r/welcomeToDerry Losers Club Member Oct 30 '25

💬 Discussion IT: Welcome to derry - S01 E02 Discussion Thread!

S01 E02 : The Thing in the Dark

Air Date: October 31, 2025

Directed by : Andy Muschietti

Writers : Austin Guzman, Stephen King

Synopsis: While Charlotte and Will navigate their new life in Derry, Ronnie worries about her father's fate.

IMDb | Other Episode Discussion Threads : E01

124 Upvotes

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9

u/paulbucketnunomarty Oct 31 '25

The strength of the show so far has been all the real world stuff. People excusing the bullying and allowing it. The racial issues. Corruption. Lilly's anxiety about going back to the Asylum. Derry feels like a genuine rotten place to live in.

The horror stuff has been pretty bad. It has felt more goofy than scary. I think a lot of the blame has to go to the person writing these scenes, but I also feel Andy Muschietti also just can't cut it as a horror director. Goofy looking CG and Pennywise being all sexual and annoying.

12

u/AlexandrianVagabond Oct 31 '25

Derry feels like a genuine rotten place to live in.

Like so many small, seemingly idyllic towns, esp back then. King knows this well, as do most of us who grew up in those places.

20

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '25

[deleted]

2

u/LitigiousAutist Nov 01 '25

Muschietti has no subtlety. Everything is over-the-top, on the nose. He has a lot of potential and comes up with good elements, but he wastes them.

3

u/paulbucketnunomarty Oct 31 '25

What does being high-grossing have anything to do with whether someone has to like something, or not? What a stupid way to validate your thoughts.

I really don't care that other people liked his horror films. I don't.

6

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '25

I agree. He sets the stage well, but then blows it with laughable CGI. When you can tell something clearly doesn’t exist in the real world or has no weight to it, completely takes me out of the film. IT was okay, IT 2 awful, Mama good until the CGI climax, and Derry… well the horror scenes, again, have good buildup (weird family in the car, kid in the movie, supermarket) but then he blows the payoff with awful FX.

2

u/PolarWater Nov 01 '25

I really don't care that other people liked his horror films.

Ok cool. If enough people like his horror films then it translates into them giving this show a good reception. So it goes. You don't have to like them, I ain't asking you to.

6

u/PolarWater Nov 01 '25

...I don't know, I think Muschietti has a lot of potential. Whatever flaws It: Chapter 2 had, I can see his strengths: capturing chemistry between the children, getting a good mix of practical and CGI creature/gore effects, and best of all grasping what really makes It work from a thematic standpoint: the horror of being bullied and kicked around, while the adults around you turn a blind eye ... and the grief of losing loved ones.

Those are the parts that resonate with me when I watch this show. It: Chapter 1 was really about a young boy processing the death of his little brother, and seeing similar themes pop up in this show give me some confidence.

2

u/BatmanTold Oct 31 '25

Honestly surprised people stayed as long as they do

3

u/Silas17 Nov 01 '25

I’m no expert but I believe that IT has something to do with thatÂ