The IT Spot: Rereading part 28

I'm forgoing spoiler warnings from here, as they're all spoilers. Be aware.

Ben is the last one to recount a memory during the adults drinking in the library to remember segment: this one is the first attempt on IT's life. Short form is the kids go to the House on Neibolt street armed with a slingshot, two sliver slugs, and nothing else. They manage to wound IT, but Bev (the shooter) can only it IT once, and misses the eye of The Teenage Werewolf. IT escapes into the sewers, stating IT will kill them all.

This scene is the one I believe will precipitate it in the film.

This segment goes from being banal while the kids make the slugs, to insanity inside the house (which is a literally horror show). The walls move, spooky noises and sights assault them; the kids quickly realize that IT is trying hard to scare them off before showing up.

When IT does show up, IT explodes out of a toilet. I'll give you a moment to laugh and move on.

After wounding IT they escape (not unscathed, Ben gets a claw to the belly) with the knowledge that they're out of ideas. Near the end of the segment Bill begins to muse on power, but it's clear: the kids don't know what to do from here.

This segment seems to be a big part of the upcoming film, and it was combined into the final sewer attack in the mini-series. With the announcement that movie two will flash back to them as kids, I wonder if the final sewer confrontation may be saved for that film: cutting in and out, perhaps to preserve the horror of IT's lair. The adults don't remember all the details of their encounter, the audience shouldn't be privy to that INFO any sooner.

Either way, we're about to head into another memory with the 4th interlude. After that, it's the balls to the wall action I've been promising.

Well, alright then

So, Rob Paulson was diagnosed with, and beat, throat cancer.

If you think you don't know him, you're wrong. If you've watched TV in the last 20-30 years, you've been exposed. And for me, he's one of those "Hey, I know that Voice!" guys. Right along with Hank Azaria, Diedrich Bader, Jeff Bennett, Clancy Brown, Kevin Conroy, Jim Cummings, John DiMaggio, the late June Foray, Seth Green, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr, and I could keep going, but I'm sure you're bored.

The article give his exact thoughts on what happened, so I won't re-hash. But as someone who talks for a living myself (though just with a normal voice), and performs as a hobby, I can't imagine the terror. I've been upset just over being hoarse, or sick for extended periods.

I don't know if I was just oblivious to the news, or if it wasn't publicized before now: you're all familiar with my up-to-the-minute coverage of pop culture that interests me. In either case, I couldn't be happier that Mr. Paulson is on his way to recovery.

We've already lost a voice icon recently, after all.

The IT Spot: Minor news and Rereading part 27

So, the Black Spot scene is going to kick off part two. Not sure how that is going to work, as they're clearly going to have to talk about why Mike is being pursued by burned hands in part 1.

It would be a hell of a lead-in, though, so I can't fault the producers for thinking ahead.

Now, back to the source material, where adult Bev is getting drunk in the library and bringing some old memories up front.

Bev’s tale (which is nothing more than a lead-in to Patrick’s tale) is another simple surface story: she sees the Bowers gang lighting farts in the town dump. Eventually everyone but Patrick Hockstetter peels off, and he is murdered by IT, while Bev looks on. But oh baby, that’s barely scratching the surface.

SPOILERS

Bev’s tale is really a bookend for the only glimpse into Patrick’s mind we have. While Henry is crazy, Patrick Hockstetter is a bonafide psychopath.

 Whelp, he's got the smile down.

He believes he’s the only "real" being in the universe, and the only thing he derives pleasure from is killing. He kills animals in the ‘now’ of 1958, but started killing when he was five, by smothering his baby brother (his father almost noticed, but shut out the thought, BTW).

Patrick is chilling. King describes in detail his finding of a fridge with the door still attached, and how he delights in putting cats and dogs in it to suffocate. It’s a hard passage to get through. When Patrick dies by IT there is horror, but not a trace of regret for the reader. If someone in the story deserves to die, Tom Rogan and Patrick Hockstetter are the top contenders.

Patrick only fears leeches, which of course IT takes the form of, literally sucking him dry before dragging him into the sewers. Bev watches the attack (as much as she can see) is attacked by a leech herself, and brings the others. When they open the killing fridge, it’s full of Pennywise’s orange pom poms, and the words “STOP NOW BEFORE I KILL YOU ALL A WORD TO THE WISE FROM YOUR FRIEND PENNYWISE.”

Up until now IT has kept Patrick’s fridge from being discovered. So why let Bev see it, and then kill him? Two reasons: 1 Patrick was distracting Henry (a who is only a minor tool, but someone IT intends to use). 2, and far more important, Bev was there. IT needs the Losers scared, so they will stop their campaign to destroy IT.

Plus, IT was probably hungry.

This is the first strong hint that IT senses their power, and that IT is scared. IT knows the losers may be able to hurt or kill IT (IT thinks these exact thoughts later). The display was nothing more than a demonstration.

Of course this backfires, when Bill gets angry, screaming (and not stuttering) to the skies about how IT needs to face them.

SAFE

The foreshadowing in the book is so strong. Granted, I’ve read IT probably a dozen times, but it's still there. We're almost done with the adults remembering things, and we're heading into the final section of the novel. It's gonna get fast and dangerous.

I'm still emotionally drained from Rickmancing the Stone

Here's some Rick and Morty stuff.

The IT Spot: Rereading part 26

Time for some hard truths and realizations.

The short (so short it misses the whole point) summation of this segment is Eddie is told by Mr. Keene (the druggist) that his asthma is psychosomatic, and caused by his mother.

I'm almost sure this is him in the new movie. Note the resemblance to Stephen King.

Eddie thinks Keene is calling him crazy, and flees. Afterwards, Henry Bowers finds him, and breaks his arm so badly he goes to the hospital. During his drugged out haze, he sees his ma send the other losers away while IT cavorts in the waiting room. Afterwards he gets some backbone, tells her that he knows about his asthma, that she knew too. He then states that it would be best if he kept up his meds, and kept seeing his friends. His mother knows she’s trapped, and agrees to the terms.

SPOILERS

The short explanation, however, leaves out just how devastating everything in the segment was for Eddie. He goes through the worst pain of his life (up to that point), both physical and emotional. He learns adults can be cruel, both in lies and the truth. He finds out that his mother is hurting him, intentionally, because of how twisted her love is. He also realizes that the eyes of the leper and his mother are the same: both want to consume him. And he has his arm forcefully broken by Henry Bowers.

The other important take away from the segment is how Eddie manages to stand up to his mother, and address some very hard truths. He barely makes it through, but terrifies her while doing so. The whole time there is talk of power, in Eddie, radiating from Eddie, and even from Bill when the losers try to visit. This is the power of Matuin, the Turtle, and IT’s counterbalance.

The turtle hasn’t been explained in the novel yet, so here’s a reminder: Matuin, the Turtle, created our universe, possibly via vomiting up the world and dying. Matuin is the one thing IT fears, but IT thinks the Turtle is dead…or at least hopes so. But Matuin isn’t dead, and is the greater force guiding and helping the Losers, as much as it can. But Bill remembers at one point ‘The Turtle couldn’t help us.’

The Turtle is a big player in other King works, namely The Dark Tower. The short, SHORT, version there is that all worlds are connected via beams running through the Dark Tower (physical and metaphysical). Each beam has a guardian on both ends. Matuin is one of them.

Also, the creators have said aside from easter eggs, the Turtle won't appear in the new film.

What is all boils down to is the kids are getting ready to go into the final battles with IT, and Matuin is doing his last push, giving them his power and guidance (remember the smoke hole?). But at a point, Matuin can no longer help them. And that point is coming soon.

As for the adults, they’re getting closer and closer to the realization/remembrance of these facts, but we’ve still got a ways to go.

SAFE

And before we get there, it’s time to watch a psychopath die and Bev almost get killed…again. Sadly, it’s not Henry who bites it. 

I’m at page 771 of 1090. We’re looking at the final stretch, people. Thanks for staying with me thus far.  At this rate, I’ll finish juuuuuust before the movie comes out. Maybe by then we’ll have some news on the casting of the adult losers. Still pulling for Seth Green as Adult Ritchie and Robert Sean Leonard as Adult Bill.