Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched IT: Welcome to Derry’s sixth episode on HBO or via HBO Max subscription, so be warned!
More IT: Welcome To Derry Easter Eggs
More so than other installments, at least to me, the latest episode of IT: Welcome to Derry kept its spotlight on the myriad relationships between the central kids and adults. From Will’s fractured bond with his father to Lilly’s ill-advised visit to Ingrid Kersh’s abode to Ronnie’s reunion with her in-hiding dad Hank, the generational divides are relevant all the way around. The clear exception would have been Rich getting googly-eyed for Marge’s ocular wounds, but then they partied with soldiers.
This week’s episode also marked another batch of fun-to-spot easter eggs tying back to Stephen King’s iconic novel, the rest of his (dark)towering bibliography, and Andy Muschietti’s own two IT films. So if you haven’t already, check out our fairly comprehensive rundowns of all the interesting and head-scratching references from the previous five episodes, and then read on for all the connective tissue we caught while watching “In the Name of the Father.”
King’s Characters Suffer A Lot Of Parental Abuse
Not a fun reference/trope to talk about, so we’ll TLDR it from the jump. Stephen King’s books are filled with both protagonists and antagonists dealing with one form of parental abuse or another. The Losers Club members suffered a spectrum of examples themselves, with Alvin and Beverly Marsh’s relationship being particularly revolting.
IT: Welcome to Derry‘s latest ep puts something of a spin on that issue by having Will take the aggressive stance of verbally striking at his father’s still-fresh wound from Russo’s death in the sewers. That was absolutely the kind of step-too-far move that kids are prone to take, with Leroy unfortunately rebutting with his hands instead of de-escalating things with his words. It’s interesting to think about Will as an adult reflecting on this situation with his own son Mike (or anyone, really) and how that would have affected Mike’s feelings about Leroy. Maybe it’s just me?
Rich Was In The Webelos
Anything Rich says at this point should be taken with a grain of salt, such are his claims about his relatives’ experiences. But he claims to have been part of the Webelos “for a couple of years,” indicating he’s still part of the Boy Scouts in general. Or that he never successfully earned the badge.
In any case, this isn’t so much a direct reference as a general acknowledgment that Stephen King has peppered his written works with characters boasting histories with the Cub Scouts, Webelos and Boy Scouts. (Shout out to Scouting Magazine and its King fan for their non-conclusive rundown of scout-related references.)
Dick Hallorann Actually Explains His Lockbox
After Episode 5 gave viewers a visual depiction of Dick’s grandparents and his Shine-protected lockbox through the prism of Pennywise’s destructive influence, Chris Chalk’s character put it all into words for Leroy, albeit after just waking from a liquor-steeped sleep. In particular, he talks about how his ability, which which stronger than his grandmother’s, also cursed him with seeing the dead. When given the advice to effectively block out that part of his brain, he said:
I took all them dead things, threw ’em in that box in my mind, and I shoved that goddamned lid on tight. I was 9. I ain’t seem ’em since. Until yesterday when that goddamned thing forced itself into my head, ripped that lid off, and laughed as it all came spilling out.
No word on if any of the dead people he saw as a kid were young twin girls seeking out a playmate, but it does imply that the character is about to go through a terrifying situation in the aftermath of everything that’s set to go down at the Black Spot.
Derry Canal Days Has Been A Local Tradition For Many Years
Lilly’s perusal of Mrs. Kersh’s family photo album led to some gigantic reveals and references. The very first photo features Ingrid at Derry Canal Days in 1960, which is a local event notable in both the novel and in Chapter Two. Adrian Mellon and Don Haggerty are leaving the carnival when a group of prejudiced youths beat them and throw Adrian off of a bridge, where he is devoured by Pennywise in the waters below.
The Gray Family Possibly Spent Time In ‘Salem’s Lot
When Ingrid was 7 or 8 years old, during the summer of 1908, she and her father apparently took a trip to Cumberland County, ME. First, I’m passing judgment on anyone who identifies family trips solely by county. But second, that real-world area is home to the fictional location of Jerusalem’s Lot, whose name was famously shortened for the 1975 novel “Salem’s Lot. I don’t recall any ranches mentioned in the novel, but could easily be forgetting something. And maybe those pics are separate from the others, since Ingrid didn’t double-up descriptions in other instances.
Bob Gray/Pennywise Was Apparently A Real Person Before IT Took Over
After already blowing my mind a little by turning Mrs. Kersh from Stephen King’s Gingerbread House Witch monster into a real person with a social security number, IT: Welcome to Derry doubled down and confirmed that her father Bob Gray was also a corporeal being who employed a clown persona. (I don’t feel comfortable saying it was a fun or popular clown persona.) This reveal was admittedly less of a leap after Episode 5 showed IT taking on the form of Matty, a character that we knew was already real.
It does make me reflect on the IT-possessed family that picked Matty up in the premiere, and whether their friends and other family members know what happened to them.
Another Possible Nod To ‘Salem’s Lot
During the town meeting (read as: lynch mob) that gathered to discuss less lawful means of searching for the fugitive Hank Grogan, one of the attendees makes this suggestion:
How about that area outside the railyards, where the hobos used to come through? Tomorrow, get the others, the Boone brothers maybe, some dogs…
I can’t readily assume that he’s specifically talking about Robert and Patrick Boone, the two brothers at the heart of the short story “Jerusalem’s Lot” published in 1978’s Night Shift that delved into the sordid history of the town and its Chapelwaite manor. Considering their importance to that story, and the prior Cumberland Country mention, it’s hard to shrug off a “Boone brothers” namecheck as being purely coincidental.
Bonus Possible Easter Egg: McMurtry Portrait Studio
I can’t say for sure if this was an intentional nod by the creative team, but I’d think this would be a hat tip to the esteemed Larry McMurtry, an author Stephen King has lauded time and again, and whose standout novel Lonesome Dove has been stated as King’s favorite book of all time.
Until next week, Constant Watchers, when it will likely all come crashing down.