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IT: Welcome to Derry Explains How It Connects to The Shining
One of the most exciting aspects of IT: Welcome to Derry is its ambitious promise to connect the cursed town to the wider Stephen King literary universe. Even before its premiere, the creative team teased that the series would delve deep into the cosmic origins of Pennywise, forging links to overarching narratives like The Dark Tower. This commitment to a larger mythology was solidified with the casting of Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann, a pivotal character from King’s iconic novel, The Shining. While Hallorann’s appearance in the first episode felt like a simple nod to dedicated fans, the series’ second installment completely recontextualizes his role, revealing exactly how the prequel series bridges the worlds of IT and The Shining.
Warning: Spoilers below for IT: Welcome to Derry, Episode 2
The second episode of IT: Welcome to Derry reveals that the United States Air Force base located on the outskirts of Derry is home to a highly classified mission known as Operation Precept, spearheaded by General Francis Shaw (James Remar). As General Shaw explains, the American military is aware of a mysterious force residing in Derry, an entity capable of projecting pure fear with such intensity that it can break the will of the most hardened soldiers. With the world teetering on the brink of nuclear war, Shaw sees this creature not as a threat to be eradicated, but as an ultimate weapon to be harnessed.
Operation Precept’s goal is to captureDerry’s mysterious fear engine and unleash it upon the enemies of the United States. This audacious plan, however, requires a specialized tool to track a monster that exists outside the realm of conventional science, which is precisely why Dick Hallorann has been brought into the fold.
Hallorann Is Using the Shine to Track Down Pennywise in IT: Welcome to Derry
Within the lore of Stephen King’s universe, “the shine” is a potent psychic ability that manifests in various forms, including telepathy, premonition, and a profound sensitivity to supernatural forces. Crucially, individuals who possess the shine have a strong connection to the spiritual world, often able to perceive and communicate with the restless spirits of the dead. This specific facet of the ability is the key to Hallorann’s role in Operation Precept. General Shaw, through his meticulous study of Derry’s violent history, has correctly identified the town’s 27-year cycle of carnage and deduced that a single entity is responsible. He understands that this long history of death has left a psychic scar on the landscape, creating a trail of supernatural breadcrumbs that a person with the right sensitivities can follow.
Hallorann effectively serves as the military’s paranormal compass. His shine draws him to the intense psychic residue and spiritual trauma left in the wake of Derry’s horrific massacres. This is demonstrated with chilling clarity when Hallorann successfully guides Shaw’s team to the precise location of a buried car containing the skeletal remains of mobsters slaughtered under the influence of Pennywise during a previous cycle of violence — this slaughter is even depicted in the series’ colorful intro.
The military’s strategy is to use Hallorann to locate historical sites of death, allowing them to map the creature’s sphere of influence and triangulate its likely lair for a future capture mission. This work serves as a crucible for Hallorann himself. The constant use of his abilities to commune with the victims of an ancient evil explains how he becomes the seasoned mentor who later guides Danny Torrance in The Shining, as his time in Derry is the trial by fire that honed his skills.
New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry premiere on HBO every Sunday.
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