This article was originally published on FearHQ.com.
As It: Welcome to Derry's latest episode, "In the Name of the Father," begins, tensions are running high between Lilly and Ronnie. The latter's father, Hank, is now hiding out at the remote tavern established by Dick Hallorann, whose ability to see the dead has returned after his encounter with Pennywise.
This instalment's big reveal comes when we learn that Ingrid, head of housekeeping at the Juniper Hill Asylum and Lilly's friend, is revealed as the daughter of the man whom "It" based its Pennywise persona on. Ingrid's father was a carnival performer who called himself "Pennywise the Dancing Clown," and the similarities between them are striking.
However, when he was "taken" from Ingrid, she remained in Derry and got a job in Juniper Hill. When one of the children in the asylum told her that a clown was talking to her through the pipes, Ingrid took her to the basement, and Pennywise appeared before them.
Ingrid believes she's seeing her father, but flees when he attempts to eat the child. Unfortunately, she accidentally locks the girl in the basement with the entity, who eats her before posing as Ingrid's father (in his "human" form as Bob Gray, a name we're sure will strike a chord with the Stephen King fans among you).
He encourages Ingrid to "open the door and let me in," and she's since become convinced that Pennywise is her father, albeit somehow changed into something monstrous. She hopes to reunite with her father and reveals that she was the one in the graveyard that night dressed as Pennywise, thanks to her father's old costume and makeup.
Believing she could free her father, Ingrid continued to take children to him and wants to do the same to Lilly, believing that it will somehow bring her father back. Lilly flees as an angry mob converges on the bar, under Pennywise's dark influence, and eager to bring Hank to justice.
As for Ingrid, she once again dons Pennywise's costume and makeup!
Heading into the final two episodes, we don't yet know why Pennywise decided to base his appearance on Ingrid's father. Perhaps he figured out that it was a good way to entice children? We'd bet on answers coming our way over the next couple of weeks, but whether those will be well-received by King fans is TBD, especially as this series is adding a lot to the franchise's "canon."
Set in the world of Stephen King's It universe, It: Welcome to Derry is based on King's It novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films It and It Chapter Two.
The cast is led by Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and Bill Skarsgård.
The series, from Warner Bros. Television and developed for television by filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (It, The Flash) and Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman), will debut on HBO and also be available to stream on HBO Max. Muschietti will direct four episodes of the nine-episode series.
Six episodes of It: Welcome to Derry are now streaming on HBO Max, with the remaining episodes releasing weekly leading up to the season finale on December 14.