The Week in Geek: Pennywise arrives, Steven Universe continues, and a Doctor Who legend passes

We did it. Another week is in the books. It's September. Summer is behind us, and it's time to look back at the week that was. And the week that was, was ... kinda quiet? Everyone was probably making room for that OG Killer Klown From Outer Space, Pennywise.

What else other than evil clowns made the week worthwhile? Only one way to find out! Here they are: the five biggest stories from ... The Week in Geek!

IT CHAPTER TWO IS IN THEATERS

Clowns. Everybody loves them. If that weren't true, then It would not be one of Stephen King's most popular novels, right? Certainly, the film adaptation of It wouldn't have made over $700 million if people didn't love clowns. And if people didn't love clowns so gosh-darn much, its sequel, It Chapter Two, wouldn't be on target for a $100 million opening this weekend.

Fact: Everyone. Loves. Clowns.

This time around, the Losers' Club is back in a near-three-hour movie. They need all that time to really take down Pennywise the Clown this time. Who lives? Who dies? Who gets devoured by a giant, spiky clown mouth? Was the spiky clown mouth the friends we made along the way?

Anyway, It Chapter Two is in theaters now. Mild spoilers, but a content warning I think more websites should probably include: The movie opens on the brutal physical assault of a gay couple. I wish someone had told me, so I'm telling you. The movie has a lot of intense scenes, but opening on that one is really rough for anyone living under the constant threat of homophobic attacks.

Mostly, though, it's spiky clown mouths or bust. The actors are great. Paul Bunyan is terrifying. And everyone loves clowns. So, obviously, go see It Chapter Two. It's the biggest movie of the week, maybe even of the whole dang month.

THE STEVEN UNIVERSE MOVIE IS AS RELENTLESSLY POSITIVE AS EVER

There is one other major movie that came out this week, albeit on TV rather than in theaters, and that is the Steven Universe movie.

For those following the show, there's been a big question mark about this movie. And the specific question is: What story is there left to tell? The last canonical episode of Steven Universe wrapped up virtually every major plot point that's been lingering over the years. We dealt with the Diamonds. We learned all about Pink. We saved the Earth and helped all those corrupted gems out there. It's kinda game over!

In a way, the Steven Universe movie is a chance for anyone who'd never seen the show before to get a less continuity-heavy taste of what makes the show great. There's a ton of songs. There's a bit of a reset button hit, albeit temporarily. And there's a new villain that plays on that classic theme: Rose Quartz is kind of a d**k.

But, in another way, the Steven Universe movie is a chance to show how getting older doesn't mean having it all figured out. Happy endings aren't endings at all, just pleasant pit stops on an otherwise stressful road full of seemingly impossible scenarios with no simple solutions.

You'd think all that would make the Steven Universe movie sad, but that's Rebecca Sugar and company's greatest gift: They can always take a sad song and make it better.

SNES COMES TO THE SWITCH

Oh, man! Grandpa is excited about this one! Nintendo had one of its Nintendo Direct streams this week, where it talked about new games and such. Lots of little things are happening. New characters coming to Smash. Obviously, the new Pokémon games are coming.

But maybe the biggest news was one for the olds. While Nintendo's online platform for the Switch has an ever-increasing library of NES titles, no other Nintendo consoles have been in receipt of that love. Until this week, that is, when Nintendo announced that its online platform now has Super Nintendo offerings.

That's right: 20 SNES games are available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription right now.

And there are some great titles. A lot of the classics are present: Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart, Super Metroid, and Star Fox are all, predictably, included. But there are tons of cool surprises on offer, as well, including Demon's Crest, Brawl Brothers, and Breath of Fire (to name just a few).

So far, we're just playing Pilotwings. Because I mean ... c'mon. Pilotwings owns.

Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment/Marvel Studios

SONY PRETTY SURE THAT SPIDER-MAN IS DONE AT DISNEY

... for now. Yes, it's the song that never ends. Spider-Man's will-they-won't-they story — in which we all wait to see if those two crazy kids, Sony and Disney, can make it work — got another chapter this week.

This week, Sony Pictures Chairman Tony Vinciquerra told Variety that “for the moment the door is closed” on Disney and Sony working it out, resolving their differences, and sharing ol' Spidey in an open marriage/comic book polyamory that's fair for all.

It's probably worth noting that Iron Man director Jon Favreau was also on hand at the event and said he was "cautiously optimistic" that things would eventually figure themselves out.

So it's over. But it's never really over, is it?

Credit: BBC

DOCTOR WHO ICON TERRANCE DICKS PASSES AWAY

Everyone has the names they read out in their heads when they think of Doctor Who. People have their favorite Doctors, favorite companions, and favorite villains. But one name that all classic Whovians will always inevitably bring up is Terrance Dicks, who served as writer and script editor for Doctor Who across three decades and continued on as a novelist for the sci-fi series further onward. Dicks passed away this week at the age of 84.

One of Dicks' earliest scripts, "The War Games," served as a swan song for so much of what came before. It was the end of Patrick Troughton's legendary run as the 2nd Doctor, it meant the end of the road for iconic companions Jamie and Zoe, it ushered us to the era of Doctor Who in color... and, oh yeah, it introduced the Time Lords.

Terrance Dicks is an absolute legend for a reason. He is responsible for so much of what makes Doctor Who what it is. After penning the end of the 2nd Doctor Era, he oversaw many of the scripts of Jon Pertwee's run on the show. During the 1970s, now-iconic villains were created, the show learned how to be Earthbound, and, of course, it's when we learned what a person of action the Doctor could be. None of that might have happened without Terrance Dicks. His contributions to television and to the worlds of science fiction will never be forgotten.

And that's it. Your week in geek is over. Let us know what you thought of these stories and what other stories demanded your attention.