Welcome to Derry Could Have Solved a Lingering Pennywise Mystery
Pennywise's impact on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's cycle of hatred alive. It finds easy targets on kids from fractured homes — children who frequently grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.
The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance
In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of 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 a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure 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 one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?
The boy is part of the group of kids at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.
Historical Context
Drawing from the original book, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the 2017 movie, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment affected him first, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it started years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, It eventually gets the last laugh on Will.
The Father's Evolution
This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. However, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for delaying and provides an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.
“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile in your head.”
Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Maybe he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of the town.
