It: Welcome to Derry dropped on HBO Max amid huge anticipation and a chill that settles deep, and the latest episode delivers a blow so sharp it makes Georgie’s sewer fate look almost gentle.
You see, horror often steps back from killing children on screen, but the show’s main antagonist, Pennywise, never cared for limits. Stephen King carefully built a monster in Pennywise, or It, that feeds on fear, and fear is freshest when it comes from kids. That is why Georgie went first in every version, dragged down by a clown with a smile too wide to trust.
Spoilers Alert: This article contains spoilers for IT: Welcome To Derry
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Rich Becomes The Heart Of The New Losers
The new series on HBO Max follows that legacy without a blink. The premiere ended with three kids torn apart, a warning shot for what the town of Derry holds. The viewers knew young lives were on the line, but nothing prepared anyone for the blow that came with Rich’s death in the episode titled The Black Spot. His end felt heavier than any bite from the clown, because it came not from a creature, but from the world around him.
The series builds dread through heartbreak, not just from gore. Ronnie worries about her father, Hank Grogan, after the police chief targets him. Will trembles at the thought of losing his dad to military duty, while Marge aches to fit in, nearly turning on her friend Lilly, a girl crushed by guilt after her father died in a pickle factory accident. Lilly’s shame sent her to Juniper Hill twice, and the town barely lets her breathe. However, these kids carry more than fear of a monster.
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Among all the kids, Rich shines as the warmest light among them. He is a short Cuban kid with an easy smile who had a crush on Marge from the start and reached out to every outsider without hesitation. The horror around them binds their small group together, and by Episode 6, ‘In the Name of the Father,’ something sweet begins between Rich and Marge. He helps her change the bandage on her wounded eye by being gentle and curious rather than scared. Their school lunch becomes a moment of connection, with both of them talking about knights and fair maidens like they are building their own story. When Marge stands up to the popular girls to sit with him, his face says everything. She mirrors the look later at the Black Spot when she sees him behind the drums. It feels like the start of something real, but their story ends before it can become anything.
The Black Spot carries its own history of dread for anyone who knows the novel. A brief passage in the book hints at a fire caused by a racist crowd, and Pennywise standing in the middle of it all. The show expands that moment and takes it to a completely different level. The clown kills many in this episode, yet none of them are children. Now, although it sounds like relief, the worst death has nothing to do with Pennywise. It comes from human hands, and it lands harder than any supernatural attack ever could.
Rich Sacrifices Himself For Marge
With flames swallowing the club and no escape in sight, Rich acts without hesitation. He shoves Marge into a small freezer built for one. He does not break or scream, and instead lies across the top, sealing her inside and holding her down so she cannot ruin his plan. He calms her with a sweet memory, tells her he loves her, and stays there as the heat rises. He becomes the knight he once talked about, choosing to die so she can live.
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IT: WELCOME TO DERRY Episode 7 just pulled off one of the SADDEST Deaths this year! (SPOILERS ⬇️)
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Watching Rich sacrifice himself to save Marge and there back and forth before he died had me in tears 😭 pic.twitter.com/BXh5ZH8OKS
Pennywise touched nearly everyone in this Losers group, but Rich stayed mostly beyond its reach. He chose to stand with them, never for fear but always for loyalty. Ironically, he seemed like the one who could outlive Derry’s nightmares. Instead, he dies not from supernatural terror but from a racist mob that burns the Black Spot. It was racial hate that took him, but also his pure love that saved Marge, and the series leaves the audience stunned, knowing this death cuts deeper than any clown ever could.
