Artemur

This is the fifth episode of the eight-episode first season, and we finally see some improvement in the series. Not only does the story begin to develop and reveal its scary potential, but the acting, cinematography, pacing, and special effects are also noticeably better in this episode. I really enjoyed the sewer scenes; they stayed true to the story's origins and effectively conveyed the horror and claustrophobia found in the novel's final chapters. The reference to Dick Halloran from *The Shining* and *Doctor Sleep* was a nice touch that added depth to the main story. It seems we will see more connections to Stephen King's universe in future episodes, which is great news. The twist involving Matty at the end was both surprising and well-executed, and the main villain finally appeared in a genuinely frightening way. In my opinion, the military's plan to use the monster as a biological weapon is somewhat clichéd, but overall, I'm glad the series is improving, and I hope it continues on this path.

This is the fourth episode, and several unfinished storylines continue to be drawn out, resulting in a noticeable lack of cohesion in the main plot. The narrative is delivered in an expository style, lacking action and the presence of the story's primary villain, the clown Pennywise. Its slow, meandering pace, combined with a one-hour runtime, makes watching the show somewhat tedious. Mediocre acting and subpar CGI effects further detract from the experience. The special effects in the scene where Marge Truman's eyes bulged were particularly embarrassing. Unfortunately, this TV series appears to suffer from a limited budget, weak scriptwriting, and uninspired direction. Overall, it feels quite average so far. Stephen King and his epic novel certainly deserve much better than this.

Given the richness and quality of the original source material, this series had the potential to be a masterpiece with more talented scriptwriters and directors. However, it currently feels like a standard TV show lacking any real spark or maturity, relying instead on maintaining the audience's interest with short and scary 'hook' scenes. In my opinion, they should have hired Stephen King as the creative chief supervisor for the scripts and Cary Fukunaga-renowned for his masterful direction of True Detective-as both director and scriptwriter. Had they done so, we would be discussing a very different series today. Andy Muschietti is a decent director, but unfortunately, he lacks the talent to do justice to the source material and elevate this series to something exceptional. This third episode also demonstrates that the series is not only inspired by the novel but is also heavily influenced by Muschietti's *It* movies. Unfortunately, the *It* movies have their own flaws, such as overused, low-quality CGI, uneven pacing, and episodic and scattered plotting, and these issues have been carried over into the series. So far, the series is not bad, but it remains unsatisfying, disappointing, and a missed opportunity for me.