The Derry Chronicles Could Have Solved a Lingering It Enigma
The clown's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's cycle of animosity ongoing. It preys most easily on children from fractured homes — children who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.
The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience
In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the town, notably the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?
Will is part of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household sensing something is off about the town from the beginning. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, in contrast to the residents who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed within.
Backstory Connections
Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the recent film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with his father outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment affected him initially, with the hate group ultimately finishing the job it started years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, the creature in the end achieves the last laugh on him.
The Father's Evolution
This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms 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 parenting. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.
“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and someone 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 prediction, something he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of the town.
