The Derry Chronicles Could Have Solved a Lingering Pennywise Mystery
The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from fractured households — children who frequently grow up to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.
Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance
In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the town, especially the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Later, he spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, along with the base of his family, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?
Will is a member of the group of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are ultimately outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who come from the area, with bonds that have deteriorated within.
Backstory Connections
Based on the It novel, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 film, we see that he has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment affected him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it started years ago. Whether through the fear of the entity or through the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually gets the last laugh on him.
The Father's Evolution
These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, he appears resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and offers an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.
“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone 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 bit of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of the town.
