Critical reviews
"In the Name of the Father" earned mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Tom Jorgensen of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "“In the Name of the Father” does a good job of re-establishing the stakes going into Welcome to Derry's climax, as the fallout of Pennywise's emergence forces characters to get their priorities in order. The kids are (mostly) united, but Lilly's detour to Ingrid's house and all we learn about the latter's motives as Periwinkle call attention to how many plates the show is going to need to keep spinning through what promises to be a very chaotic next couple of episodes." [3]
William Hughes of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "This theorizing is brought to you by “In The Name Of The Father,” one of Welcome To Derry's best episodes to date — when it's not getting bogged down in Darth Vader-esque revelations about who is, or isn't, the deluded spawn of our resident murder clown. Admittedly, the late-episode reveal that Ingrid Kersh the helpful housekeeper was originally Periwinkle Gray — daughter of the circus performer from whom IT stole its favored horror persona — does have obvious parallels to the more nuanced story “In The Name” is telling about parents and children. But despite Madeleine Stowe's noble efforts to try to keep this apparently mandatory “Oh my god, this changes everything!” late-season turn grounded in the realm of emotional plausibility, the twist arrives like a pair of big, floppy clown shoe steps trodding all over what had previously been a much more elegant affair." [4]
Louis Peitzman of Vulture gave the episode a 2 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "After finally finding some much-needed forward momentum, the show backslides with “In the Name of the Father,” an hour that's almost entirely about inaction. Aside from one big reveal (undermined by the fact that we figured it out last week), we spend an awful lot of time with characters refusing to do the things they'll inevitably end up doing. You could argue that this is the series putting the pieces in place for the final two episodes, but it's still a slog to get through, and a reminder of the larger problem of dragging this story out over the course of eight episodes." [5]
Eric Francisco of Esquire wrote, "In episode 6, "In the Name of the Father," patriarchs come in all shapes and sizes: loving ones who hug, loving ones who hurt, and loving ones who feed on young children. You know, normal dad stuff." [6] Shawn Van Horn of Collider gave the episode a 8 out of 10 rating and wrote, "Now, there'll certainly be a terrifying rush to the finish as our new group of Losers battles the killer alien clown." [7]
Zach Dionne of Decider wrote, "Bowers says a “lady called in a tip” anonymously, pointing them to the Black Spot. Could that lady be the one putting on her Periwinkle costume just before the mob pulls up to the Black Spot, toting not pitchforks but rifles and shotguns, more than a few of them in clown masks?" [8] Chris Gallardo of Telltale TV gave the episode a 3.1 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "It: Welcome to Derry Season 1 Episode 6 is a troubling, yet adequately intense, episode with more social paranoia and unusual character twists that's carried by Halloran and the Losers Club. As this series slowly reaches its conclusion, I hope that it can push the horror into a higher gear before it runs out of narrative beats to try out." [9]
Sean T. Collins of The New York Times wrote, "Although our attention has been largely occupied by the kids and the clown, let's not take for granted how good this show's three grown-up leads are. Chris Chalk, Jovan Adepo and Taylour Paige make the adult material as magnetic as that of the young losers." [10] Ben Sherlock of Screen Rant wrote, "With that final scene, It: Welcome to Derry is starting to build towards one of the most shocking events in the town's history, originally alluded to in the first movie. After those masked Purge-style killers arrived at the Black Spot, I'm both excited for next wee'’s episode and dreading it." [11]
