IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 5 ending explained: Is Matty dead or alive?

IT: Welcome to Derry. season 1, episode 5, sees the military all set to contain Pennywise; however, General Frank’s plan backfires when his team enters the Well House on Neibolt Street. With that, Lilly and her friend plan to bring back Phil, as Matty, who appears out of nowhere, leads them into the sewers. The episode ended on a cliffhanger, leaving viewers to wonder what the box that Halloran saw in his visions was and how it links to Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep.

In the previous episode, we see the gory yet horrifying scene where IT feeds on Marge’s fear and turns her eye into snail slacks, and everyone assumed it was Lilly who planned this attack. However, Marge saved Lilly and even joined the gang to find a way out for Ronnie’s dad, Hank. Marge made up an excuse to save Lilly and herself from being sent back to Juniper Hills. 

The episode picks up its plot where Halloran entered Taniel’s mind, and through his shining, Halloran is misguided and is shown Well House to be the place where General Frank could find those sacred 13 pillars. 

IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 5 ending explained: Pennywise appears in Matty’s form 

Lilly brings Marge to their usual hangout and tries to make her friends believe that Marge wants to help, too. At first, Ronnie is not convinced, but Marge has now left the Pattycakes and realises that Lilly has always been her best friend, and she regrets not believing her before.

Soon after, Matty comes out of the yellow tent and says, “Help me.” Surprisingly, the kids believe him when he explains how he escaped from Pennywise, saying “IT” usually sleeps during the day and feeds at night, and somehow he managed to get out of the sewers. Everyone suggests that he should go to the officers and explain what he saw there, but he refuses. He says they would hand him over to his abusive father and even reveals that Phil is still alive, and if they bring Phil safely, he could help tell the truth to the authorities.

The kids plan to enter the sewers to bring Phil back, but are unaware of Pennywise’s trap. And the only thing they believe that could save them from the creepy monster is Lilly’s “mommy’s little helper,’’ valium. Feeling sleepy and dizzy, the kids follow Matty into the sewers. In the water, they see that Susie, Teddy, and Phil are dead. If Phil is dead, then why are they even in the sewers? Soon after, Lily sees Matty’s dead body floating too and before they can understand what Matty is planning, Pennywise appears in his clown form. He tricked the kids into entering his territory, and as everyone runs to save their lives, Lilly gets stuck. 

How Lilly saved herself in IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 5?

The military enters the sewers along with the kids, using the Well House on Neibolt Street as their way in. General Frank wants to find the 13 pillars and break Pennywise’s cage so they can trap the creature. He orders his team to take Taniel with them because he believes Taniel will guide them to the right place.

But Rose is smart. She secretly gives Taniel the same weapon that their ancestors once used to trap the monster around Derry. This weapon, made from a fallen star that once held the evil spirit, can protect Taniel as he deceives the officers at the Well House.

General Frank tells Leory and Pauly to lead the team. Hanlon now knows everything that is happening in Derry. He even brings his family to the base to keep them safe from whatever is attacking the kids. With both the kids and the military inside the sewers, things become even more complicated. Hanlon starts seeing visions, first Charlotte appears, but Pauly can’t see her. Hanlon shoots at her and warns Pauly not to trust any visions. But then Hanlon sees Will, his son, who is actually in the sewers with his friends, trying to escape Pennywise.

Not knowing if Will is a vision or real, Hanlon tries to shoot him. Pauly realises that Will is real because he can see him too. Pauly jumps in front to save Will and takes the bullet, sacrificing his life. 

With everyone in the sewers confused by Pennywise’s powers, Taniel tries to escape but drops his weapon into the water. When Pennywise is about to attack Lilly, something suddenly appears between them: it’s the ancestral weapon, floating in the water. Lilly realises that this magical weapon is the only thing that can protect them from the monster, and the kids might use this magical dagger to fight and overpower Pennywise in the upcoming episodes.

What happened to Halloran in IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 5?

IT: Welcome to Derry brings back an idea from Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, where Halloran keeps his bad memories, trauma, and ghosts locked inside a metal box in his mind. As the military follows Taniel, Halloran suddenly goes missing. Confused between reality and his memories, he wakes up in his bathtub. His abusive grandfather forces him to open the box, but Halloran is too scared. The box holds all his painful memories, and he has kept it locked for years. But Pennywise uses his powers to open the box, and everything Halloran trapped inside comes back into his mind. By the end of the episode, Halloran even sees Pauly’s dead ghost wandering in the woods. So, even though Halloran has escaped Pennywise physically, he is still mentally trapped.

Meanwhile, Hank, who was wrongly blamed for the theatre massacre, escapes. He was being taken to Shawshank Prison, but the bus crashed on the way, and Hank ran away. Later, we see him hiding in Mrs Kresh’s car. She is the woman he was with on the night Pennywise attacked the kids. Kresh plans to find a safe place to hide because the military has blocked all roads, pretending there is a gas leak while they carry out their mission at Neibolt Street.