It's been a while since I wrote anything on here, but I think it is time to come back. So what is bringing me back?
Welcome to Derry!
Before I get into it, I am really enjoying this show. There may be spoilers in this for either the show or the movies. Though if you're worried about spoilers for the movies that came out a while ago, that is your own fault at this point.
In Episode 1 we have a character, Matty, who seemingly dies to start everything off. After that, what we think of our cast of characters is introduced and come together in what is meant to remind us of the Loser's club from the movies: Lily, Teddy, Phil, Susie, and Ronnie.
Parallels:
I've seen people bring up that Teddy seems like the stand-in for Bill and Lily the stand-in for Beverly, but I don't think that is quite right. I don't think any of these kids are stand-ins, exactly, but if I were to say that any of them like Bill, I would say Lily is the most like Bill, not Beverly. The main things that she has common with Beverly are being a girl and hearing voices in the pipes of the bathroom Yes, Teddy feels guilt and his family gets mad at him for asking questions, but I would say it' a pale reflection and that Lily is a stronger reflection.
Lily feels guilt over Matty's death, but she also is already primed for it because she also feels guilt over her father's death. Her mother also shuts her down a bit more, getting mad at her because she is still having difficulty with her father's death and even leaving her at Juniper Hill.
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| Manifestation of Guilt |
Guilt and Fear:
Guilt tends to build upon itself. Lily blames herself for her father's death. Now, she wasn't to blame for it, it was an accident involving machinery that everyone thought was off. We will come back to that in a little while. This guilt over her father's death is compounded by Matty's death. She may have still felt guilt over Matty, but I don't think it would have been as intense if she didn't already have the guilt over her father. Pennywise keeps playing on her guilt, using her guilt to feed her fears. This isn't the only time Pennywise uses guilt to feed into the fear; he does the same to Ronnie. Both of these characters feel guilt for events that were completely outside of their control and this guilt is used to fuel their fears. Every event that happens that they feel they could have avoided, doesn't just add to that guilt, it multiplies it. Live in this too long and you start to look at all the ways you could have done things differently and you hold onto that guilt, and it becomes anxiety and fear.
IT's Powers:
It seems to be a lot more powerful and have a lot more control than he does in the movies set later in the timeline. In the first episode, he is able to manifest an entire car complete with mom, dad, sister, brother, and later, a mutant baby. He operates more out in the open, not just in sewers or in the hidden places (though there are some instances in the movies where he is a bit more out in the open, but not to the same extent.) Why does he seem more powerful here than in the movies set later? Well, because he is.
In one of the episodes, we get a flashback to 1906, and IT is relegated to the woods. Later on, Derry is built and is, at least partially, within the bounds of these woods. In another episode, we see why he is relegated to this space and that he became more powerful as he consumed.
Let's get into why I think he seems more powerful here. In this story's universe, the Kitchener Ironworks explosion happened in 1908. This was a large event and, I think, all those that died in this event, helped gorge IT. In the Bradley Gang event of the 1930's, he gained more power. Each of these large events, auguries, feed and power him. By the cycle we're currently watching, he is like a flea filled with blood and looks like he could pop. All the souls he picked off and all the souls that perished in those large-scale events feed him and are stuck in Derry and IT. Even the psychic aura of the townsfolk just being generally unpleasant help feed him, and in turn, helps create this cycle, similar to our guilt issue from above.
We only have 2 episodes left this season, but I think something is going to happen that doesn't defeat IT but does take away some of his power. He still can affect things, he still has influence, but he doesn't have quite the same level as he does in this prequel. After this, there are supposed to be 2 more seasons, going backwards, the 1930's and the 1900's, respectively. I think as we go backwards, we'll see how Pennywise (IT) got more powerful.
IT's Influence:
Beyond the obvious influence that he seems to have over those in Derry, I think he has influence over machinery and events even when he's not active or awake. In the movie universe, Mike Hanlon's parents die in an apartment fire, and he is raised by his grandfather. The prequel follows both Mike's father (Will) and Grandparents (Leroy & Charlotte). Even though that fire happened sometime between the 27-year feeding cycle, I have a feeling it had a hand in it. Same with Lily's father. The machinery should have been shut down but it powered up and killed Lily's father when it shouldn't have been possible. Once IT killed Lily's father, Lily was marked for the start of his next feeding cycle. Mike has probably been marked for a long time since both his grandparents and father have had dealings with IT.
Conclusion:
All of this to say that I am enjoying the show and am really looking forward to what is coming in the last 2 episodes and in the future (or rather past) of Derry, Maine.
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