IT: Welcome To Derry Episode 5 Delivered Some Big Easter Eggs Along With Pennywise’s Arrival, And I’m Puzzling Over That IT: Chapter 2 Connection

Beware! The following contains spoilers for the fifth episode of HBO’s “IT: Welcome to Derry,” available on HBO or HBO Max.

With IT: Welcome to Derry more than halfway through, Bill Skarsgård’s appearance as Pennywise was a great surprise, even if some fans wished it had happened sooner. The creepy clown showed up exactly where and when it made the most sense. But just like some of the characters in this episode, I’m jumping ahead a bit!

Because so much of the movie focused on establishing the military operation and Pennywise’s elaborate plan to lure the children into the sewer, this chapter didn’t include as many hidden references and nods to Stephen King’s other works as previous installments. However, one connection to director Andy Muschietti’s Chapter Two is particularly puzzling!

Check Out All The Other IT: Welcome To Derry Easter Eggs We Found

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There Are A Whole Bunch Of Cool Easter Eggs In IT: Welcome To Derry Episode 2, And I Love The Super Subtle Shining Detail The Most
IT: Welcome To Derry Episode 3 Has Lots Of Stephen King Easter Eggs, And I Love That Key Weapon Reveal The Most
IT: Welcome To Derry Episode 4 Easter Eggs Include More Pennywise Teases And A Huge Origin Story

The 29 Niebolt St. Mission

As a big fan, I always knew the house on Niebolt Street was important in Stephen King’s story, especially with all the scary stuff that happened there. But the movies actually made it even more central to everything! Both films end with a showdown at the house and the well underneath it. And, according to some deeper dives into the story – like what’s explained in “The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet’s Function” – the house isn’t just a scary location, it’s actually a direct gateway to where IT lives.

The town’s sewer system links all the underground tunnels, where local children once hid pieces of the star shards to keep the entity contained. As anyone familiar with Derry knows, the sewers are a place where bad things happen, and honestly, this operation didn’t go as planned. I’ll explain further below.

Derry’s Tap Water Issues

I’m not entirely sure if this is connected, but based on a later reveal in the episode, I’m pretty confident that it is.

Before Rose learned what happened to Taniel, the respected elder Joe revealed that a recurring problem with IT’s behavior affects the town, even when things are generally calm.

A hopeful sign is that we know the creature sheds, or releases some kind of substance. This discharge has polluted Derry’s water supply since the town was first established.

I’d rather not dwell on what that creature might be leaving behind, or how it could end up in the town’s water. It’s just… unpleasant to think about. But it could explain why Bev reacts so strongly to the tea she’s offered in Mrs. Kersh’s apartment in IT: Chapter Two. The book reveals she was served something truly disgusting – waste from the sewer. While the movie doesn’t show that detail, I like to imagine the tea was actually made with water contaminated by IT. Though, maybe ‘like’ is too strong a word…

The Bus To Shawshank State Prison

Fans had heard about it in previous episodes and seen glimpses in trailers, and now the bus to Shawshank Prison finally appears. Shawshank is famous as the setting for Stephen King’s beloved story, The Shawshank Redemption, adapted into a celebrated film by Frank Darabont, and it’s also mentioned in other Stephen King books.

If the bus hadn’t crashed and allowed Hank Grogan to get away, he might have ended up in the same world as Andy Dufresne and Red from “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.” In fact, Andy wouldn’t have escaped until 1975, and he came out through a sewer pipe! It’s all surprisingly linked together!

The Government Apparently Has Ways Of Bringing Derry Memories Back

This isn’t really a hidden easter egg, but a surprising discovery that challenges what we previously understood. Though the number of people studied isn’t huge, the prevailing idea is that IT causes Derry’s children to forget everything about it and what happened while they were there. Those memories only begin to return when they come back to Derry.

Shaw explained he recovered his memories because of a government experiment. He didn’t give many details, but it seemed like he was involved in the MKUltra program – a project that used drugs like LSD – and that therapy involving mind-altering substances helped him remember. He also implied that someone would need to be severely disoriented to even consider trying to defeat IT.

Madeleine Stowe’s Ingrid Is Apparently THAT “Mrs. Kersh”

Madeleine Stowe’s character, Ingrid, hadn’t played a major role in the story until Episode 5, and now it’s clear why. A visit to Lilly’s house revealed that Ingrid is actually married to Stan Kersh, better known as the Butcher. For fans of Stephen King, the name ‘Mrs. Kersh’ carries far more weight than simply ‘Ingrid’.

It really messed me up when Beverly went back to her old house in the story. Imagine her shock finding this sweet old woman, Mrs. Kersh, living there! It turns out she’s another form of IT, and she’s preying on Bev’s bad memories and fears about her terrible father. The creepiest part? Mrs. Kersh keeps talking about her ‘foddah,’ Bob Grey, and it’s like… he’s the human version of Pennywise. It’s a really disturbing connection and explains so much about Bev’s trauma.

Okay, I’ll admit, I’m still a little puzzled by the whole Mrs. Kersh storyline. As far as I can tell, there was never solid proof she actually existed – she felt as fantastical as some of the other, more obviously unreal elements we’ve seen. That reveal felt… unexpected. We knew Bob Grey would be back, but I didn’t anticipate the show grounding Mrs. Kersh in reality like that. Mr. Kersh is already unsettling enough, and honestly, I’m hoping Stowe’s smiles aren’t completely evil. It adds a layer of complexity I wasn’t prepared for, and I’m curious to see where this goes.

Grampa Hallorann And Dick’s Mental Lockbox

Although Dick Hallorann’s past was hinted at in The Shining, Stephen King fully developed his story in Doctor Sleep. We learn that Dick shared a psychic ability, called ‘the shine,’ with his grandmother, which angered his grandfather. The novel reveals how Dick was taught to protect his inner thoughts and memories by creating a mental ‘lockbox’ that could withstand any abuse.

It’s fitting that Dick’s IT manifests as his grandfather, a skilled lock-picker, who easily opens the box, much to Dick’s frustration and pain. We already know Dick can see ghosts, having seen the hazy figure of Russo, but what else was unleashed when the box was opened?

Pennywise Gets His Glorious Shapeshifting Entrance

Everyone who believed the returned missing child was safe was proven wrong. That dirty kid was actually Pennywise in disguise! He tricked all the children into going into the tunnels while Shaw’s team was also there, and then finally revealed himself – emerging not from the shadows, but from within the body of that smelly kid. (Rest in peace, Matty.)

The reveal was incredibly unsettling. Matty, transformed into a clown, spun around while singing a creepy song, and his body seemed to turn inside out in a dramatic flourish. I especially loved how frightened Matilda Lawler looked as Marge – her reaction reminded me of the intense fear Eddie experienced in the movie IT: Chapter One. This scene definitely supports that comparison.

While it seems the government’s monster was responsible for eliminating the two soldiers, Pennywise didn’t have much of a role after its musical entrance. Most of the children escaped safely, except for Lilly, who tripped and fell behind. Luckily, she ended up right where Taniel dropped Rose’s star shard while fleeing gunfire.

The shard abruptly stopped Pennywise, and while Lilly was still very scared, it forced the creature to fall back into the darkness, unable to pass the barrier created by the shard. This success suggests Shaw’s plan to contain it might actually work, but Rose understands much more about the situation than he does.

We’ll be watching next week’s episode closely to find all the hidden details! Tune in to HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, November 30th, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time to join the fun.

2025-11-24 06:11