"The irony of the title Welcome to Derry jumps out right away - we've been here before. Whether your first exposure was reading Stephen King's 1986 epic It, watching the 1990 miniseries of the same name, or seeing 2017's It and 2019's It: Chapter Two in theaters, the cursed town of Derry, Maine, is well-trod territory. HBO's new extension of franchise IP intends to capitalize on that feeling of familiarity, plunking us back down in the home of Bill Denbrough, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Mike Hanlon, Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, Stan Uris, and, of course, Pennywise the Dancing Clown."
"Like, for example, starting the story with the death of a child. This time, it's not poor Georgie Denbrough, but Matty Clements. A 12-year-old who reads younger thanks to the pacifier he's sucking, Matty has snuck into a showing of The Music Man at the Capitol Theater. (The song "Ya Got Trouble" becomes an effective if unsubtle motif throughout the episode.) After getting chased out by an usher, Matty decides he's had enough of Derry and attempts to hitch a ride out of town with a seemingly kind family."
Welcome to Derry returns viewers to Derry, Maine, shifting the timeline to 1962 as an earlier cycle of Pennywise's rampaging. Familiar characters such as Bill, Ben, Beverly, Mike, Richie, Eddie, and Stan appear in the setting alongside the pervasive threat of Pennywise. The premiere opens with the death of a child, this time Matty Clements, a 12-year-old who sneaks into The Music Man and then attempts to hitch a ride home. Period details and a recurring musical motif create nostalgia while signaling recurring horror beats and the town's enduring malevolence.
Read at Vulture
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