The great thing about shows releasing episodes weekly is the hype it builds. The downside is once you’re obsessed, you do nothing but think about that show for two months straight, with the hyperfixation feeling like Pennywise himself is juggling your thoughts. Yes, if you couldn’t tell already, I absolutely love “It: Welcome to Derry.”
Ever since the first episode dropped, I knew this show was my favorite of 2025, if not the best show in recent years. Saying that as a hardcore “Alien” fan who thought “Alien: Earth” would be my No. 1 is genuinely shocking, but “Welcome to Derry” exceeded my expectations in every way. Now that season 1 has ended and the finale is streaming on HBO Max, I’m even more impressed (and even more obsessed).
“It: Welcome to Derry” episode 8 is sure to shock and thrill viewers, and watching it only confirmed for me that this is my favorite show of the year. Andy Muschietti created something truly special with an incredible cast and Bill Skarsgård’s electrifying return as the dancing clown. Before I descend into a hyperfixated rant about why this show is perfect, here are the five best moments from the finale that sealed the deal.
1. The shock factor hasn’t worn off
Final warning: Major spoilers ahead!
After the shocking events of episode 7 (and literally every other episode), “It: Welcome to Derry” still managed to keep my jaw on the floor throughout the entire fun of episode 8.
After Pennywise is disturbed from his slumber (thanks to the military melting one of the shards keeping him contained in Derry), hell literally breaks loose. He seizes the opportunity to unleash the Deadlights on an entire school of children, making them float and taking them with him as he rides his circus wagon to the outer edges of the town. But not before using a dead teacher’s body as a puppet and laughing like it’s the most fun in the world, because this wouldn’t be Pennywise if he didn’t do something utterly insane.
The fact that by the end of the season, this show still packs plenty of shock factor is genuinely impressive. Muschietti and the writers clearly wanted to bring the unhinged chaos that the movies couldn’t fully capture, this time with Pennywise even stronger and seemingly unstoppable. It’s impossible to be bored even on countless rewatches.
2. A thrilling plot twist
Andy Muschietti teased a while back that episode 8 would contain “something unexpected,” tied to the season’s partly backward storytelling (h/t Collider). While he didn’t reveal any specific plot twists, he promised that viewers will be surprised when they watch, emphasizing that “nothing is what it looks like in this world.”
Of course, the finale delivers a shocking twist when Pennywise tells young Marge (Matilda Lawler) that she is the mother of Richie Tozier, one of the kids from the Losers’ Club in the 2017 movie. He shows her a poster of Richie, warning that in the future, Richie and his friends “bring him his death.” But it’s when he adds, “Or is it my birth? I get confused,” that the real twist lands.
To Pennywise, past, present, and future are all the same, meaning his death is actually his birth. Marge realizes that Pennywise could potentially move backward in time (explaining why season 2 will be set 27 years earlier in 1935) to try to end their bloodline. This is a shocking twist that completely changes the franchise, in the best way possible.
3. It’s still emotional
One of the biggest shocks of episode 7 was when Rich (Arian S. Cartaya) died protecting Marge from the fire in the Black Spot incident. Tears were flowing, but this moment proves that despite “Welcome to Derry” having plenty of gore and scares, it still weaves in real human emotion and relationships.
Episode 8 thrives on that emotional core. During the crucial moment when the kids are trying to return the final shard to the Earth’s soil to restore the containment barrier and stop Pennywise from escaping, Rich’s ghost appears and helps them finish the job. The “It” universe has always been about the power of friendship, and this moment drives that home perfectly.
Even the ending gives a glimpse of happiness: Ronnie (Amanda Christine) and her dad leave Derry unharmed, Will (Blake Cameron James) and his family take over a farm, and Margie and Lilly (Clara Stack) finally share a peaceful moment together, sipping their favorite soda.
4. Pennywise is even scarier
Pennywise is somehow even scarier in “Welcome to Derry” than in previous adaptations, and it’s largely because we see more of his clown form up close. While some might worry that showing him so often would dilute the fear, it actually makes him more terrifying since he’s not just a lurking shadow in the sewers anymore.
In the finale, he talks like a human, but every word drips with menace, and we get glimpses of his thoughts and feelings, from cruel amusement to pure, unhinged rage. The blood, the sharp teeth and his relentless determination to break free into the wider world make every scene with him a truly intense experience. Seeing Pennywise so personal, so fully alive in his evil, transforms the clown from a lurking monster into something frighteningly immediate.
This deeper, more personal glimpse at Pennywise also makes the season 1 plot twist make sense. Knowing just how intelligent, rage-filled and relentless he can be, the idea of him moving backward in time in season 2 is actually quite terrifying. That added menace ensures that whatever’s coming next won’t just be a continuation — it’ll be even scarier. Bill Skarsgård, you are pure talent.
5. Season 1 ties up loose ends
One of my biggest concerns was that season 1 wouldn’t be able to tie up all the loose ends in just eight episodes, especially since season 2 will go back in time and we won’t return to this period. The finale had to do all that in just over 60 minutes, but thankfully, my worries vanished almost immediately.
By the end of the episode, Dick Halloran tells Leroy (Jovan Adepo) that he’s leaving Derry to work in a hotel as a chef. Any guesses? Of course, it’s the Overlook Hotel from “The Shining,” which the season cleverly sets up. We know where his character is headed, and I’m hoping for another remake with Chris Chalk in the role, staying true to the source material this time.
The episode also shows Will’s family remaining in town, which is important for the first “It” movie. But even more exciting, the show confirms that the younger Ingrid Kirsh (Madeleine Stowe) is indeed the same old woman Beverly encounters in “It: Chapter 2.” The best part of this ending? We get to see young Beverly (Sophia Lillis) appear in a cameo after Kirsh witnesses Beverly’s mother’s death in Juniper Hill.
All 8 episodes of "It: Welcome to Derry" are now streaming on HBO Max.
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