In the fifth episode of Welcome to Derry, Dick snaps out of his vision, his eyes widening as Taniel's mouth foams with a gush of terror. Despite his own gruesome state, Dick assures them they have what they need. Leroy, still in the dark, listens intently as the General repeats the written flashback from the previous episode. Their objective remains clear: to find the 13 pillars and their location, hidden beneath the dilapidated house at 29 Neibolt Street.
As dawn breaks, Leroy and Colonel Fuller lead a small team to secure the area, tightening the perimeter around It. Meanwhile, Lilly pays a visit to Marge, her presence met with skepticism by those who believe she is responsible for her friend's demise. But Marge stands by Lilly, her eyes wide with newfound belief in Lilly's visions. She apologizes for not being there for her earlier.
Despite the initial misconceptions, the group has bigger fish to fry. After school, they head to the rooftop, where they find a makeshift tent holding none other than Matty. He's been hiding out in the sewers all this time, his appearance a stark contrast to his previous self. He explains that It feeds at night and sleeps during the day, a window of opportunity he's been using to escape. Matty also reveals that while Susie and Teddy are no more, Phil is still alive and kicking.
Matty refuses to go to the cops and doesn't want to be brought back to his father either. In fact, he's so desperate that he'd even consider returning to Pennywise - a decision that doesn't bode well given It is preparing for the Augury, a bloody massacre marking the end of 27 years of peace before It's unleashed once again.
As Hank's bus careens out of control on its journey to Shawshank, a news bulletin reveals that he is now on the run. Charlotte, witnessing this on her phone, hurries to make calls, her heart racing with the urgency of the situation.
It turns out that someone attacked the bus, and later in the episode, Hank manages to escape the town in a vehicle courtesy of his white lover, Ingrid Kersh—the same woman Lilly had spoken to at Juniper Hills. Ingrid also speaks to Lilly, in a brief chat that reiterates Lilly's need to leave the Pennywise business behind. However, Lilly is determined to take action and bring Phil back from the brink.
Meanwhile, Lilly brings Marge into the new (or old!) Loser's Club and decides that they must descend into the sewers to save Phil. Lilly has a stash of Valium to keep them calm and is determined to step up and do something.
As they prepare to venture down, Leroy and his team prepare to descend into the depths of Derry, thanks to the Well inside the house. Interestingly, Taniel holds a strange trinket—a magical dagger given to him by Rose—that may hold the key to stopping Pennywise.
However, down in the sewers, Dick continues to suffer from hallucinations and visions. When he disappears beneath the murky waters, he reappears in his bath at his grandmother's house. With Dick out of the way, Pennywise appears in the form of Uncle Sam and launches himself at a couple of soldiers. He then shows up in Dick's visions as his grandfather, holding a lockbox that seems to hold his secrets inside. Unfortunately, Pennywise opens it up.
As chaos reigned, Pauly and Leroy were haunted by an otherworldly presence that took the form of Charlotte. When it lunged at Leroy, he bravely fired a shot, striking it in the head and sending it slithering away. But this was a vision only Leroy could see, and he warned Pauly that this unseen force would seek to infiltrate his mind.
In the midst of this tumult, Taniel eluded the soldiers' grasp, while the children stumbled under the influence of the Valium they had consumed. Tragedy loomed as Matty led them into a watery grave, where all the kids lay dead, including Phil and Matty. Oh no. Matty twirled on a pole, singing, before transforming into the terrifying form of Pennywise.
The killer clown's appearance distorted and shifted, becoming the monstrous figure we had come to fear. As the children rushed around the corner, Leroy believed Will to be another vision and prepared to shoot. Just as he pulled the trigger, Pauly stepped in the way, saving the boy's life at the cost of his own.
The children emerged from the sewers, but poor Lilly was left alone. As Pennywise prepared to strike, he halted when it became clear that Taniel's glowing magical dagger was in the water, right in front of her. It served as a barrier, keeping the Clown at bay, and Pennywise eventually slipped away into the sewers.
Unfortunately, Dick Halloran remained trapped in the sewers. Eventually, he managed to make it out, but he did not look well. He noticed Pauly's spirit stumbling away from the sewer entrance too.
As we soon saw, the lockbox was wide open, and that spelled bad news for everyone in Derry.
