After a big premiere episode stuffed to bursting with ambitious big swings whose actual execution was much more decidedly mixed, the second episode of It: Welcome to Derry, “The Thing in the Dark,” is a sizable improvement. Here, with all the clutter of setting things actually in motion mostly out of the way, director Andy Muschietti’s series settles into a groove that is both promising and largely entertaining.
The vast majority of gripes that I have with this episode are predominantly holdovers from the previous episode, many of which I can now speak to with a bit more detail considering that spoilers have been well and truly cleared.
On the one hand, the idea to introduce what is essentially the bargain bin iteration of the Losers Club and then unceremoniously kill nearly all of them off in the climax of the first episode of the series is both obscenely funny and kind of rules. It even serves as a kind of larger subversion for the series as a whole; this is drawing pretty obvious parallels to not only the It films but also other Amblin-indebted TV programs like Stranger Things, who go to great lengths to establish that kind of rapport only to rip the rug out from under viewers is a clever idea that utilizes their expectations against them in succinct fashion.
On the other hand, such a move runs the risk of making the whole first episode essentially feel superfluous in hindsight, establishing a litany of characters who aren’t going to matter much moving forward. Delightfully, Muschietti and writer Austin Guzman mostly sidestep this issue in the second episode, rooting much of the drama in how these characters’ deaths affect those who survived and the ripple effects that causes throughout the larger population of Derry as a whole. Sufficient weight is given to these events that it makes it all feel earned and compelling. However, it does ultimately still make for a bit of a clunky start, especially considering that Welcome to Derry now essentially has two different inciting incidents that are largely just repeated beats of one another: when Matt disappears at the beginning of the first episode, and when the rest of the kids ‘disappear’ at the end of that same episode.
The result is a stuttering sort of structure, that ultimately inadvertently shortchanges the impact of Matt’s disappearance by comparison. Throughout “The Thing in the Dark,” he is essentially forgotten, which feels more than a bit dissonant at times. Imagine if in Muschietti’s first It movie, after Georgie had disappeared down the sewer, ten minutes later three other kids also disappeared, and the rest of the movie was primarily fueled by those kids’ disappearance instead. It’s a weird byproduct of the ambitious shock that Muschietti and co. were looking to pull off, that has some strange effects on the trajectory of the series overall.
Having said all of that, “The Thing in the Dark” does a superb job of using the shock of that prior episode to propel it forward with a gusto and momentum.
With those characters eliminated, the series is able to focus more succinctly on its actual lead characters and the results do wonders for the tone, pace, and flow of the show as a whole. Performers such as Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, Amanda Christine, Clara Stack, and Blake Cameron James get to really take center stage throughout the episode, which primarily functions as an emotionally-driven interpersonal drama unto itself. All the performances are roundly great, and Muschietti demonstrates a really assured and measured hand behind the camera. This episode sees the show moving at a brisk pace, but still taking the time to ensure that foundations are properly laid and emotions are given time to breathe and feel authentic onscreen.
It must also be mentioned what a crucial component and additive factor the production design continues to be. Paul Denham Austerberry’s work recreates the ‘60s time period in a way that doesn’t just look right to the eye, but also feels right to the soul. Muschietti’s concentrated camerawork and ample needle-drops certainly don’t hurt things on this front, but the whole thing goes to great lengths to make this ‘60s version of Derry feel like a very real, tactile setting in both time and place.
In tandem with this, the script for this episode leans that much more into the real meat of the themes the show looks to be preparing to tackle, and it shows immense promise on that front as well. So many of the main characters are people facing their own forms of oppression and inciting direct aggression in the ruling class of Derry, making for a much more well-rounded, diverse, and frankly interesting cast of characters.
Whereas the It movies are told predominantly from the viewpoint of white males (with one character of color and one female character), Welcome to Derry seems to be actively gearing up to interweave racial and societal concerns into the fabric of the fear Pennywise is feeding upon in exploratory fashion. This is a great use of the longer runtime that the series has afforded Muschietti and his collaborators, allowing them to explore these issues in greater depth and present a wider canvas of Derry’s horrors in startling ways.
And speaking of horrors, one of the real shining bright spots of this episode is the meat of its actual scares themselves. While “The Pilot” was full of largely uninspired and oddly repetitive, tedious gags, “The Thing in the Dark” sews some genuinely wonderful scare-based set pieces into its runtime. The two big ones present here are far more imaginative, effective, and actually scary than what was present previously. The latter of the two, centered on the character of Lilly Bainbridge as she shops in the grocery store, is a simmering and unnerving one that crescendos into some great creature work. But the former of the two, centered on Ronnie Grogan and taking place in her bedroom, is genuinely horrific stuff in the best of ways. It’s a sequence that starts with a very inventive startle and only escalates from there, each new development raising the stakes and tightening the tension in palpable ways. By the time it reaches the narratively-heavy-duty tease at its conclusion, what could have felt forced instead feels completely earned.
The Ronnie set piece is genuinely among the best sequences Muschietti has ever delivered, right up there alongside the strongest scares from the first film in terms of sheer quality. The fact that this episode is being released on Halloween and features this standout moment within it is a real joy, and I will admit that I am looking immensely forward to hearing other people’s reactions to it.
All in all, “The Thing in the Dark” is a much stronger showing for Welcome to Derry than its premiere episode. Now that the clutter and chaos of the first episode is out of the way, the series is able to mostly successfully move forward and begin weaving a compelling, scary, and entertaining tale. If the show can keep up this kind of quality moving forward, I’ll be delighted.
GRADE: B