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Cathal Gunning
Published 39 minutes ago
Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.
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Warning: Spoilers ahead for It: Welcome To Derry Episode 6.
While It: Welcome To Derry confirms the fan theory that Pennywise is Ingrid Kersh’s father, episode 6 doesn’t necessarily answer every lingering question that viewers might have afterward. Since It: Welcome To Derry’s opening scene, it has been clear that the It prequel isn’t afraid to get even darker than the movies that preceded the HBO series.
The show doubled down on this when, at the end of the pilot episode, most of the main characters were brutally killed off. This clarified that It: Welcome To Derry was not a coming-of-age horror comedy, but rather a ruthless horror that was unafraid to kill off innocent characters in shocking, abrupt ways.
While Marge’s It: Welcome To Derry episode 4 fate was similarly nasty, the show took a momentary break from its full-throttle brutality with episode 5, “29 Neibolt Street.” This outing saw the kids brave the descent into Pennywise’s lair with Matty, only to discover that their returning friend was really Pennywise in disguise.
It: Welcome To Derry Confirms That Pennywise Is Ingird Kersh's Father
While this proved that the killer clown can imitate humans for days at a time, thus subtly changing Pennywise’s powers in the process, the terrifying subterranean misadventure wasn’t as lethal as expected. Lily, Will, Ronnie, Marge, and Richie all emerged from the sewers unscathed, and the only heroic character to die down there was Captain Pauly.
Rather than reassuring viewers, this should have warned fans that episode 6, “In the Name of the Father,” was going to pull out all the stops. Indeed, the episode didn’t disappoint. As well as setting up the assault on the Black Spot, made famous by Stephen King’s original novel, It, “In the Name of the Father” also finally explained Ingrid's story.
Until now, It: Welcome To Derry kept the origins of Lily’s friend a mystery, and the show never mentioned her surname. In “In the Name of the Father,” viewers learn her full name is Ingrid Kersh, and that she is the same Mrs. Kersh from It: Chapter 2.
When Lily finds Ingrid’s clown costume and photos of Pennywise, she confronts the orderly from Juniper Hill and demands answers. Ingrid explains that her father was a traveling circus clown named Bob Gray and that, while she loved him dearly, he left when she was very young. She became obsessed with finding him again, which led to Periwinkle.
Ingrid Kersh's Carnival Role As Periwinkle Explained
“Periwinkle” was the clown name that Ingrid adopted when she began dressing as a clown to try to find her estranged father. Lily discovers that it was not Pennywise that the kids caught on camera in the cemetery a few episodes earlier, but rather Ingrid dressed as Periwinkle. This explains why the adults were able to see her in this photo.
The adults are seemingly unable to perceive the supernatural phenomena at work in Derry unless Pennywise directly targets them, but the police could see the clown in the photo since it was just Ingrid in costume and not Pennywise. Although It: Welcome To Derry’s Neibolt House attack didn’t explain much more about the clown and how he works, Ingrid did.
Ingrid Kersh's Encounter With Pennywise At Juniper Hill Explained
Image courtesy of Everett Collection
In the opening scene of “In the Name of the Father,” Ingrid leads a child to their death at Juniper Hill when they follow a red balloon down into the basement. The reasoning behind this death is explained later when Ingrid admits to Lily that she led numerous children to “the clown downstairs,” since she hoped it would be her missing father.
It is not entirely clear whether Ingrid delusionally believed the children were okay, or if she didn’t care about sacrificing them to the monster. However, it is clear that Pennywise had convinced her he was her father, or that the entity actually is Bob Gray and, therefore, is her literal father.
Since Ingrid had an affair with It: Welcome To Derry’s Hank Grogan, it seems like she has not always been entirely detached from reality. Thus, her obsession with Pennywise and her role as “Periwinkle” might only take up part of her time, and she may not be aware of her habit of feeding the monster when she is more lucid.
Why Ingrid Kirsh Has Been Following Lilly & Her Friends
However, there is another, darker explanation. Lily could have started her affair with Hank precisely because she wanted to help Pennywise, as this left Hank without an alibi for the theater attack where Pennywise killed three children. Pennywise would have known that he could feed off Derry’s racism after It: Welcome To Derry’s Hank Grogan arrest.
Pennywise may have gotten his daughter to seek out Hank on purpose. Similarly, Ingrid appeared to follow Lily and her friends because she knew the kids were searching for Pennywise, and she hoped they might get her closer to contact with her father. It seems she will do anything for him as the dutiful daughter of It: Welcome To Derry’s villain.
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It: Welcome to Derry
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Horror Mystery Drama Release Date October 26, 2025 Network HBO Directors Andy Muschietti Writers Jason Fuchs, Stephen King, Austin Guzman Franchise(s) IT
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Dick Hallorann with his eyes wide looking angry in It Welcome to Derry
Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise in IT Welcome to Derry trailer 2Image courtesy of HBO Max
Kid similing in IT Welcome To Derry
It: Welcome to Derry teens looking surprised at something off screen
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How do you feel about the revelation that Pennywise is Ingrid's father?
Cathal
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39 minutes ago
This twist could evoke mixed reactions from viewers. Some might find it a clever and disturbing addition to Pennywise's lore, deepening the connection between the entity and Ingrid. Others may feel it complicates the story unnecessarily or diminishes the horror of Pennywise by giving him a more human backstory. It also raises questions about Ingrid's own nature and whether she is more than just an innocent victim.
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