Setting the Stage: A Strong Episode with One Major Misfire
Episode 3 of IT: Welcome to Derry, “Now You See It,” is an episode that does a lot right—expanding lore, deepening characters, and sharpening the show’s core group of kids. It spans decades, tugs at long-buried memories, and even folds in a surprisingly sweet thread of young love.
But then comes that climax. The moment the episode barrels into a bike-driven supernatural chase sequence, the whole thing swerves hard into VFX chaos. I’ve seen theme park stunt shows with more finesse. I’ve seen The Book of Boba Fett with more speed. Pennywise didn’t need to shapeshift to terrify me; the CGI did that on its own.
Still, there’s plenty worth digging into, so let’s break it down.
Young Loves, Old Memories: Shaw and Rose’s Past
The episode opens in 1908 with young Francis Shaw, long before he becomes the hardened general we see in the present. A trip to the fair becomes his first brush with real fear—and a blueprint for the man he becomes. His father drills cowardice out of him, and you can see how those words still haunt him decades later.
A young Rose, a member of a local Native tribe, enters the picture as Francis’s first love. They bond in the forest, which is—of course—already tainted by “it.” Their encounter with the creature is one of the episode’s best sequences. Rose’s slingshot becomes a symbol of protection, courage, and something far older and more sinister than either child understands.
As adults, the two cross paths again when General Shaw returns to Derry to locate “The Entity” on behalf of the U.S. military. Rose has aged into a respected, quietly authoritative figure in the tribe. She doesn’t trust the Army—nor should she—especially as they begin digging into land that holds generations of history and trauma.
Rose’s nephew Taniel wants action. She tells him to stand down. Something buried lies close, and the tribe knows exactly what’s at stake—even if Shaw doesn’t.
“Like Seeing Things Without Seeing Things”: Dick & Leroy
The uneasy alliance between Leroy and Dick becomes one of the episode’s standout threads.
General Shaw assigns Dick to Leroy and Captain Russo, sending them up in a plane to use Dick’s Shining abilities to locate Pennywise. Dick’s psychic break mid-flight puts him face-to-face with the clown’s presence—a brush with terror that shows just how close Derry always is to its nightmare.
Dinner afterward at the Hanlon house is excellent tension. Dick reveals that while most people’s thoughts scream with fear when death comes close, Leroy’s mind stays startlingly calm—calculating, observant, unflinching.
That line hits hard:
“It’s like the part of your brain that’s supposed to be afraid, it’s not even there.”
It’s a chilling hint of the man Leroy will eventually become (especially for those who remember his 2017 film appearance). Their respect is real, but it’s the kind where both men know exactly how dangerous the other is.
Assembling the Kids: Derry’s Version of a Party of Four
You know it’s coming. You can feel the series slowly forming its junior heroes. Episode 3 finally crystallizes the core group:
- Lilly – fresh out of her second stay in the mental hospital
- Ronnie – trying desperately to clear her father’s name
- Will – sunshine wrapped in stardust
- Rich – talking big, knowing little, wanting attention
The kids team up to develop the film that Lilly believes will prove her father innocent. Their dynamic is messy and honest, fueled by crushes, grief, superstition, and the desperation of needing someone—anyone—to believe them.
Rich’s family lore inspires the crew to visit the cemetery to summon… something. Spoiler: he had no idea what he was talking about. He just wanted time with the girls. But it works anyway. Pennywise bites the hook and unleashes a swarm of ghosts tied to their individual traumas.
The Catastrophic Climax: Bikes, Ghosts, CGI, and Pain
And this… this is where the episode derails.
The graveyard looks incredible. Candlelit, eerie, perfect for a haunting. But the second the chase begins, it all collapses into a messy, overproduced sequence of cheap-looking specters and VFX that feel ripped from a 2012 video game. The kids peddling desperately, looking like they’re stuck in wet sand, doesn’t help.
It should be terrifying. Instead, it’s unintentionally funny.
The ghosts feel weightless. The scares feel rushed. Pennywise barely registers. Even Will’s crypt encounter—emotionally potent on paper—plays out off-camera, robbed of impact.
This is the series’ first true misstep, and it’s a big one.
The Good News: Pennywise Returns in Proper Form
Just when you think the episode can’t recover, the show hits the brakes and ends with a small but perfect tease.
A single photograph.
A shadow shifting.
A clown that isn’t smiling—it’s waiting.
THIS is where Welcome to Derry shines: unsettling you with something simple, something primal, something quiet. A still image of Pennywise manages to be scarier than the entire CGI chase.
If Episode 3 stumbled, Episode 3 also reminded us exactly why we’re watching.
Final Thoughts
“Now You See It” is carried by its character work and its quieter, more grounded scares. The lore expands in meaningful ways, the kids’ group finally takes shape, and the Shaw–Rose story adds emotional weight.
But the climax?
That’s a fear I didn’t need—because it wasn’t Pennywise frightening me. It was the VFX budget.
The good news: the show still knows how to land a final punch, and Episode 4 has every chance to bounce right back.
