‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ episode 7 ending, explained: What’s the army planning?
IT: Welcome to Derry There’s only one episode left and things seem to be going from bad to worse.
Because in addition to a Pennywise origin story and a recreation of one of the book’s most disturbing historical chapters, Episode 7 also ends with a twist that spells turmoil not only for the main characters, but potentially for the entire United States.
So what exactly happened and what could it mean?
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What happens at the end of IT: Welcome to Derryepisode 7?
After a horrific arson ends the creature’s current killing cycle, the army – following the lead of Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) – finds one of the old pillars which essentially acts as a cage to keep the monster in Derry. Major Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) thinks they will use this pillar to trap and kill the creature, but soon discovers that the military actually intends to destroy it.
During a tense discussion with General Shaw (James Remar), the army’s true plans become clear: they don’t want to kill the creature, they want free he.
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Why is the military trying to liberate IT?
Given that Pennywise has spent the last six episodes devastating 17 children, the military’s plan to liberate America’s IT seems misguided, to say the least. But General Shaw seems convinced that computing is exactly what America needs. “This country is slowly fracturing into a thousand irregular, ill-fitting pieces,” he barks. “I’m only trying to prevent another civil war.”
The general believes that the only chance to control the population is through the kind of fear that a creature like Pennywise has the power to instill en masse.
“Look at this city. What happened last night was horrible,” Shaw said. “But guess what? The streets are quiet today. No riots, no looting, no unrest. Fear – it settles over every living person it touches like a fog. Like a damn anesthetic.”
Despite Major Hanlon’s efforts, the army succeeded in destroying the pillar. As we see in the final shots of the episode, this causes the creature to awaken from its slumber.
Somehow we think the military may not have thought this little project through.
New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry premieres Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
