As the episode\u2019s name would suggest, \u201cIn the Name of the Father\u201d interrogates what lengths kids will go to for their parents\u2019 love, and at what point it\u2019s time to take a stand. For a series that hasn\u2019t been consistently scary, \u201cIn the Name of the Father\u201d kicks off with some of Welcome to Derry\u2019s most potent terror yet. Leroy (Jovan Adepo) blames Will (Blake Cameron James) for Pauly\u2019s death-by-friendly-fire in the sewers after telling him not to leave the base, and that fury spills out when Will moves to immediately disobey him again. Leroy snaps and hits Will, knocking him to the ground, giving way to Will\u2019s heartbreaking cries that \u201cIt\u2019s got to you, too.\u201d <\/p>\n
That\u2019s probably not true for the simple reason that it\u2019d be a lot easier for Leroy as a character if it were, and whether or to what degree Pennywise is exerting active control over Leroy isn\u2019t the point: it\u2019s that this act of violence has turned Leroy into a monster in Will\u2019s eyes, and the move gives us our clearest look yet at the much-colder Leroy we meet briefly in IT: Chapter One. It\u2019s heartwrenching stuff, performed with confidence by Adepo and especially James, who balances Will\u2019s vulnerability, shock, fear, and defiance perfectly. Charlotte (Taylour Paige) can\u2019t do much to intervene, but Paige carries the momentum of the encounter through the rest of the episode as Charlotte breaks from Leroy and refocuses on finding justice for Hank Grogan. \u201cHumans are the real monsters\u201d is by no means the only King truism that Welcome to Derry traffics in, but it\u2019s dramatized to excellent effect in this scene.<\/p>\n Will\u2019s railing against the idea that he not be allowed to leave his bedroom (much less the air base) hits especially hard because the kids\u2019 close call with Pennywise has them closing ranks around Ronnie (Amanda Christine) and Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), whose emotional reunion at the Black Spot serves as a good counterpoint to how Leroy and Will part ways. Hank has a much better idea of how dire his situation is than the kids do, which gives his inquisitory \u201cwhat\u2019s your favorite movie?\u201d litmus test of Will and his subsequent approval of the boy for answering \u201cWar of the Worlds\u201d (seconded) added weight.<\/p>\n For all the big, scary emotions that It\u2019s famous for, love often gets lost in the shuffle, and Marge and Rich’s mutual crushing throughout \u201cIn the Name of the Father\u201d adds a sense of sweetness Welcome to Derry hasn’t really prioritized. Matilda Lawler has had her share of standout moments as Marge, so it was nice to see Rich Santos (Arian S. Cartaya) get some time in the spotlight as he starts to more freely demonstrate his feelings for her. Rich has been the least developed of the core group of kids, but both his genuine appreciation for Marge\u2019s gross eye injury and his impromptu sit-in drum performance at the Black Spot underline his easy-going and brave nature, and with all that positive, happy energy he carries through the end of this episode, I shudder to think what the next two have in store for him. Happiness has a short half-life in Derry. Will, Ronnie, Rich, and Marge may all be united, but Lilly (Clara Stack) isn\u2019t seeming quite herself after being in possession of the ceremonial dagger forged from Pennywise\u2019s comet. She\u2019s much quicker to aggression, and unwilling to let go of the blade\u2026 first, the blade worked like Sting from Lord of the Rings, lighting up around Pennywise, and now it\u2019s driving people crazy like the One Ring itself! <\/p>\n<\/a>Derry’s “man without fear” finally cracks.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Will and Charlotte take refuge in the Black Spot, the safest place in all of Derry…<\/p>\n
<\/a>Bonding over grievous eye injuries and bedside jars of piss, like in all the old stories <3.<\/p>\n