believed dead since the terrifying opening, was simply a mask for Pennywise, who used the child’s form to draw the latest iteration of the Losers’ Club on a rescue mission beneath the streets of Derry. The children, convinced that Matty had survived a previous encounter with Pennywise, sought to save their friend Phil, assumed dead earlier in the season. Once underground, the horrifying truth about Matty’s identity was unveiled, intensifying the threat facing the group and pushing the stakes higher as It tightened its grip on Derry.
The tension in Derry increased as It unleashed a wave of violence, including the deaths of army personnel and the traumatizing of Dick Halloran. As fear swelled among the youth of the town, the sonic shift back to Pennywise’s menacing persona underscored the persistent danger lurking beneath Derry’s surface.
Origins of the Twist: A Storyline Once Meant for Mike Hanlon
The deceptive twist at the heart of Episode 5 was not only a highlight for viewers, it also drew inspiration from ideas nearly used in It Chapter Two, according to insights from co-showrunner and co-creator Jason Fuchs.
“So when I was working on IT Chapter Two, there was a version of that script where Mike Hanlon — who has obviously been guiding our adult Losers the entire time — eventually takes them down into the sewers, takes them down into It’s sanctuary, where they find Mike Hanlon’s body. And you realize that the Mike Hanlon we were with the whole journey of IT Chapter Two was a manifestation of It.
We thought, “Oh, it’s just too much of a departure from the book. We want to be closer to where the story beats.” And so that went away. Then when we started talking about the journey of the show, and specifically Episode 5, I remember us talking and going, “Wait, this is an idea that might actually have found its time and its moment.” Matty as the guide, Matty in that context, makes a lot more sense.”
— Jason Fuchs, Co-creator and Co-showrunner
This creative choice, originally conceived for the character of Mike Hanlon in the second film, ultimately went unused due to its distance from Stephen King’s written narrative. Instead, the writers found a new opportunity to use this twist in the context of the series, where Matty’s deceptive role as the children’s guide to Pennywise’s lair worked more organically with the story’s flow and intensified the atmosphere of paranoia and uncertainty plaguing the young heroes.
Strategic Delay of Pennywise Heightens Tension
The approach taken by Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who spearhead the series, deliberately withheld Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise for much of the first half of the season. Leaning into psychological horror and the monstrous entity’s ability to manifest as various fears, the creative team resisted letting the horrifying clown dominate early episodes. Instead, viewers saw It terrorize Derry’s residents through a series of twisted apparitions and terrifying occurrences. This restraint mirrored the narrative approach of movies like Jaws, where the anticipation and suggestion of the monster intensified its eventual reveal and increased the stakes for the characters.
When Pennywise did return in Episode 5, the impact was striking. The long absence made his reappearance even more menacing, providing a chilling jolt for the new generation of the Losers’ Club as they confronted the physical embodiment of terror that has plagued Derry through generations. The series, with its suspense-driven structure and imaginative scares, continues to win strong reviews and remains a consistent hit on the HBO Max streaming platform.
What the Twist Means for Derry’s Troubled Legacy
The revelation that Matty Clements was actually Pennywise in disguise deepens the psychological complexity and threat faced by the show’s young characters. With only a handful of episodes remaining this season, the main adversary has now taken center stage—leaving viewers to question which of the surviving children, including Phil, will withstand the horrors that are yet to come. The focus on the new Losers’ Club and the entity’s manipulative tactics sets up further emotional turmoil and conflict, pushing the boundaries of fear for both the children and the townspeople.
Given the series’ ongoing popularity and the renewal hints from both the audience response and its streaming dominance, it appears likely that HBO will continue to explore the origins of Stephen King’s Derry, delving deeper into the history of its monstrous inhabitant. As the season concludes, the lingering trauma experienced by Charlotte Hanlon, portrayed by Taylour Paige, and Leroy Hanlon, played by Jovan Adepo, alongside the rest of the ensemble, ensures that the unsettled darkness of Derry will remain in sharp focus. Viewers should expect even more revelations about the town’s haunted legacy and the enduring power of fear as the story reaches its conclusion and potentially, a new season beckons.
