The final episode of IT: Welcome to Derry, titled “Winter Fire,” aired on December 14, 2025.1 It has received a generally positive but slightly polarized response from both critics and fans.
Episode 8 Ratings
- IMDb: Currently sitting at 9.3/10 (based on early user votes).2 While high, it sits just behind the season high of 9.4/10 held by Episode 7 (“The Black Spot”).
- Rotten Tomatoes: The series maintained a 76% Audience Score and an 80% Critical Score following the finale.
- Viewership: The finale contributed to the show becoming the 3rd biggest series debut in HBO Max history, trailing only House of the Dragon and The Last of Us.
Critical Consensus
Critics generally praised the episode’s high production value and Bill Skarsgård’s performance, though some were critical of the heavy use of CGI and the shift toward “action-spectacle.”3
- The Positives: Reviewers loved the “epic” feel of the supernatural fog engulfing the town and the satisfying way it tied into the 2017/2019 movies.4 The cameo of Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh and the reveal that Marge is Richie Tozier’s mother were highlights for fans.5
- The Negatives: Some critics (such as Screen Rant) felt the finale leaned too hard into “Stranger Things” tropes and “Marvel-style” action, moving away from the more grounded psychological horror of earlier episodes.6
Key Plot “Ratings” (Fan Favorites)
| Moment | Fan Reaction |
| Pennywise vs. Hallorann | High: The “psychic battle” was cited as one of the most creative scenes in the franchise. |
| The “Richie” Reveal | Mixed/High: Some found it “cheesy fan service,” while others loved the emotional closure for Marge’s character. |
| The Ending Note | High: Fans were thrilled by the final scene transitioning directly into the timeline of the first IT film. |
Episode 8 Summary: “Winter Fire”
The Season 1 finale of IT: Welcome to Derry serves as both a tragic conclusion to the 1962 timeline and a bridge to the events of the 2017 film.
The Siege of Derry
The episode begins with Derry engulfed in an unnatural, freezing fog. Following the massacre at The Black Spot in the previous episode, Pennywise has grown more powerful than ever. General Shaw and the military attempt to contain the entity using experimental weapons, but the plan backfires when Pennywise uses the soldiers’ own fears against them, leading to a bloodbath at the edge of the Barrens.
The Psychic Battle
The emotional core of the finale focuses on Dick Hallorann and Will Hanlon. Recognizing that physical weapons are useless, Hallorann uses his “Shining” to enter the Deadlights. In a visually stunning sequence, he attempts to anchor Will’s soul so it isn’t consumed by Pennywise. Hallorann manages to wound the entity psychically, but he realizes he cannot kill it—he can only force it back into hibernation early.
The Great Erasure
As Pennywise retreats into the sewers to sleep for another 27 years, a “supernatural amnesia” begins to wash over the town. This explains why the adults in the IT movies never seem to remember the horrors of their youth. We see Marge (revealed to be the mother of a young Richie Tozier) making the heartbreaking choice to stay in Derry, despite knowing deep down that something evil remains.
The Final Reveal
The episode ends with a series of quick “flashes” through time:
- The 1988 Connection: The camera pans through the sewers and transitions to 1988. We see a young Georgie Denbrough in his yellow raincoat placing his paper boat in the rain.
- The Cameo: In a shocking post-credit style scene, we see a young Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis) walking past the pharmacy in 1989. She makes eye contact with an elderly woman—revealed to be a survivor from the 1962 timeline—hinting that the cycle is ready to begin again.