Critical reviews
"The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet's Function" earned mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Tom Jorgensen of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, ""The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet's Function" meaningfully moves forward every one of Welcome to Derry's storylines, packs a wallop on the horror front, and reveals some interesting new details about Pennywise's initial arrival in Derry millions of years in the past - just the shot in the arm Welcome to Derry needed halfway into its first season." [9]
William Hughes of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "I hold out some hope that the show has at least some sense of where it's going with all of this on a more metaphorically resonant level. But, then, whoops, suddenly it's all magic rocks, or the military sending soldiers into the tunnels under the house on Neibolt street, or all the other things that make me think the show doesn't have more on its mind but "It, but stretched out over multiple episodes." As is, all I can do is keep searching and take the stomach-churning highs as they come." [10]
Louis Peitzman of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "while this week's episode is better than the last, I'm struck even more strongly by a sense of wheel-spinning. We get more kindertrauma and more exposition (so much exposition), but it still feels a bit like we're walking in circles. Now that we're halfway through the season, I'd love a clearer sense of where the story is going, particularly when it comes to the younger characters, who at this point are mostly just there to get traumatized." [11]
Eric Francisco of Esquire wrote, "I'm bitter that IT: Welcome to Derry has bummed me out for the second week in a row. But I'm also a cheap date. If Marge's bulging eyes was enough to spook me, I can't wait to see what's behind those doors." [12] Shawn Van Horn of Collider gave the episode a 7 out of 10 rating and wrote, "With the entity's most familiar form of the killer clown getting closer, what does Episode 4, "The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet's Function," have in store for the residents of Derry?" [13]
Zach Dionne of Decider wrote, "Let's take it back millions of years, straight to the end of the episode. Seeing It crash to Earth in Stephen King's 1986 novel and, briefly, in 2019's IT: Chapter Two is one of the most entrancing moments in the story. In Episode 4 of IT: Welcome To Derry, we have the dark pleasure of seeing the arrival and aftermath fleshed out at length." [14] Chris Gallardo of Telltale TV gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Overall, It: Welcome to Derry Season 1 Episode 4 ramps up the chill factor as the Losers Club, Charlotte, Leroy, and Hallorann unbury interesting truths about IT, Derry's societal climate, and each other." [15]
Sean T. Collins of The New York Times wrote, "As it has been since that first batch of terrific child actors was killed off, the acting remains a series highlight. Chris Chalk alternates effortlessly between terrified and terrifying as Dick, while Lawler somehow makes you feel bad for the treasonous Margie, even before she carves her own eye out." [16] Ben Sherlock of Screen Rant wrote, "The horror sequences still look pretty cartoonish — Marge's bulging eyes are more silly than scary — but even when that's the case, it usually leads to some compelling drama. Lilly's desperate attempts to save Marge end up making it look like she stabbed her in the eye, which won't help her case. It: Welcome to Derry might not always work as a horror show, but it never falters as a straightforward drama." [17]
