Warning! This review contains spoilers for It: Welcome to Derry’s season 1 finale.

It: Welcome to Derry’s season 1 finale is bigger, more ambitious, and more action-packed than any of the previous episodes, for better and for worse. This final episode starts out a lot like John Carpenter’s The Fog, as a monstrous invasion sweeps the town under the cover of a thick blanket of fog.

This all-out supernatural attack paves the way for some really creepy imagery, brought to life by the cinematographers and production designers: a blood-drenched milkman is seen lying dead in a doorway; Dick Hallorann is still being haunted by zombie soldiers; Pennywise guides a long line of floating children through the fog with the sound of music, a la the Pied Piper. The fog itself gives every exterior shot an unsettling vibe. The characters in focus are silhouetted behind the veil of fog, and their surroundings are frighteningly obscured, so we have no idea what’s around them.

Welcome To Derry Loses Some Of Its Humanity As The Finale Focuses Too Much On Spectacle

It Works Best When It’s Rooted In Character

This season finale feels truly climactic and definitive, but it’s also the episode that feels the most like Stranger Things. Stranger Things was heavily influenced by Stephen King’s original It novel, but It: Welcome to Derry has, ironically, taken a lot of cues from Stranger Things in adapting that story for television. There have been some undeniable parallels with Stranger Things over the past few weeks, but the finale dives headfirst into the pesky, overdone tropes of Stranger Things’ own finale episodes.

As Pennywise begins a large-scale invasion of the town, all the kids join forces to fight back. They pool their resources, hash together a plan of action, and go out to slay the monster, just like Mike, Eleven, and the gang would do. Stranger Things falters when it feels more like an action-packed Marvel blockbuster than an atmospheric ghost story, and that’s the problem with Welcome to Derry’s finale. The fog draped over the town is a great visual component, but it also introduces a high-stakes Avengers-level threat. The magical dagger might as well be an Infinity Stone, and Pennywise might as well be Thanos.

As with all the previous installments, Welcome to Derry’s final episode works best when it remains rooted in character: Leroy fearing for his son’s life; Ronnie and Marge trying to convince Lilly she can still trust them. Those moments feel much more personal than when a military firing squad shoots up Pennywise’s wagon, or everyone is fighting over the glowing MacGuffin. This episode confirms the theory that Marge is Richie Tozier’s mother. The way it’s revealed is a bit forced, but it is heartwarming to know for sure that Marge will name her son after the kid who saved her at the Black Spot.

Even though I know the future head chef of the Overlook Hotel is protected by plot armor, I was still horrified when Hallorann put his service pistol in his mouth. It’s a testament to Chris Chalk’s powerful performance; it really seemed like he’d given up and he was going to pull the trigger. It’s only when Leroy mentions that It is targeting Will that Hallorann decides to stick around to help. This is the same soft spot that will make him go back to the Overlook to save Danny Torrance in The Shining.

Welcome To Derry’s Final Battle Doubles Down On The Show’s CGI Problem

The Whole Thing Looks Like It Was Shot On The Volume

The greatest strength of Welcome to Derry has been its ability to weave well-rounded human characters into its horror story, but this last episode loses some of that humanity as it focuses too much on spectacle. But even as a pure action spectacle, it’s a bit of a let-down. Needlessly convoluted exposition about the magic dagger brings the momentum grinding to a halt, and the final confrontation with Pennywise doubles down on the show’s CGI problem. It’s set on a frozen lake with barren surroundings, draped in fog; the whole thing looks like it was shot on The Volume.

After delivering a perfectly executed set-piece with the fire at the Black Spot last week, this final battle feels messy and unfocused. But on the whole, It: Welcome to Derry has been an exciting new addition to the franchise and a promising first chapter of what will surely be an epic horror saga.