The Derry Chronicles May Have Unraveled a Longstanding Pennywise Mystery
The clown's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the community's cycle of animosity ongoing. It finds easy targets on children from fractured households — children who often mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.
The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance
In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when the entity starts haunting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?
The boy is part of the collective of children at his school being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the onset. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, in contrast to the residents who originate in the town, with relationships that have decayed within.
Historical Context
Drawing from the original book, we understand the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the 2017 film, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with his father outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the shy boy, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt environment affected him initially, with the hate group eventually completing the job it started long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.
The Father's Evolution
These occurrences would explain how Leroy changes so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his older age, he seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.
“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 gestures to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”
In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of Derry.
