Welcome to Derry May Have Unraveled a Longstanding It Enigma
The clown's impact on the young residents of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who keep the town's pattern of animosity ongoing. It finds easy targets on children from fractured homes — children who often mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.
Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience
In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when It begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, alongside his failure to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?
Will is part of the group of children at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause Will is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.
Backstory Connections
Drawing from the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the recent film, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment got to him initially, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, the creature eventually achieves the last laugh on him.
Leroy's Transformation
These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he seems resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Since he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and provides an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.
“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”
Looking back, this could represent a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of Derry.
