The latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry delivered a major crossover event, bringing a psychic soldier from another Stephen King story face-to-face with the evil lurking beneath Derry. In Episode 3, “Now You See It,” Dick Hallorann used his supernatural powers to find Pennywise, only for the entity to find him instead.
How Dick Hallorann Connects to Pennywise
Dick Hallorann is a character originally from Stephen King’s The Shining, known for his psychic ability called “the shine.” In It: Welcome to Derry, the story explores his past as a young man in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s. The military has discovered a fearsome entity buried under Derry and wants to weaponize it to win the Cold War. Because of his unique talents, Hallorann is recruited to help locate it.
General Shaw, who had his own childhood encounter with the monster, is leading the operation. He gives Hallorann a personal item—a slingshot that was once used to injure the entity decades earlier—to use as a focus for his powers.
The Psychic Encounter in the Sewers
In one of the episode’s key scenes, Hallorann is taken up in a helicopter over the forests of Derry. Holding the slingshot, he uses it as a conduit to psychically search for the creature. His mind is transported to the dark, flooded sewers beneath the town.
There, he finds a circus wagon with the name Pennywise the Dancing Clown on it. The wagon opens to reveal a stage, and from the darkness, two glowing yellow eyes appear. For the first time in the series, Pennywise speaks, asking Hallorann, “Who are you?”
Hallorann then sees the deadlights—Pennywise’s collection of floating victims. Among them is his grandmother, who also had the shining ability. She gives him a dire warning:
“He’s coming, Dickie. Get out of here now!”
In the real world, Hallorann’s physical body is in danger, as he nearly turns a knob that would have sent him falling from the helicopter. He is saved by Major Leroy Hanlon, who pulls him back to safety.
The Aftermath of the Terrifying Vision
After the vision, a shaken Hallorann reports back to General Shaw. He warns that the entity was not supposed to see them, indicating that Pennywise is far more powerful and aware than the military had assumed. The encounter changes Hallorann’s understanding of the threat, moving him from confident arrogance to genuine fear.
The episode also connects Hallorann’s story to the group of kids at the heart of the show. In the cemetery, Will Hanlon takes a photo of a monstrous form in a crypt. When the picture develops, it shows a blurry figure of a clown, confirming that Pennywise is now directly targeting them.
Actor Chris Chalk, who plays Hallorann, discussed the character’s journey. He described Hallorann as a “student” of his powers at this point, in contrast to the master he becomes in The Shining. The scene marks a turning point where Hallorann realizes the mission is “too big” for him.
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