IT: Welcome To Derry Episode 4 Easter Eggs Include More Pennywise Teases And A Huge Origin Story

Be warned: the following contains spoilers for the most recent episode of HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry, available on HBO or HBO Max.

Just when viewers thought they knew what to expect from the spooky town of Derry… actually, why would anyone think it’s safe to go back? The fourth episode of IT: Welcome to Derry, titled “The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet’s Function,” delivered a surprisingly wild and engaging experience.

More IT: Welcome To Derry Easter Eggs

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IT: Welcome To Derry Episode 3 Has Lots Of Stephen King Easter Eggs, And I Love That Key Weapon Reveal The Most

This episode doesn’t have quite as many hidden references as earlier ones – that’s typical as a series develops its own direction. However, it delves into the most crucial and puzzling part of the overall story: the origins of IT and how its destructive power began. While the information is based on stories and accounts, it feels largely truthful. Let’s dive into Episode 4 and explore all the enjoyable nods and references it contains.

IT Compared To Dracula

After the show’s captivating opening credits, the children discuss their frightening night at the cemetery. Clara Stack’s character, Lilly, wonders if the creature they encountered shares similarities with Dracula, particularly its ability to create mirror images.

Maybe it’s a Dracula thing. You know, like in the movie he can’t see his reflection?

Lilly

In Stephen King’s novel IT, the monster often appears as a vampire, clearly inspired by the classic Dracula and famously portrayed by Bela Lugosi. However, this version has far more prominent and menacing fangs.

Hanlons As Historians

While observing the scene, Will realizes his first step would be to research past events in Derry, hoping to find similar occurrences. He understands history tends to repeat itself unless someone intervenes, but he doesn’t yet grasp how difficult it will be to alter Derry’s fate. Despite everything he experienced, his son continued to pursue history, which ultimately led to the reformation of the Losers Club.

Charlotte’s Derry Herald Has A Standout Edition Number

As a huge fan of The Shining, I always get a kick out of the little details. Apparently, if you look closely at the newspaper Charlotte reads, the edition number is ‘237’ – which, you know, is a very memorable number from the film. It’s a slightly creepy detail, and I always wonder if it was intentional… or if there were any stories about, well, you can guess what, in that particular issue!

The Black Spot’s Location Is Set, And There Is Definitely Darkness Ahead

A pivotal event that led to the story of IT: Welcome to Derry was the terrible tragedy IT caused at the Black Spot. This was supposed to be a safe place for Black soldiers to relax, enjoy music, and eat. In the novel, the Spot was destroyed by racist townspeople, and this event deeply affects both Will and Mike for the rest of their lives.

It’s interesting that Chris Chalk’s character, Dick Hallorann, senses something is off about the storage building. However, his eagerness to secure the location seems to be clouding his judgment and preventing him from fully protecting everyone. They likely would have been better off if they’d paid attention to the ‘Keep Out’ sign.

“You’ll Burn, Too”

While fly-fishing, Will has a terrifying encounter with ‘IT’ that brings up his deep-seated fear of his father’s plane being shot down during the Korean War. The vision, influenced by ‘IT’, distorts one of Pennywise’s signature lines – “You’ll float, too” – with the sinister Evil Leroy telling Will he will burn. It’s a bizarre and frightening threat to make while underwater, but it’s deeply unsettling.

Adding to the strangeness, a clownfish swam up to Will right before Evil Leroy appeared – it didn’t seem like a reference to the movie Finding Nemo or its sequel. After Leroy notices the scratches on Will’s arms, which makes him question what’s normal, a creepy red balloon drifts over the water.

The Kids Figure Out IT’s Motives

Just like Episode 3 explained how people forget about Derry when they leave, Episode 4 explores what motivates IT and why it doesn’t just want to kill kids. While longtime fans already know this, it’s an important detail for the show to establish, as it gives the characters a way to fight back.

The children figure out that IT fattening up its victims before killing them is similar to how a farmer prepares animals for slaughter. IT deliberately messes with children, building up their fear as much as possible. And that’s when it attacks, seemingly enjoying the taste of their terror.

“Mommy’s Little Helper”

A curious and somewhat risky plot point involves Lilly suggesting they use her mother’s Valium to try and calm everyone’s nerves. It’s probably not a great idea, but it’s a thought.

Lilly’s nickname comes from the 1966 Rolling Stones song “Mother’s Little Helpers,” though the term was used even earlier. Stephen King has discussed his own struggles with Valium during periods of addiction. The drug heavily influenced his novel The Tommyknockers, where the character Bobbi tries to kill Gard by forcing him to swallow a deadly amount of the sedative at gunpoint.

A Possible Connection To From A Buick 8’s Troop D?

The bulletin boards at the Derry police department are covered in names, most of which probably don’t mean anything. However, the name Pasternak stands out, as it’s also the last name of a state trooper, Shirley Pasternak, in Stephen King’s novel From a Buick 8. Since that story happened in Western Pennsylvania, figuring out a connection would involve a long drive – luckily, we have a reliable car to help us investigate.

Tim Flanagan

In Stephen King’s book, a character named Stella Flanagan is mentioned in a letter from Stan’s mother-in-law, Ruth, as being engaged again. However, with the information currently available, it’s impossible to figure out how she relates to the other characters.

This seems more likely to be a reference to Mike Flanagan, a well-known director who also loves Stephen King and has adapted works like Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck, and the upcoming Carrie TV series. Alternatively, someone involved with the show might simply know a Tim Flanagan.

A Carrie-esque Prank Was Planned For Lilly

The characters Tim Flanagan and Carrie were intentionally presented as attractive to draw Lilly’s attention, as part of a cruel prank orchestrated by the Pattycakes. Matilda Lawler’s character, Marge, was asked to help with it. Marge explained the plan was to embarrass Lilly publicly. While the prank wasn’t overly dramatic, the intent was malicious, and as we know from the story of Carrie, messing with the wrong person can have serious consequences.

Another Clown And Balloon Sighting Outside The Hanlon Home

I understand the choice to hold off on showing Pennywise right away in IT: Welcome to Derry, and I expect to see Bill Skarsgård as the character soon, considering all the hints we’ve gotten. However, I’m a little confused by the story logic, since no one has shown a fear of clowns yet – and that’s usually how IT chooses its form.

Will was shaken up after a bad dream and was trying to calm down by looking through his telescope when he saw a shadowy figure that looked like Pennywise, just like in the picture from the crypt. Leroy stormed outside looking for trouble, but didn’t see anyone resembling a circus performer. However, he did notice another red balloon stuck in the trees, and I really hope he realizes how that connects to what happened with the fly-fishing trip.

So Many Doors!

Both of Andy Muschietti’s IT movies used a creepy sequence with three doors, but the circular doors Dick Hallorann enters when he’s inside Taniel’s mind are different. Unlike the IT doors, there’s no sand, but the setting feels similar to a beach in The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three, where Roland finds three doors leading to Eddie Dean, Odetta Holmes, and Jack Mort. It’s not a perfect match, but both stories use doors as a way to access different minds or realities.

IT’s Extraterrestrial Backstory

Honestly, what Hallorann does, digging into Taniel’s memories and focusing on ‘the Shine,’ isn’t just a little hidden treat—it really expands on the backstory we started to see in that crazy scene in IT: Chapter 2, where Bill found out about the Ritual of Chüd. It feels like a vital piece of the puzzle for understanding everything, so I’m glad they’re connecting it all together.

The technology, or ‘IT’, wasn’t natural – it came to Earth inside a falling star. When the star crashed, a malevolent entity was released, but it remained weak until settlers arrived. As the population grew, ‘IT’ gained power, and frightened locals tried to confine it to the forest where the star fell. Unfortunately, that plan failed when newcomers arrived and inadvertently made the entity even stronger.

Long ago, a young Indigenous girl and her friends broke apart a fallen star into thirteen sacred pieces and buried them in a large circle around the forest, keeping their locations hidden to prevent anyone from disturbing them. However, Dick Hallorann’s abilities can sense these hidden objects, and it’s now apparent the military wants to find the shards for their own reasons. Well, that’s unfortunate, isn’t it?

A Special Case For One Star Shard

Legend says the thirteen pieces were hidden far underground, but only one was protected by something before being buried. That particular piece was found nestled between two turtle shells, a clear nod to Maturin, the kindest protector in the vast Macroverse. It’s unknown if the series IT: Welcome to Derry will explore that magical realm from Stephen King’s book, but the frequent turtle imagery suggests these references will eventually become significant.

2025-11-17 06:12