Welcome to Derry’s most shocking moment is in episode 5 – actor admits ‘it was the most callous thing I could possibly do’

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Welcome to Derry’s most shocking moment is in episode 5 – actor admits ‘it was the most callous thing I could possibly do’ Features By Lucy Buglass published 25 November 2025

"He was being torn apart inside."

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(Image credit: HBO Max)

Contains spoilers for all of Welcome to Derry episode 5

I've been watching HBO Max's Welcome to Derry on the edge of my seat, and episode 5 might just be the most tense, brilliant episode yet as we finally got to see Pennywise on-screen. There's a reason it's one of the best HBO Max shows.

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Now that Pennywise is back on the scene properly, things have gotten a whole lot worse, and General Francis Shaw (James Remar) has been making some very questionable decisions along the way.

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We've witnessed Shaw reuniting with Rose (Kimberly Guerrero), his childhood friend who saved him from Pennywise once before. But he has treated Rose incredibly poorly, holding her nephew Taniel at the air base to try to get him to give up information about Pennywise.

Shaw wants to confront Pennywise, intending to capture him for use as a potential weapon to end the Cold War, despite Rose's protests.

His dark obsession with locating Pennywise has caused a rift between Rose and Shaw, with the latter intending to use Taniel as a guide to the sewers so they can get close to Pennywise and attempt to manipulate him.

In an interview with TechRadar and other journalists, James Remar spoke about his character's arrogant behavior, particularly what he's been doing with Taniel, and how he rudely responds to Rose's very valid protests.

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Remar said: "In my scene with [Rose] in my office, I get up and I walk away from her and I light a cigar, it was the most callous thing I could possibly do, and I didn't want to do it, but had to."

Rose and General Shaw reunited in emotional scenes. (Image credit: HBO Max)Today's best Max dealsMax Monthly With Ads US$9.99/mthViewat Max - United StatesMax Monthly Ad-Free US$16.99/mthViewat Max - United StatesMax Monthly Ultimate Ad-Free US$20.99/mthViewat Max - United States

He also reflected on having Guerrero as a scene partner, telling us: "But it was very comfortable working with Kimberly as a fellow actor because she's so good and so honest and so emotionally available.

"That part was easy, but what I had to experience from in terms of my disappointment and my being torn apart inside. That's not hyperbole, I mean it, he was being torn apart inside because of Pennywise, that was tough at times."

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Remar added: "And I blackmail Rose with her nephew. It's pretty bad. It's one of those things, that when there's a deep respect and camaraderie off camera, it's so easy to make those bold choices on camera and just kind of throw yourself in and see what happens and read each other's energy and do that dance."

With only three episodes, I'm excited to see where Welcome to Derry goes, especially the inevitable consequences of General Shaw's decision to try and wield Pennywise's power instead of running a mile away from the whole situation.

Shaw is one of the most fascinating characters in Welcome to Derry because he's so frustrating, and I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him yet.

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Lucy BuglassSocial Links NavigationSenior Entertainment Writer

Lucy is a long-time movie and television lover who is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She has written several reviews in her time, starting with a small self-ran blog called Lucy Goes to Hollywood before moving onto bigger websites such as What's on TV and What to Watch, with TechRadar being her most recent venture. Her interests primarily lie within horror and thriller, loving nothing more than a chilling story that keeps her thinking moments after the credits have rolled. Many of these creepy tales can be found on the streaming services she covers regularly.

When she’s not scaring herself half to death with the various shows and movies she watches, she likes to unwind by playing video games on Easy Mode and has no shame in admitting she’s terrible at them. She also quotes The Simpsons religiously and has a Blinky the Fish tattoo, solidifying her position as a complete nerd. 

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