The destiny of Rich Santos, played by Arian S. Cartaya, is still one of the most distressing scenes in “It: Welcome to Derry,” a drama that is surprisingly graphic and frightening. In the heartbreaking scene from episode 7, “The Black Spot,” which was otherwise a full-scale carnage, Rich gives his life to save Matilda Lawler’s Marge Truman. When you think about it, though, Rich accomplished more than just save Marge. In fact, he might have made things simpler for Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise, who thrives on terror and would have probably found it difficult to deal with Cartaya’s brave child.
In “Welcome to Derry,” Pennywise terrorized the town’s inhabitants with a variety of terrifying visions that were even more brutal than those in Andy Muschietti’s two films, “It” (2017) and “It Chapter Two” (2021). In all honesty, after seeing the utter depravity of Pennywise’s cruel creations, the majority of the children in this show should have spent the entire eight episodes shaking in a fear-induced stupor. Some of the most terrifying monsters in “Welcome to Derry” were truly terrifying.
But Richie, who performed the greatest act of bravery in the drama when he saved Marge during the terrifying Black Spot fire, was one character who seemed to have overcome his fear. Richie perished from smoke inhalation outside but Marge stayed safe in a locker. The problem is that, despite the mayhem, we know that Pennywise was at the fire, feasting on faces and having a great time. Why did Richie’s face remain intact yet he perished in the fire? Perhaps Pennywise noticed that he was no longer scared.
Could Richie have defeated Pennywise in Welcome to Derry episode 7?
Fear is what Pennywise thrives on. That’s his entire strategy. Throughout “It: Welcome to Derry,” we witnessed how Bill Skarsgård’s insane harlequin was brought back to life by the fears that all of the previously described nightmare images were intended to exploit. However, Rich Santos, who showed himself to be about as fearless as they come, would have undoubtedly irritated the clown.
Rich tells Marge Truman early in season 1 that he kept a jar by his bed since Pennywise’s residence in the sewers made him so terrified to use the restroom. However, by episode 7, Rich appeared to have conquered all of his worries, giving his life to save Marge during the Black Spot fire—possibly one of the most unsettling scenes in Stephen King’s original “It” novel. In addition to providing us with this significant character fatality, episode 7 of “Welcome to Derry” included one of Pennywise’s most significant murder scenes, in which the malevolent figure stalks the flaming bar in order to capitalize on the terrified patrons.
But for some reason, he lets Rich die by himself from the smoke. Perhaps Pennywise had noticed the child’s lack of terror. Furthermore, could the bold Richie have killed Pennywise right then and then? Given that in “It: Chapter Two,” the Losers’ Club of the future ultimately defeats the enemy by showcasing their lack of fear, it appears that Richie could have defeated the clown in this brave act of bravery.
Richie could have made the Welcome to Derry finale fight a much quicker affair
Indulging in some shady plotting and fanciful mythology before tying everything up in a tidy little ribbon that seemed a bit too happy in light of the terrible events of episode 7, the “It: Welcome to Derry” conclusion represented the show at both its finest and worst. Nonetheless, a last battle between the demonic thing and the citizens of the titular town was shown to us. It was a very exciting fight, perhaps even more so than the one that ended with Pennywise’s demise in “It: Chapter Two.”
Sadly, Rich Santos was not present to assist his pals in putting an end to Bill Skarsgård’s villain. Not in the flesh, anyway. In fact, the child’s soul appeared to provide his companions with the final impetus to erect a magical pillar at the foot of a similarly miraculous tree (see the previously described fanciful myth). However, what if Richie had lived through episode 7? If Richie had appeared and showed that he wasn’t scared of Pennywise, this lengthy conflict in the climax could have ended much sooner. Furthermore, it’s possible that the gang defeated Pennywise with far greater vigor than they did. They would have had the opportunity to completely destroy the creature rather than just keeping him imprisoned in Derry, which would have stopped the events of the two movies as well as the upcoming second and third seasons of “Welcome to Derry.”
It’s unclear if Derry will witness the emergence of a similarly bold character in the second season. However, HBO has yet to formally renew the series despite the writers’ ambitious “Welcome to Derry” trilogy, which begs the issue of what the business is afraid of.
