IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7 features the darkest hour to date in the history of the franchise. The episode weaves together historical tragedies, supernatural horrors, and the buried truth of the entity that haunts Derry. The prequel has demonstrated, throughout the entire season, how Pennywise can utilize a person's fears, exploit the traumas inherent in a society, and create a cycle of fear by leveraging Derry's racism and violence.Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for the show. Reader's discretion is advised.In IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7, viewers learn that Pennywise's return is based on the military activities that disrupt a cosmic pillar, which holds him in a dormant state. After the "pillar" is moved and destroyed, Pennywise awakens from hibernation to its full strength and begins its feeding cycle, with the first victim being Will Hanlon.IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7: What were the true intentions of the military with the cosmic pillar? View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe events of IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7 disclose that the United States armed forces have had far more involvement in the containment and installation of Pennywise than most had previously presumed. In charge of a very clandestine mission led by General Francis Shaw, the military's goal is to locate the old "pillars" or fragments of a star that are responsible for keeping Pennywise contained to a particular area.However, Shaw's true intention regarding the pillars becomes very clear. He is not trying to recover or protect the pillar from destruction. Rather, he wants to turn it into a weapon against the American people, with the intent of instilling fear in the populace and creating conformity under dictatorship through Pennywise.Leroy Hanlon attempts to thwart Shaw's mission by threatening to harm his military comrades and warning that this action will result in the release of Pennywise back into the world. However, Shaw is determined to continue his operations on the pillar. As a result, the pillar is incinerated from the base, causing the melted material of the extraterrestrial pillar to create an opening, not only of the pillar itself but also for the possible re-emergence of Pennywise.Instead of protecting the town, the military’s interference accelerates Pennywise’s reawakening. This sets the stage for a renewed feeding cycle, demonstrating how human corruption becomes a catalyst for supernatural horror.What happened at the Black Spot in IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7?A still from the episode (Image via YouTube/HBO)IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7 retells a story about one of the most notorious tragedies to occur in Derry. A club owned by and frequented by Black airmen suffers an attack by Chief Clint Bowers and various white supremacists who use firebombs to scorch the building in a premeditated act of racial terrorism.As the fire spreads, Hallorann uses guidance from the spirit Sesqui to evacuate as many people as possible through rotten boards beneath the refrigerator, but the structure collapses. Rich, determined to save Marge, sacrifices himself when they become trapped in IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7.He forces her into a ventilation space, taking the brunt of the carbon monoxide and smoke. Rich’s death is immediate and heroic, emphasizing the senselessness of the violence. Meanwhile, as the place is being consumed by flames, Pennywise appears in the middle of the carnage, reveling in the destruction.His presence confirms the event as the final catastrophic surge of fear and suffering he needs before entering hibernation. The Black Spot sequence becomes both a human atrocity and a supernatural turning point.Also read: Meet the cast of IT: Welcome to Derry What happened to Ingrid Kirsh in IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7?A still from the episode (Image via YouTube/ HBO)The climax of Ingrid Kirsh's arc occurs in IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7. A flashback to 1908 reveals how the cosmic entity tricked her father, Pennywise, and assumed his identity. As Ingrid grows up, she cannot accept the fact that her father is dead and, therefore, convinces herself that he is still alive but has been transformed into a monster.This false belief causes her to create chaos. For instance, Ingrid tipped off Bowers on Hank Grogan's whereabouts at the Black Spot so that fear could lure Pennywise back. Ingrid Kirsh finally confronts Pennywise while in the guise of Periwinkle. However, she eventually realizes that Pennywise is not her father and never was.While Ingrid begs Pennywise to confirm that her father is inside of him, Pennywise opens the Deadlights and uses this powerful and mind-blowing ability to destroy Ingrid's mind. The force of cosmic light is so intense that it blinds Ingrid and nearly puts her into a coma. Although Ingrid Kirsh survives, she could be used as a weapon by Pennywise in the future.IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 episode 7 is available to stream on HBO Max.