This article contains SPOILERS for IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 5.
The latest episode of IT: Welcome to Derry, “Neibolt Street,” is far and away the strongest episode of the series thus far, with concentrated direction, strong performances, compelling writing, and a palpable, sustained sense of tension. Where the previous four episodes of the series had their own respective moments which served as standout beats, the overall narrative of the show felt distinctly lackadaisical in terms of its pace. “Neibolt Street” throws all of this to the wind, capitalizing on the seeds that have been planted across the show’s prior episodes and benefitting from a tangible uptick in momentum, purpose, and drive as a result.
All of this makes the episode feel like a mid-season culmination in the best of ways, building upon what has come before it while reaching new heights and teasing the consequences that are still to come. That is not to say the episode is without its faults, but it certainly makes for a far more immersive and altogether entertaining installment in this occasionally scattered series.
Visually, director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. brings a far more meticulous, articulate eye to the proceedings than previous directors have, which is something to be applauded. Welcome to Derry is a great looking show, benefitting from standout production design and routinely high-quality cinematography, but some of the visual moments that should have felt monumental in previous episodes didn’t quite stick the landing. Here, in an episode whose narrative is tied the most into any of Andy Muschietti’s IT films yet, there’s an especially high-bar to clear.
The house on Neibolt Street and the sewers beneath it were such iconic locations in the 2017 film that if the visual quality wasn’t there, it would be especially noticeable. Fortunately, Osei-Kuffour Jr. appears to be more than up to the challenge, delivering a visual vernacular that feels cohesive, accomplished, and just the right amount of indebted to Muschietti’s overall style. Much of the episode centers around characters wandering aimlessly around sewer tunnels, which could have made for nothing less than a director’s nightmare in terms of visually differentiating the characters and settings throughout the runtime. But delightfully, these are problems that “Neibolt Street” avoids thanks to great editing, inspired lighting choices (the red lights on the soldiers is a chef’s-kiss-choice, gold star to whoever came up with that one), and a constantly empathetic eye towards its performers.
An early moment, just before the show’s opening title sequence, sees a character mysteriously appearing in the kids’ hideout, and Osei-Kuffour Jr.’s choice to shoot it off-kilter with a Dutch angle is a great one in that it both captures the discord of the narrative beat and ties this more directly to the ways in which Muschietti filmed the Neibolt Street house in IT. This choice actually winds up paying off tenfold by the time the episode’s over, as the reveal midway through that this mysterious character is actually Pennywise in disguise makes this visual introduction all the more affecting; not only is it motivated by the fear that the children feel in this present moment, but it’s also planting the seeds for the reveal that is to come. It’s a small beat, but it’s one that encapsulates just how well-sculpted the direction is here.
Praise must also be paid to Brad Caleb Kane’s script, which is responsible for the propulsive sense of momentum that the episode benefits so strongly from. This is where you can really feel all of the various threads that have been strewn out across the prior episodes beginning to tighten, growing taut and purposeful in invigorating ways. The ways in which Kane’s writing works to interweave all of the elements at play here into a single, more concentrated story makes it all feel that much more impactful.
I do kind of wish that the show wasn’t hanging its hat so much on the whole ‘these ancient space artifacts are It’s weakness’ thing, because I’m afraid that’s going to undermine some of the inherent thematic resonance that earlier adaptations were able to tap into; Kane’s further embracing of that has me a little worried. That, paired with the whole ‘the government thinks It is going to end the Cold War’ bit does make for some questionable decision-making in terms of the grander structure of this series, and these elements rear their heads just enough to warrant a bit of criticism here.
It’s also worth mentioning that this is the first episode of the series that doesn’t feel like it is somewhat deliberately biding its time. From the fake-out group of kids getting unceremoniously dispatched in the premiere to the endless amounts of running-around that the show has had its military-affiliated characters do to avoid revealing what their actual objectives are to one another or the audience, much of the show has felt as if it was moving at a slower pace out of necessity rather than out of creative authenticity. In this episode though, things move and they move quick, in immensely satisfying fashion. There is more forward movement to the overall story of the series as a whole in this one episode than there has been in the previous four episodes put together. The fact that the episode is able to accomplish this without ever feeling rushed, allotting a feeling of resonance and proper emotional impact to each of its big beats, is a testament to how strong Kane’s writing is and how articulate Osei-Kuffour Jr.’s direction is.
On top of all of this, the performances continue to be great. Carrying the developments of last week forward, Chris Chalk continues to shine in his performance as Dick Hallorann. His entire internal conflict-laden subplot in this episode rested solely upon Chalk’s performance, and he sold it in spades. I also really enjoyed Miles Ekhardt’s performance in his return to the show; I thought he made a meal out of morsels here and left a lasting impression.
Elsewhere, Jovan Adepo gets to flex his more emotive muscles in fascinating ways as Leroy Hanlon. I especially loved seeing the relationships between he and Taylour Paige, as Charlotte Hanlon, and Blake Cameron James, as Will Hanlon, be tested in such richly rewarding ways. The trio of the Hanlon performers are all so great, and seeing them come together only to be ripped apart is turning into the beating heart of the series in such a palpable way, so an immense amount of credit to all of them.
Having said all of those positive things about this episode, though, I must confess that the key selling point of the episode didn’t actually work very well for me. I am speaking, of course, about Bill Skarsgård’s onscreen return as the iconic Pennywise. After nearly five full hours of build-up, the character was primed to make a truly grand entrance to the series, and again, between Kane’s writing and Osei-Kuffour Jr., it felt as if the episode was preparing to truly deliver on this promise. However, when Pennywise’s return does ultimately come, it feels a bit underwhelming. For one, the visual way in which he is unveiled feels a bit jarring and garish, to be frank, and immediately undercuts the gravity of the moment.
Furthermore, though he’s only in the episode for a matter of minutes, the beats he does get don’t exactly give Skarsgård a lot to work with. It all feels very by-the-numbers, to the extent that his bits in this are nigh indistinguishable from things he’s already done in the movies. It’s Pennywise, for certain, but I suppose I was just hoping for something a bit more high-stakes and game-changing for when the infamous dancing clown finally showed up here.
Verdict
Overall, “Neibolt Street” is leagues better than any of the other episodes of the series thus far, even if it does feature some similar shortcomings here and there. Altogether, I found this episode to be engrossing and entertaining in equal measure, and it left me far more excited to see where all of this could be heading in the weeks to come.