It: Welcome to Derry – Winter Fire (Episode 8 / Season 1 Review)

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December 28, 2025

Following seven episodes that were full of tension and story building, season 1 of It: Welcome to Derry came to a close on December 14, 2025, with the premiere of Winter Fire on HBO.

A highly rated finale, Winter Fire is not only the conclusion to It: Welcome to Derry’s season 1, but the most climactic entry yet. Written by Series Developer/Co-Showrunner Jason Fuchs, with direction from Andy Muschietti, Winter Fire is where you see the battle between good and evil. It is where the children are tested, and the adults are left to feel helpless yet pushed to the very limits of reality.

**It: Welcome to Derry/ Photograph by Brooke Palmer/HBO (2025)**

It all starts with the eerie, foreboding fog that has blanketed Derry after the military destroyed one of the thirteen protective pillars. The mist seems to envelop Derry, casting the town in a haze of vulnerability. Pennywise, now freed from his lengthy prison sentence, goes to the very source to feed his growing appetite. With a scene that imitates something out of the Pied Piper, he leads the children to the Deadwood Tree …..at the edge of the town’s border.

Meanwhile, Ronnie, Marge, and Lily find the death trail that leads them to the town’s children. They hope to get there before it is too late, though the Pillar of Lilly seems to be a bit much for her to carry on her own. This is while Hanlon runs to Hallorann for help in finding the children he believes are in danger. After much refusal, Hallorann decides to abide and uses the Shining to help create a much-needed distraction. Amidst everything, General Shaw finds out what his fate entails when he thinks letting Pennywise run free will help him in the long run.

One of the most significant scenes in this episode, besides the reveal of Richie’s mother’s identity, is the children coming together to cage Pennywise. Even though the last protective pillar seems to be not only powerful but also has a mind of its own. As discussed in The Black Spot, the pillar will want to find its way home. The children make sure that it is the last place it goes. With every being of their soul, they put that pillar where it belongs and show that it doesn’t matter how young someone is… as long as you have the right people surrounding you, anything is possible.

Let us also not forget about Ingrid and how she would end up at the much-feared institution of Juniper Hill. This helps tie in the feature films, It Chapter One from 2017 and It Chapter Two from 2019. Now you can see how one relationship would influence one of the images a member of the lovers club would see in the future. Beyond this, you also discover how Leroy Hanlon ended up running the ranch in It Chapter One.

Overall, the writing and directions are impeccable for all of It: Welcome to Derry, especially with Winter Fire, where Andy Muschietti goes above and beyond with his third directorial credit this season. Furthermore, Jason Fuchs nailed it with his writing, if only by using “Winter Fire” as an episode title (a reference to a poem found by Beverly Marsh in 1986’s original It novel).

With Winter Fire, you learn so much, but most of all, you see how Stephen King’s universe is very much interwoven throughout his stories. Hoping the rumors that a season 2 of It: Welcome to Derry are very accurate, Cryptic Rock gives Winter Fire 5 out of 5 stars.