IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 2 Recap and Review — The Thing in the Dark Cranks Up the Dread and Deepens the Mystery

Welcome to Derry’s premiere comes out swinging, unleashing mayhem with zero answers — and thrusting Lilly, Clara Stack, into a nightmare quest to uncover what really happened.

Welcome to Derry hits episode two still in setup mode, but it finally starts showing its hand. It is messy, moody, and very into its 1960s small-town ugliness. And yes, Lilly is still going through it. Let me walk you through what actually happens in 'The Thing in the Dark' and why the most memorable scare involves... pickles.

Previously on: panic and fallout

The hour opens by replaying last week’s theater bloodbath from Lilly’s point of view, then drops the official title sequence for the first time. Police are parked outside Ronnie’s place and her dad Hank Grogan’s home, spitballing about the brutal deaths of Phil and Teddy. Hank’s mother is furious her son is being lumped in with the killings.

New faces, old rot

We get a proper intro to Charlotte Hanlon (Taylour Paige), her husband Leroy (Jovan Adepo), and their son Will (Blake Cameron James). Their arrival pulls the sheet off Derry’s mid-century racism fast. Meanwhile, Marge (Matilda Lawler) keeps trying to impress a pack of awful mean-girls, and Lilly is barely holding it together after what she saw.

Leroy hunts answers, Charlotte meets the town

Leroy is still shaken from last episode’s attack and starts poking around. Charlotte wanders Derry, steps in to stop a fight, and instantly finds herself surrounded by a quiet crowd more interested in gawking than helping. It turns into a tense argument with Leroy that night. Elsewhere, Ronnie wrestles with a disturbing vision of her mother dying when giving birth to her.

Pressure on Hank, and one very familiar face

At a bar, a pair of racists lean on the police chief to arrest Hank and threaten his job if he doesn’t play along. Across town, Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) — yes, the Shining’s telepath — makes his way back to the military base. His purpose here isn’t obvious yet, but the connection is noted.

The kids try to make sense of it

Next day, Ronnie tells Lilly about her vision. Marge continues bombing with her so-called friends. Ronnie begs Lilly to speak up for Hank; Lilly refuses. Ronnie and Will later bond in detention, but the real gut-punch lands when Lilly is threatened with being sent back to Juniper Hill, the institution she was in before. Cornered and scared, she turns on Hank and blames him for the murders. Ronnie confronts her, and their friendship cracks hard.

The base, the test, and the Cold War project

Leroy tracks down the racist cop who was nabbed for his attack and realizes the guy wasn’t actually the one who did it. General Shaw (James Remar) then admits the truth: the assault was a setup to see if Leroy’s old brain injury would disqualify him from a new assignment. Leroy is ready to bail on Derry, but Shaw asks him to hear the pitch.

Back on base, Shaw finally spills it: a top-secret Cold War program called Operation Precept is trying to locate and weaponize something that induces paralyzing fear. Certain objects may point the way to it. It sure sounds like the same nightmare energy we already know is poisoning this town, and Leroy — skeptical but curious — seems ready to sign on.

'Operation Precept' is built around one premise: find a weapon that triggers overwhelming fear in anyone who gets close — and learn to control it.

The 'pickles thing' and the final sting

Lilly’s trauma explodes in a grocery store. She hears whispers, sees awful flashes, and then a tower of pickle jars crashes down and, in a horrifying vision, coils around her neck. It isn’t real, but it feels real, which is the point — and the show’s best scare this week. The episode closes with Lilly being dropped off back at Juniper Hill.

Who is who (and why they matter)

• Lilly (Clara Stack): Our traumatized lead, unraveling under visions and pressure.
• Ronnie: Torn between protecting her dad and believing her friend.
• Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider): Under suspicion after Phil and Teddy’s deaths; his mother is furious he’s being tied to the case.
• Charlotte Hanlon (Taylour Paige): New in town, strong presence, thick Southern drawl, instantly at odds with Derry’s ugliness.
• Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo): Recovering from an earlier attack; recruited for a secret mission despite a past brain injury.
• Will (Blake Cameron James): Charlotte and Leroy’s son; finds common ground with Ronnie in detention.
• Marge (Matilda Lawler): Desperate to fit in with the worst people in the room.
• General Shaw (James Remar): The man behind Operation Precept, aiming to weaponize fear.
• Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk): The Shining connective tissue; back at the base, role still unclear but promising.

So... is it good?

This feels like a second premiere: a lot of exposition, less payoff. The show plants one of its big themes — 1960s racism — with all the subtlety of a brick. It’s not nuanced and it pulls focus from what this series promised. Also, still no Pennywise. Prepare to wait longer.

That said, Taylour Paige pops, even if the accent choice is a little distracting. Dick Hallorann’s inclusion could be a smart swing if they actually do something with him. And when the show decides to scare, it really scares; the grocery-store 'pickles thing' is nasty and effective. The pattern is starting to show: conventional sleuthing punctuated by one killer horror set piece. It works — but the pacing needs to catch up and start the actual story already.

Air dates

IT: Welcome to Derry premiered Sunday, October 26 on HBO. 'The Thing in the Dark' aired October 31.