“It: Welcome To Derry” Episode 4 Explained – What Is the Galloo and How Pennywise Came to Derry
It: Welcome to Derry continues to deepen the chilling mythology behind one of horror’s most iconic villains. Episode 4, titled “The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet’s Function”, released on November 16, 2025, offers the biggest revelations yet. For the first time in the series, viewers learn about the ancient evil known as the Galloo and how this mysterious force eventually becomes the terrifying Pennywise.
This episode blends supernatural storytelling, Indigenous mythology, and the early history of Derry to create a gripping origin story that expands Stephen King’s universe in an exciting new direction.
What Is the Galloo
Episode 4 introduces the Galloo through a psychic interrogation where Dick Hallorann uses his abilities to explore the memories of Taniel, a young Indigenous man. Taniel’s tribe, the Shokopiwah, holds ancient knowledge about the creature that preys beneath Derry.
According to their legend, the Galloo is a powerful evil spirit that arrived on Earth millions of years ago. It came trapped inside a falling star that crashed into the land long before Derry existed. When the star shattered, the spirit escaped and roamed the Western Wood, feeding on fear and life.
The tribe understood its danger. They forged a protective dagger from a shard of the fallen star and buried thirteen pieces of the meteorite around the woods. These shards acted as sacred pillars meant to contain the entity and keep it from reaching human settlements.
For generations, this uneasy balance held.
How Pennywise Came to Derry
The episode reveals that the arrival of settlers disrupted this fragile harmony. The new inhabitants ignored the tribe’s warnings, wandered into forbidden territory, and weakened the containment created by the pillars.
Once the Galloo’s prison began to break, the spirit grew stronger. Over centuries, it evolved, adapted, and finally chose the form we now recognize as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. This transformation allowed the creature to appear harmless while feeding on the fear of children. The show presents Pennywise not as a single form but as a chosen mask for an ancient, shape-shifting cosmic entity.
Episode 4 also hints that the lair beneath the famous house on Neibolt Street connects directly to the buried pillars that once held the Galloo. As those protections weaken, Pennywise’s power rises.
Why Episode 4 Matters
This episode marks a major narrative shift for the series. It sets the foundation for understanding Pennywise beyond the familiar clown persona and gives viewers a deeper look at the force that has haunted Derry for centuries. By combining Indigenous lore, cosmic horror, and human history, the show builds a richer and more emotional backstory for one of Stephen King’s most terrifying creations.
Final Thoughts
Episode 4 of It: Welcome to Derry is one of the most important chapters so far. It answers long-standing questions about where Pennywise came from and introduces the Galloo, the original ancient form of the evil haunting the town. With the protective pillars weakening and the entity growing stronger, the story is clearly moving toward darker and more intense territory.
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