The Derry Chronicles May Have Solved a Lingering It Mystery
The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred alive. It preys most easily on kids from broken households — youngsters who frequently grow up 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 only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.
Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance
In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?
The boy is a member of the group of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally strangers in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have decayed within.
Backstory Connections
Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town affected him initially, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it began years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end gets the last laugh on him.
The Father's Evolution
This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy appears bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. Leroy reprimands 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 existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”
In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of the town.
