Yes, you did have a bit of face on your face, although that might have been the least concerning thing that happened this episode.
I didn't expect the episode to open with an eleven minute long flashback to 1908. I don't know if we really needed it either. It was interesting enough to see Bob Gray before Pennywise stole his form, and I was surprised that he actually seemed to be a decent enough person. Sure, he was a drunk, but he loved his daughter and wasn't secretly a serial killer or anything. He was just a guy.
I suppose that it set up some things for Ingrid/Periwinkle in the future, like her bow, but most of the flashback was just us watching the clown act. The time could have been better spent in other places, like at the place that gave the episode its title.
The Black Spot was always going to burn down. I was just surprised at how quickly it happened and how quickly it was over with. I expected them to drag it out over the course of the episode, but no. There was only one, short standoff and then the molotov cocktails came out. I almost wish that they had let that tension linger and simmer for a bit longer.
There was some really great acting during the standoff, particularly from Chris Chalk. Dick was all ready to step in and be charming to smooth things over, and could only sigh and bite his tongue as Hank immediately revealed himself. There's something extra tragic about the fire considering that it failed to kill its target. Hank survived. Almost everyone else burned, suffocated, or got their brains eaten.
Which was incredibly gross sounding, even if it looked very cool. Pennywise in general looked great. The glowing eyes were incredibly effective throughout the scene, as was the drool/blood that dripped from his mouth every so often. Ingrid also looked good in her full Periwinkle outfit. There was something almost sad about their scene. She was so clearly delusional, but all she wanted was her father to come back. Even if it meant that she sicced a mob on her lover.
I don't know why it took her so long to realize that Pennywise wasn't actually her dad, but it was interesting that It was going to leave her alone until she spoke up. It only showed her the deadlights once the illusion fell away. When they hugged, I thought for sure that It was going to chomp on her. But no. And the way her eyes moved suggests that her role in the story isn't fully over yet.
Honestly, everything to do with the fire and the immediate aftermath was shot very well. It was confusing and chaotic and overwhelming, and it did truly feel like a disaster even before Pennywise showed up. I liked how Dick's earlier vision showed him an escape route.
But I especially liked how Dick couldn't just turn his back on people who needed help. Last episode, he was very determined to do nothing more than drink himself into a stupor. He was furious that Hank was staying at the Black Spot.
But when it came down to it, he still stepped up to try and settle things peacefully. He still went back multiple times to rescue people instead of just saving his own skin. He even spoke to a spirit in order to do so, even knowing what that would mean for him going forward. It's just a shame that he couldn't save everyone.
Marge and Rich had grown on me last episode, and they seemed all but certain for an unhappy ending. Well, we got an unhappy ending as expected. What I didn't expect was for it to make me cry. I lost it when Rich kissed the door. It was such a small moment, but it's what I'm going to remember moving forward.
Did it feel way too fast for Marge to have fallen in love with him? Yes. Did I care? No, I was too busy crying. And I teared up again when Ronnie and Will found them. It also struck me how divorced the group has become from Lilly.
She's always been something of an outsider, though. Even though Ronnie was at the theatre, she didn't experience what happened inside it like Lilly had. And now Lilly is the one who wasn't at the Black Spot when it burned. She really wasn't in this episode at all come to think of it. She's the one with the magic rock, but she's also the one who is the most isolated from her friends. I wouldn't be surprised if she's the only kid that we lose next episode.
The idea of a next episode was something that I kept thinking about as our characters grieved and reassured each other that the danger had passed. This isn't the finale. It's the penultimate episode. We have one left, but the major threat has passed. So what could the last episode possibly be about if Pennywise has settled in for his 27 year nap?
Now, the military's plan to use Pennywise as a weapon against the Russians was stupid, but it was the kind of stupid that I was willing to buy into. It's the Cold War. They were willing to try a lot of crazy things. But we learned that no, that actually wasn't the plan. Instead, General Shaw decided that America should follow the philosphy of The Purge movies: use periodic violence as a way to keep the general public pacified and harmonious in daily life.
He doesn't want to use Pennywise against the Russians. He intends on unleashing Pennywise on America by destroying the pillars keeping It trapped.
This is the kind of stupid that is a lot harder to just brush off. It's the kind of stupid that felt more like pandering towards current issues with Shaw's speech about how the country is too fragmented and how nobody listens to each other anymore. It didn't help that Leroy's actions were very reckless and outright dumb as well.
How did he think that his plan was going to work out? He's just one person, and he's just going to waltz right into the middle of the base with your gun drawn and demand that everyone stops what they're doing? I kept expecting someone to shoot him. At the very least, that's how you get court-martialed, although it sounds like Shaw isn't operating under orders and is going rogue himself.
And now one of the pillars has been dumped into some kind of molten reactor, and the cage door is open. Poor Will is the first victim of that stupidity too. He finally stays home like his parents want, and Pennywise immediately gets him with the deadlights. I can't imagine Leroy or Charlotte taking this very well.
I hope Shaw dies. If I were to have a wish list of things that I want to happen next episode, his death is close to the top. And for Dick to survive, even if that's already guarenteed. Maybe for him to be able to find a little bit of peace first. Is that too much to ask?
Random Thoughts
Guess Taniel made it out of the sewers without any issues. Man, the editing for that episode was weird.
Were that Dick's friends who crowded around him? I couldn't tell, but it looked like one of them was Reggie.
How exactly did Rose and everyone else limit the number of victims that Pennywise took? It didn't really seem like they did anything at all to mitigate things...
So, uh, how did Rich's plane get back up to the hideout? The last we saw it, it flew down into the sewers.
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An Honest Fangirl loves video games, horror movies, and superheroes, and occasionally manages to put words together in a coherent and pleasing manner.
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