IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 5's ending could be crucial in Pennywise's fight against Dick Hallorann and those opposing the creature in Derry, Maine. HBO Max's horror prequel to the IT franchise unexpectedly introduced Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) as the military's secret weapon against Pennywise the Dancing Clown, largely due to his "shining" abilities. As fans of Stephen King's universe are aware, Dick is a major character in the author's 1977 novel and movie adaptation, The Shining, where he is the Head Chef of the Overlook Hotel.
Dick's primary abilities include heightened sensitivity to the unseen world, which enables him to unlock the secrets of telepathy and perceive supernatural presences and emotions. He also gains glimpses into past or future events. This is why Dick is recruited by General Francis Shaw (who may be doomed in IT: Welcome to Derry) to be part of Operation Precept, an attempt to weaponize Pennywise. However, Episode 5 showcased the plan's downfall.
Dick Halloran's Lockbox in Welcome to Derry Has a Deeper Meaning
IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 5 finally highlighted significant progress in the military's Operation Precept. The 13 shards needed to take control of Pennywise were retrieved from 29 Neibolt Street (after Dick successfully pushed Taniel to the limit by recapping what the Galloo was in Welcome to Derry). However, this operation was doomed to fail because the military underestimated the danger and ruthlessness of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
It didn't help that Dick Hallorann accompanied the first batch of soldiers, as he fell victim to Pennywise's mind games while exploring the sewers (the ancient evil's home turf). Pennywise isolated Dick from the others and had him relive past trauma. While the spirit of Dick's grandmother was present during the vision, Pennywise unlocked Dick's biggest fear by using his mental lockbox against him.
Pennywise then tapped into Dick's fear after he peeked into his life during their first encounter with the entity in IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 3. This explains why Dick's grandmother was present during the initial vision and the second one after he got sucked into the sewers.
Pennywise used the form of Dick's abusive grandfather to torment him in the vision, and the ancient evil used his mental lockbox against him. In Stephen King's 1977 novel, The Shining, Dick's grandmother taught him to lock bad shines like his grandfather into a mental lockbox. Essentially, this is a way to suppress traumatic memories.
Pennywise mocked Dick by saying, "Power like this is meant to be used," and he found the box "in the spinchter of [his] soul." After the ancient evil manipulated Dick into opening the box, it seemed that all the bad and traumatic memories got out, which pushed Dick to the limit.
These memories have been unlocked and could carry over into the real world by way of Pennywise taking advantage of everything inside that mental lockbox. This is a bad sign for Dick Hallorann and the town of Derry, Maine, because Pennywise could weaponize these memories and turn them against the protagonists.
Why Dick Can Still Overturn the Mental Lockbox Dilemma in Derry
While the final shot of Welcome to Derry Episode 5 showed a mental lockbox that was clearly open, there is still time for Dick to defeat (or contain) Pennywise, and a past Stephen King project might hold the answer.
In the events of 2019's Doctor Sleep (a sequel to The Shining), Dick Hallorann's spirit helped Danny Torrance control his powers by giving him the lockbox and telling him to memorize it inside and out. By doing so, Danny locked away the spirits of the Overlook Hotel that latched onto him. Dick described this lockbox as a "prison," and Danny mastered this ability thanks to him.
Although Dick's mental lockbox was open and all the horrors will likely emerge by the end of Episode 5, the fact that he was already an expert in honing his shining abilities in Doctor Sleep and The Shining suggests that he was able to find a way to either make a new one or close the box entirely again.
Welcome to Derry is Dick Hallorann's origin story, and what better way to push his story forward than to place him one-on-one with Pennywise the Dancing Clown itself. If anything, Dick needed this trial by fire to propel his abilities, especially after the first few episodes showed his arrogance when it came to using them.
