Warning: spoilers for Welcome To Derry episode 2.
The second episode of Welcome to Derry covers the aftermath of the massacre at the cinema and how It keeps terrorizing the surviving kids, and it’s packed with Easter eggs and references to other Stephen King works. Welcome to Derry is a prequel to Andy Muschietti’s It movies, exploring what It did 27 years before meeting the Losers.
After the shocking events at the end of Welcome to Derry episode 1, episode 2 sees Lily (Clara Stack) and Ronnie (Amanda Christine) dealing with the aftermath, as Ronnie’s father is accused of the murders without any evidence. Meanwhile, the wife and son of Major Hanlon arrive in Derry, but, unfortunately, they both get a taste of the town’s racism.
Hanlon’s son, Will (Blake Cameron), makes a friend in Rich (Arian S. Cartaya), while Ronnie and Lilly have horrifying close encounters with It. Episode 2 of Welcome to Derry is intense, but it’s also packed with Easter eggs and references to other Stephen King works, some more subtle than others.
The Storm Drain In The Opening Credits
Episode 1 skipped an opening credits sequence, but episode 2 didn’t. Set to the 1956 song “A Smile and a Ribbon”, by Patience and Prudence, the opening credits of Welcome to Derry begin as a joyful, innocent sequence showing how great Derry is, but it gradually becomes twisted as it shows the dark side of this cursed town.
One of those early signs of something not being quite right in Derry is a little girl looking into a storm drain. Although nothing happens to her, those acquainted with the novel and movies will remember this is how Georgie Denbrough met Pennywise, leading to his death.
Neibolt Street House In The Opening Credits
The opening credits of Welcome to Derry feature a key setting in the world of It. The sequence shows a family getting their picture taken in front of a house, with the family’s son looking over his shoulder. The house is the one on Neibolt Street, through which the Losers accessed the sewers to go to It’s lair.
The Shooting Of The Bradley Gang In The Opening Credits
Another event from Derry’s history shown in Welcome to Derry’s opening credits is the shooting of the Bradley Gang. This was a group of bandits that robbed and killed store owners, and who were shot by Derry’s citizens. Right before the sequence shows the shooting, Pennywise can be seen hanging out of a window in a nearby building, shooting at the bandits.
The Explosion At The Kitchener Ironworks In The Opening Credits
One of the biggest tragedies in Derry’s history is the Ironworks explosion. In 1908, the Kitchener Ironworks exploded during an Easter egg hunt, killing a total of 102 people, including 88 children. This event is mentioned in the novel, and it’s one that haunts a young Ben Hanscom after he learns about it at the Derry library.
In Muschietti’s It movie, It takes the form of a headless, burnt boy and terrorizes Ben at the Derry library. In the opening sequence of Welcome to Derry, right before the show’s title appears, the explosion is shown, with a giant rabbit on fire, as well as adults and children.
Dick Hallorann’s “Shine”
One of the most recognizable characters from Stephen King’s universe present in Welcome to Derry is Dick Hallorann, the head chef at The Shining’s Overlook Hotel. In the show, Hallorann is a soldier at the same base as Leroy Hanlon. Hallorann’s role in Welcome to Derry is revealed in episode 2, and his powers come into play.
Hallorann has the “shine”, a mysterious psychic ability with elements of telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition. Hallorann’s abilities are well known in the army, and so they are being seized by a secret project. The military is using Hallorann’s “shine” to track down It’s lair, as they want to weaponize the creature.
A Young Norbert Keene
When Charlotte Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) is walking down the streets of Derry, she walks by a young man smoking outside the local pharmacy. The man gives her a polite nod, and Charlotte smiles at him. This young man is none other than a young Norbert Keene, the pharmacist from Muschietti’s movies.
In the movies, Keene was the creepy pharmacist who gave Eddie Kaspbrak his medication and who Bev Marsh distracted while the rest of the losers stole medical supplies to attend to an injured Ben Hanscom.
The Paul Bunyan Statue
Since the first episode, Paul Bunyan has been shown as a symbol of Derry as he’s the image on the town’s welcome sign. In episode 2, as Charlotte walks down the town’s streets, she sees a Paul Bunyan statue being constructed, surrounded by protesters – unfortunately, they are wasting their time, as the statue will continue to stand there for decades.
In both the novel and It: Chapter Two (although it happens in the timeline of the first movie), Richie Tozier is terrorized by It bringing the statue to life. In the timeline of Chapter Two, an adult Richie sees Pennywise sitting on the shoulder of the Bunyan statue.
Stan Kersh
Charlotte goes to the local butcher, a kind man named Stan Kersh. The name might not ring a bell right away, but “Kersh” is the last name of the old woman living in Bev’s old home when she returns to Derry as an adult in It: Chapter Two.
Surely, Mrs. Kersh turned out to be one of It’s forms, so it’s unknown if Stan Kersh is related to the probably once real Mrs. Kersh or if it’s just a nod to the movie.
Pennywise’s Yellow Eyes
One of the most terrifying forms It has taken so far in Welcome to Derry was that of Ronnie’s dead mother. Ronnie’s mother died giving birth to Ronnie, and It took that pain and brought it to life in the most horrific way.
When Ronnie is pulled back inside her mother’s womb, which by now is a monstrous mouth with lots of sharp teeth (very much like that of Pennywise in the movies when he showed the Deadlights), it opens up to reveal a pair of yellow eyes, just like those of Pennywise.
Secondhand Rose
When Will and Charlotte arrive at their new home in Derry, Will runs to his new room and finds a telescope. Leroy mentions getting it from a secondhand store and getting a very good deal. Later, Charlotte walks past Secondhand Rose, and enters to take a look at everything they sell.
The shop appears in various King works and in It: Chapter Two, as it’s the store where an adult Bill sees his old bike. In the movie, the store’s proprietor is played by King himself, but in Welcome to Derry, the store is run by a woman. However, speaking to this woman is a young man who many believe is the young version of King’s character.
