If you’re watching Welcome to Derry, then you know that this series isn’t shy about killing characters. We literally watched three children die horrifically in its first episode. And, episode four left us in a place where we knew that more death was on the way. General Shaw finally found out where the entity lies in Derry, and he’s ready to harness IT as a weapon. For some reason, the military thinks this is a good idea. But we all know what it means for them to converge on Pennywise’s lair: death. And, well, there were deaths in that tunnel in episode five. However, the most pivotal death in Welcome to Derry’s fifth episode happens at the hands of Leroy Hanlon himself. That poor guy will NEVER be the same.
Leroy, Pauly, Hallorann, and other military personnel head into the tunnels with a reluctant Taniel leading them. Taniel has the ancient weapon of his people, which can protect those behind it from the fear and nightmares that Pennywise causes. Things soon go awry as the group becomes fractured and men begin to see things that aren’t there. This happens to Leroy, who is different from the others because he cannot feel fear. But, he can still feel confusion and many other emotions.
While walking down a tunnel with Pauly, who is rightfully freaking out about what they are doing there, Leroy sees a vision of Charlotte. He almost caves into believing it, even with Pauly assuring him that nothing is there. Leroy does what Shaw instructed about things that don’t seem real and shoots the figure in the head. It is indeed a manifestation of Charlotte by Pennywise and it slithers away. Some time later, his son Will comes running down a tunnel calling for his dad. Leroy is zeroed in, determined to shoot what he believes is yet another mental trick by the entity. But Pauly declares that he sees Will too.
However, Leroy is so locked in and ready to kill that Pauly jumps in front of his gun, taking a shot to his center mass. Leroy is stunned by the sudden twist of events, realizing that Will (who is supposed to be safe on base, btw) is real. Leroy killed his best friend Pauly Russo in Welcome to Derry and has to sadly watch him die in that tunnel. The kids (with the exception of Lilly, who ends up on a different route) follow Leroy as he tearfully carries Pauly across his shoulders.
Later on, Leroy is giving an account of what happened and he’s visibly shaken. He tells Shaw that he just wants to go home to his family. This is only the beginning of what Leroy will have to face as he comes to terms with the fact that he killed his best friend on this ridiculous mission. Pauly Russo’s death in Welcome to Derry is going to be a game changer for Leroy in these final episodes.
“[Leroy is] starting to really openly question leadership and question the person that I think you could consider him looking up to, General Shaw,” actor Jovan Adepo told Nerdist about his character. “The first half of the season he’s asking questions. What’s going on? What is this? What are we looking for? Blah, blah, blah. And I think he’s just really gotten fed up with getting half answers. Half answers to a full question can be incredibly agitating. And so I think that towards the latter half of the season, he’s just like, ‘Okay, well if I’m not getting the answers from these people, then I need to start using some different tactics.’”
How much will Leroy push back against Shaw’s plan? Or will he actually continue to be the dutiful military man? Will he somehow blame Charlotte for Will being in those tunnels? Will Leroy go rogue and try to get revenge against Pennywise? It is a lot to parse through. Actor Rudy Mancuso, who portrayed Pauly Russo, believes that Leroy will have to re-evaluate what actually matters in life.
“Leroy is somewhat desensitized to fear, and thinks he’s seen it all and done it all,” Mancuso tells Nerdist. “He’s very rational. He’s very logical and analytical. And as a result, I think his family suffers for it. And he’s up against all these things. He’s up against what’s expected of him at work and what’s expected of him at home. He’s up against these external forces you can’t control and racism. And I think losing someone whom you’re so close to, who you thought was that one thing that was stable and irreplaceable and is now lost, will force Leroy to value the things that really matter.”
Let’s see exactly how Leroy plans to push back against the military and Pennywise as Welcome to Derry’s first season draws to an end.