IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 6 ending explained: Who is Ingrid Kersh?

In IT: Welcome to Derry, Season 1, Episode 6, the story goes back to 1935, where a young Mrs. Kersh takes little Mabel into the basement of the Juniper Hill Asylum after hearing her say that the clown wants to meet her there. Mrs. Kersh hopes that through Mabel, she will get to see her father, Bob Gray, who was known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown at the carnivals.

Meanwhile, Leroy and his family are falling apart in the aftermath of the sewer incident. Ronnie now refuses to believe anything Lilly says. After Lilly took them into the sewers and followed Matty’s plan, Ronnie thinks she almost got them killed by Pennywise and won’t believe her theory about the magical dagger.

Who is Ingrid Kersh, and why does she believe Pennywise is her father? 

Finally, in IT: Welcome to Derry, season 1, episode 6, viewers learn the real backstory of Ingrid Kersh, the woman who also lures children by dressing up as a clown called “Periwinkle.” She previously appeared in an earlier episode when young Frank visited the carnival with his father before the forest attack, where Rose saved him.

Throughout the episode, Lilly is separated from her friends because of her fight with Ronnie. She goes to Mrs. Kersh’s house and finds the attic filled with clown costumes, wigs, and a photo album. In the pictures, Bob Gray (Ingrid’s father) bears a resemblance to Pennywise the Dancing Clown that the kids see today. According to theories, IT may have convinced Ingrid that Bob Gray, who died years ago, would someday set him free if she helped Pennywise feed on children. Which is why we see she indirectly convinces Lilly to dig deeper into finding the monster. 

It is believed that after falling from the sky, Pennywise killed Bob and took his identity to lure children and spread fear in Derry. Pennywise likely manipulated Ingrid, who has an abusive husband and felt abandoned, making her an easy target. To her, Pennywise being a monster and killing kids didn’t matter; all she cared about was the hope of reuniting with her “father” and reliving the magical carnival days. The episode also reveals that the photo Will took at the cemetery was actually of Periwinkle, not Pennywise, as she was following the kids, hoping the clown would appear in the sewers. 

By the end of the episode, Lilly manages to get out of her house and refuses to help her reunite with her father, “aka the monster,” who claims to be Bob Gray. 

Where is Hank hiding in IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 6? 

Mrs. Leroy finally learns the truth about Hank and where he really was on the night Matty, Phil, and Susie were killed. He was having an affair with a white woman, and that woman was Ingrid. If this alibi were to become public, it would only get him into more trouble. So Charlotte hides Hank at the Black Spot, where Hallorann and his group stay.

Charlotte even takes Will and Ronnie to meet him. Ronnie is happy to see her father again, and they all try to convince her to return to the sewers with Lilly, as part of their plan. But before they can act, a major threat arrives outside the Black Spot: Bowers’ gang.

Clint has lost his position. Now that Hank is missing, and even after learning Hank wasn’t involved in the theater massacre, since Pennywise killed half of Frank’s military team in the sewers, he wants to make Hank the villain to look good in front of the people. Clint gathers the townsfolk with an anonymous tip and leads them all to the Black Spot, Hank’s hideout. The Black Spot attack is also mentioned in Stephen King’s novel, where an angry mob burns down the place, showing how Pennywise controls and manipulates the people of Derry.

Clint and the mob arrive wearing clown masks, ready to kill Hank, but the Black Spot is also filled with innocents who had nothing to do with the chaos: Marge, Rich, Will and Ronnie. According to theories, the place may burn down, but viewers will have to wait for the next episodes to know what the mob does and what consequences follow. The episode ends with Ingrid putting on her Periwinkle costume, preparing herself to lure more children and enter the sewers.