'IT: Welcome to Derry' Episode 5 thrills viewers with a full Pennywise reveal and a surprise reappearance

An unexpected character makes a stunning comeback in the fifth episode of 'IT: Welcome to Derry'
UPDATED NOV 24, 2025
A photo of the cast members from 'It: Welcome to Derry' (Cover Image Source: Instagram | @hbomax)
A photo of the cast members from 'It: Welcome to Derry' (Cover Image Source: Instagram | @hbomax)

The ghostly realm of 'IT: Welcome to Derry' grew more chilling with a completely unexpected revelation in Episode 5. The latest episode, titled '29 Neibolt Street,' drops a major bombshell, revealing more about Pennywise's sinister actions. One of the biggest surprising moments comes when Bill Skarsgård returns as Pennywise in one of the season's most unsettling scenes. Not just that, but one unexpected character makes a stunning comeback, raising the stakes higher than ever.

Bill Skarsgård in a still from 'It' (@warnerbros)
A still of Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise from 'IT' (Image Source: IT | @warnerbros)

In the latest episode of the supernatural horror show, the missing boy Matty Clements (Miles Ekhardt) is revealed to be alive when he reunites with Lilly Bainbridge (Clara Stack), Will Hanlon (Blake Cameron James), Veronica 'Ronnie' Grogan (Amanda Christine), Marge Truman (Matilda Lawler), and Ricardo 'Rich' Santos (Arian S. Cartaya). Matty tells them he escaped Pennywise's lair and warns them not to involve adults. He reveals that Theodore 'Teddy' Uris (Mikkal Karim-Fidler) was killed when Pennywise ate his brains, Suzie died after losing her arm, but Phil Malkin (Jack Molloy Legault) is still alive. The group then decides to enter the sewers to rescue their friend, as per FearHQ.

While the kids prepare to rescue Phil, the military launches an assault on Pennywise's lair. General Francis Shaw (James Remar) believes one final massacre will end the current cycle, bringing 27 years of peace. He also discovers the town's madness is caused by Pennywise shedding its skin and contaminating Derry's water. During the attack, a monstrous Uncle Sam kills several soldiers, and Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) is psychically tormented by Pennywise. Underground chaos intensifies when Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) accidentally kills his friend. The kids then uncover the truth that the 'Matty' with them is actually Pennywise in disguise.

Soon, Skarsgård's Pennywise reveals his true form and tries to devour them, but Lilly fights him off using a piece of his containment cage, a weapon brought in by the military that may help the kids later. On the other hand, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider) escapes prison after being wrongly accused of the murders and is revealed to be secretly involved with Ingrid, Lilly's friend from Juniper Hill Asylum. The episode ends with Hallorann emerging from the sewers deeply altered, his encounter with Pennywise unlocking long-buried traumatic memories.

Notably, this new Stephen King TV adaptation returns to Derry, Maine, this time in 1962, for an origin story set before the events of It, as per CNET. The town is once again plagued by mysterious violence caused by the sinister, otherworldly Pennywise, played by Skarsgård. Co-created by Andy and Bárbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, the series expands the 'It' universe with a fresh storyline.

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