The Derry Chronicles May Have Solved a Lingering It Enigma
The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's pattern of hatred alive. It finds easy targets on children from fractured households — youngsters who frequently mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.
The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance
In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity starts haunting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are cognizant that something is amiss with the town, notably Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, he sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?
Will is a member of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.
Backstory Connections
Based on the original book, we understand the juvenile Will will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent film, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with his father outliving his own son 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 hard to believe. Maybe the shy youth, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the corrupt town affected him initially, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it began years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end gets the final victory on him.
Leroy's Transformation
This chain of events 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 stricter with his discipline. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.
“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”
In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of Derry.
