Welcome to Derry Could Have Unraveled a Lingering It Enigma
Pennywise's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's cycle of hatred alive. It preys most easily on children from fractured households — children who frequently mature to repeat the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.
Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance
In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, particularly when the entity starts haunting his child, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, along with the foundation of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?
The boy is a member of the collective of children at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason he is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have decayed within.
Backstory Connections
Drawing from the original book, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the recent film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with his father outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt environment affected him initially, with the hate group ultimately finishing the job it began years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually gets the final victory on Will.
The Father's Evolution
This chain of events would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he appears resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.
“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”
Looking back, this could be a piece of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of the town.
