IT: Welcome To Derry: Season 1 Episode 7 – Recap and Review

How, when, and slightly why The Entity chose Pennywise is revealed, alongside the aftermath of the mob showing up to retrieve Hank.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

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Episode 7 “The Black Spot” Recap and Details

  • Director(s): Andy Muschietti
  • Writer(s): Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane
  • Public Release Date (HBO Max): December 7, 2025
  • Check out our page for this series, featuring more recaps, reviews, and articles.

The Day Daddy Disappeared: Bob, Ingrid

It was 1908 when Bob Gray, the originator of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, was performing for the Santini Brothers Carnival. It was a step down from working for the circus, which one is not said, but for Bob, with losing his wife and having a daughter to raise, it was good enough to pay the bills. Plus, Ingrid is a good girl. She works the different pulleys for Bob’s performance, and when not on stage, she doesn’t bug him about his smoking or drinking.

In fact, she is looking to join the act, with Bob proposing that she take over the role of Periwinkle, Ingrid’s mom’s former character. But, before that happens, “The Entity” tricks Bob into the woods and, taking note of how much kids loved Bob as Pennywise, and it decides to use that identity for its subsequent few cycles.

Which, for Ingrid, as established in the last episode, gave her hope that her father was still in there. But, as this cycle came to an end, thanks to Ingrid snitching on Hank, damn, who gets hurt in the process, she finally realizes her father is gone, and all that is left is this foreign thing.

Realizing Ingrid may no longer be an ally, this leads The Entity to show Ingrid the lights and seemingly consume her soul while leaving her body whole.

The Augury: Hank, Marge, Rich, Ronnie, Will, Hallorann, Rose, Charlotte, Clint

Thanks to Ingrid, the mob finds where Hank was, and initially, he was going to go with the mob and face his fate. However, the soldiers, knowing what would happen if Hank went with this mob, decided to stand by his side and pay the price. Clint and his boys chained all visible exits, threw in Molotov cocktails, started shooting up the place, and bodies started dropping left and right.

Luckily, for Ronnie and Will, Hallorann is able to get them and Hank out safely after a ghostly figure shows him the way out. Sadly, Rich isn’t so lucky. In order to be Marge’s Knight in Shining Armor, he puts her into some cooler, uses his body to keep her from trying to escape, and, between the smoke or the roof caving in, Rich dies, but Marge survives.

Unfortunately, with Hank still on the run, the adults don’t give the kids much time to grieve, but Charlotte is trying to make moves and believes that if she can get Hank and his family into Canada, they’ll be safe. But she’ll need Rose to get involved, who knows Hank, but hasn’t necessarily been volunteering to be involved, in any notable capacity, thus far.

I Thought It Was Time For A Nap?: Leroy, General Shaw, Pennywise, Hallorann, Will

After The Augury, sucking away Ingrid’s soul and killing her abusive husband, the butcher, Pennywise feels it is time for a nap. However, General Shaw seemingly has different ideas. Using Hallorann’s abilities, they do find a pillar, and upon Leroy discovering they aren’t trying to contain Pennywise but rather let him loose, he threatens multiple people’s lives.

Now, thankfully, he doesn’t get shot up on the spot regarding this, but it is made clear his days are likely numbered after General Shaw tells him the truth that he wants to utilize the fear Pennywise causes to bring law & order. But, unbeknownst to them all, they may have started a new cycle for Pennywise, who decides to focus on Will and suck away his soul just like he did to Ingrid.

New Characters in Episode 7

Bob Gray (Bill Skarsgård)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Bob Gray is Ingrid’s father, the original Pennywise the Dancing Clown, whose entire look was taken over by The Entity, aka IT, or what is commonly referred to as Pennywise, after watching Bob perform. Because he attracted so many kids to his show, the Entity decided to not only consume Bob but also take his character and likeness.

1908 Ingrid Gray (Emma-Leigh Cullum)

1908 Ingrid Gray (Emma-Leigh Cullum) – IT Welcome To Derry Season 1 Episode 7 – HBO

Review and Commentary

Highlights

What Happens When The Entity Loses Its Cage [83/100]

With the military breaking Pennywise’s usual cycle, so comes the question of what may happen now? It isn’t clear why The Entity would sleep for 27 years, why it needed one major blow-up to end the cycle, and what its quota is for eating or getting people killed. But, with that thrown off, so comes the question of whether this is an extended cycle, a new cycle, and how Pennywise may act?

Based on his attack of Will, it seems he will openly operate during daytime hours, appearing as his true self. Also, there might be a chance he focuses less on consuming bodies and instead focusing on souls. Which, of course, leads to the question of what nourishes him more and whether he takes on souls to masquerade as that person, maybe to test out new personas, or is it, when he is physically full, this is how he kills?

There are so many questions that we might get an answer to.

On The Fence

Pennywise’s Origin Story Felt Weak [73/100]

It’s not often that you get a villain’s origin story, and it matches the high of some of their most diabolical acts. At best, they may make you feel bad for them, have you understand why they turned evil, though never condoning their actions, but we didn’t really get this at all. Bob got tricked by the sounds of a screaming woman and a child, and lost his life. Now, The Entity, based on how kids gravitated to a clown, decides to use that persona for almost a century.

It felt anti-climactic, and I’m not even sure how they could have pumped this up. Showing him being eaten wouldn’t have made it better, nor watching The Entity struggle hunting kids using the look of a kid. But, when it isn’t easy to figure out better options, sometimes it just means the idea is bad and shouldn’t be pursued, and with The Entity, I feel like the reason it chose Pennywise could have been a footnote and didn’t need such valuable screentime.

Losing Rich [72/100]

I think what hurts the most about losing Rich isn’t that he sacrificed his life for the sake of Marge’s, but that no one went to Rich’s people to tell them what happened. We hear about all these different family members, who clearly had an impact on him, and rather than go to them and let them know what happened, the first person notified is Lilly?

Make it make sense. And honestly, I don’t think you can because, if there is one thing that would be hilarious but also wonderful to see, it is how Rich’s family, especially with their spiritual beliefs, would want to face Pennywise. Unfortunately, however, the show decided to spend a notable amount of time focusing on Ingrid’s childhood and her dad being abducted and body snatched.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [76/100]

This episode was a mixed bag. The decision to kill Rich was bold, but lacking any connection to his family, truly knowing them, cut away at how impactful his death could be. On top of that, it is questionable if so much time was needed to establish Bob Gray and how The Entity chose Pennywise. It seemingly was long understood that kids both like and are scared of clowns, so that duality works for The Entity – no need to double down on what has been established.

But, at the very least, with one episode left and the military throwing off The Entity’s cycle, all hell may break loose, and what may have been frustrating storywise in this episode may be compensated for in the violence we see in the next.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.