Derry, 1908.
A child goes to the circus. His name is Francis, and he is visiting a freak show, his fear growing as he goes deeper into the tent… “Will Francis meet a certain clown?” people watching at home might ask themselves. Not this time: he has an encounter with a scary, old man who forces him to run away.
“Now You See It” – IT: WELCOME TO DERRY. Pictured: Kimberly Guerrero as Rose. Photo: Brooke Palmer/Max ©2025 HBO Max, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
After all, the same Francis who met a creepy old man at the circus in 1908 also meets a native girl named Rose right after. He trades his slingshot for the water she is selling, and from this point, they become friends for a summer. One afternoon, they play near the woods, and Francis meets the Creature, which assumes the form of a spidery, demonic version of the creepy old man. Cut to 1962: Francis Shaw is the General responsible for Operation Precept, which has the purpose to locate the Creature and use it “to win the Cold War before the first missile is ever fired.”
We see how Rose helped Francis escape the Creature when they were kids, how scary that moment was, and how close they got after that. Yet, after Francis left Derry with his dad, he forgot it all — it’s just when he meets Rose in 1962 that memories start returning. Now an experienced woman who’s seen a lot, Rose wants Francis to stop the digging and the searches. Their scene is interesting, as there’s so much they both are hiding from each other. Rose in particular is an intriguing character, as she probably met the Creature other times in 1908, was involved in the shooting of the Bradley Gang in 1935 (the car found at the end of episode 2 is related to these events, and she’s aware of them), and now is living to see another cycle of the Creature in 1962. It will be amazing to watch this character grow not only this season, but during the entire show as someone who might have faced IT multiple times in her life.
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“Now You See It” – IT: WELCOME TO DERRY. Pictured: Chris Chalk as Hallorann. Photo: Brooke Palmer/Max ©2025 HBO Max, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
Meanwhile, Hallorann goes on a mission with Major Hanlon, the first being the one responsible for using his powers to locate the Creature and give the coordinates to the ones piloting the plane. In the middle of the flight, Hallorann has a psychic encounter with the Creature, who’s hiding behind a “Pennywise the clown” presentation structure. This is perhaps the creepiest scene of the episode, as the Creature feels how powerful Hallorann is, and the soldier gets to sense how astounding IT is. But the mission is a success: now the Army knows where to find their “weapon.” General Francis is satisfied with the progress, so he grants a wish to Hallorann, who advises against finding the Creature and asks for a better place for the Black soldiers to stay in their free time. This could lead to one of the most important moments of the season, with the Black Spot finally being introduced.
Other things that happened in this episode:
- Hanlon saved Hallorann from falling from the plane, then he and Charlotte offered him dinner at their house. There, Major discovers Hallorann’s psychic abilities;
- Ronnie’s father Hank is about to be unfairly sent to Shawshank prison, with the police officer still framing him as guilty;
- Madeleine Stowe appears briefly, but only for one minute, so for now her character remains a mystery.
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| “Now You See It” – IT: WELCOME TO DERRY. Pictured: Amanda Christine as Ronnie, Clara Stack as Lilly, Arian S. Cartaya as Rich. Photo: Brooke Palmer/Max ©2025 HBO Max, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
Finally, the kids meet — the 1962 version of the Losers Club creates a plan to attract the Creature at the cemetery and take pictures of IT. For that to happen, Lilly’s time in the asylum had to be short, and we don’t see much of her there. Once she gets out, she joins forces with Ronnie to find proof of the existence of IT. The duo goes to Will and Rich for help. At first, Will and Rich don’t believe the situation, as they have never met IT, but when they are all attacked in the cemetery by the Creature disguised as ghosts of the dead kids (Teddy and Susie), they are forced to believe. They take the pictures, break into school, and develop the photographs, discovering they actually show the ghosts, with a plus: the last one taken by Will shows the Creature as a clown.
This episode once again shows how mean the other kids can be, with their heavy bullying and all the racism, especially when it comes to Ronnie and Hank. On the other hand, Rich is the perfect comic relief, breaking the ice with some jokes and this tenderness in the friendship with Will. He also brings elements of his culture to the ritual at the cemetery, and is always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Is it too late to hope he survives?
Now You See It also makes clear that at least two groups of people are trying to find the Creature for very different reasons, and it’s interesting to see that even with the dead children, no one in the Army is doing anything to clear Hank’s name. They don’t seem to care about how IT has been affecting Derry, even to have a better understanding of the Creature. They are confident that with Major Leroy — a man seemingly incapable of fear — by their side, everything will be fine.
“I’ve seen what men think about when they’re facing death. They think about their families. They think about their regrets. But you? Gut to your head, finger on the trigger. You were analyzing. You were just… collecting information. It’s like the part of your brain that’s supposed to be afraid, it’s not even there.”
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“Now You See It” – IT: WELCOME TO DERRY. Pictured: Amanda Christine as Ronnie, Blake Cameron James as Will, Clara Stack as Lilly, Arian S. Cartaya as Rich. Photo: Brooke Palmer/Max ©2025 HBO Max, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
The creature chasing the children in the cemetery is funnier this time. Unlike other apparitions of IT — family of kidnappers, baby demon, mother at bed, pickle jar dad — this one is not that scary, looking like something from a child’s horror book. It’s almost as if the Creature was having fun with the kids at the cemetery. We don’t see how, but apparently Will escaped from the clown easily. And the mission to get the photos worked just fine. Isn’t it weird that it all worked out that easily? There’s something strange about this, and it might be all part of the Creature’s plan to torture the kids. But for now, they win.
Now You See It is a fun episode that introduces more information and setups not only big plot points for this season, but for the show as a whole. With flashbacks to 1908, references to 1935, and great advances in 1962 with the military mission and the kids’ search for answers, it also establishes the main characters in a way that makes the viewers care — and fear — for them.
Feel free to leave a comment with your impressions and thoughts, and thanks for reading!