Welcome to Derry Could Have Solved a Longstanding It Enigma
Pennywise's impact on the young residents of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's pattern of animosity alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from fractured homes — children who frequently mature to repeat the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.
The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience
In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces surrounding the community, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, along with the foundation of his household, may be why he's able to see 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 a member of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household feeling something is off about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have deteriorated within.
Backstory Connections
Based on the It novel, we know the young Will will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with his father surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The public account 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. Perhaps the shy boy, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment affected him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it began long before. Be it via the terror of the entity or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, the creature eventually achieves the final victory on Will.
The Father's Evolution
This chain of events would clarify how Leroy changes so radically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, he seems bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in 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 in there,” he says as he points to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile in your head.”
Looking back, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he desires he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of the town.
