SPOILERS AHEAD!
The first episode of En: Welcome to Derry he wasted no time reminding fans that this series doesn’t play it safe. Just when it seemed like we were encountering a new Losers Club to follow throughout the season, the show knocked the ground out from under everyone’s feet with a brutal and chaotic sequence inside a movie theater that left many of the kids seemingly dead.
The premiere had already opened with a punch in the gut, with the sudden death of Matty, a scene that seemed familiar to It fans, echoing Georgie’s tragic fate in the 2017 film.
But unlike that story, the horror didn’t stop after a murder. The massacre that followed shocked the public and made one thing clear: Welcome to Derry he’s not following the rules.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Andy Muschietti explained the intention behind the episode’s shocking twist:
“Yes, it’s exactly like you said, you want to create an event that gives the audience the feeling that if these guys had been smoked at the end of the first episode, nothing would be sacred. In this world, no one would be safe. So, technically, that was the intention.”
Barbara Muschietti and Andy wanted to defy expectations while staying true to the tone of their It films. Andy continued:
“Also, it responds to the idea of subverting certain aspects. We’ve already made two films. One thing we didn’t want was, since we’re using the same tone and style as the films, to make people too familiar.” [with the story mechanics].
“We really wanted to create a subversion to excite people. It’s also about turning up the volume a little bit in terms of intensity and spectacle.”
So are the children really dead? The answer is… more or less. The show intentionally leaves it vague, but at least one of them is in decidedly bad shape (missing an arm, to be exact).
The episode also opened with Matty’s disturbing death scene, a sequence that left fans wondering what’s real and what’s an illusion when it comes to Pennywise’s powers. Andy addressed this ambiguity by saying:
“Answering that question would somehow kill the magic. Because there’s always the persistent concept that we believe that exists because kids believe what they see. So it’s a feedback loop between believing something you see and creating something you believe. It’s an abstraction, but it’s really one of the strong themes of the book.
“There’s a point where the Losers’ Club comes into play [the book wonder]’Does it exist because it is real or because we believe in it?’ So that’s a question I can’t answer as an outside viewer. Would you see Matty flying in an invisible car? Or was it all in his head? Or was there actually a car rally?
“That’s a big question and I don’t dare answer it because it’s one of the great puzzles of the book that needs to be unsolved.”
He added: “No one has ever asked me this question and it really made me think.”
And where was Pennywise during all of this? The Muschiettis are taking a “less is more” approach for now, holding off on the full reveal of the killer clown. Andy explained their reasoning in a previous interview:
“We did ‘less is more’ for half the show, but then we did ‘more is more’. The idea behind the delayed appearance is the build-up of expectations. The audience doesn’t know they want it, but I think it creates a very special feeling. When and where the clown will appear was a game I wanted to play with the audience.”
En: Welcome to Derry it’s already setting itself apart from the It movies, turning familiar fears into something new and unpredictable. If the premiere is any indication, fans are in for a terrifying ride where absolutely no one is safe.
En: Welcome to Derry airs Sundays on HBO.
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
