Pennywise’s influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who keep the town’s cycle of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from fractured homes — children who often grow up to repeat the same patterns as their parents. But the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise’s sway.
In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few adults who are aware that something is amiss with the town, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann’s use of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy sees one of Pennywise’s signature balloons outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to feel fear, coupled with the foundation of his family, may be why he’s able to see Pennywise’s hauntings. But what if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who didn’t lose themselves to its cruelty?
Will is part of the group of kids at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with parents who don’t believe they’re being haunted. The reason Will is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn’t fractured, unlike the folks who come from the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.
Based on the It novel, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the 2017
film, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, 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 now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that’s hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten town got to him first, with the KKK eventually finishing the job it started years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually gets the last laugh on Will.
This chain of events would explain how Leroy changes so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it’s understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight now that we know he’s seen Pennywise’s hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy’s farm. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.
“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he points to the sheep. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice for you. Except you won’t know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”
In hindsight, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he couldn’t resist the sickening allure of Derry.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
