The Derry Chronicles Could Have Unraveled a Lingering It Mystery
The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's pattern of animosity alive. The creature finds easy targets on kids from fractured households — children who often grow up to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.
Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience
In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the town, notably Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?
Will is a member of the group of children at his school being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends come from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed within.
Backstory Connections
Based on the original book, we understand the young Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the recent movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town affected him first, with the KKK eventually completing the job it began long before. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the malice of the community, instigated by It, It eventually gets the final victory on Will.
Leroy's Transformation
These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.
“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile in your head.”
In hindsight, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of Derry.
