Spoilers for It: Welcome to Derry Season 1, Episode 5, “29 Neibolt Street.” Pauly Russo dies saving Will Hanlon after It’s visions make Leroy mistake his son for a threat. The Doctor Sleep connection is Dick Hallorann’s mental lockbox: It opens the tool he uses to contain frightening psychic experiences, and the episode’s final image shows Pauly as a ghost.
What happens at the end of Episode 5?
In the tunnels beneath Neibolt Street, It distorts Leroy Hanlon’s perception by taking forms connected to people he loves. Leroy sees Will as a hostile apparition and raises his gun at his own son. Pauly Russo recognizes that Will is real and steps into the path of the shot. Pauly is killed, saving Will.
The tragedy is not a deliberate betrayal by Leroy. It’s manipulation drives him toward killing his son, and Pauly’s intervention prevents that outcome. Showrunner Jason Fuchs described the near-miss as the sort of event It wanted: “And really, what almost happens, there’s still a tragic ending, but what almost happens, and what I think in some ways It wanted to have happen, was to see Leroy kill his own son.” GamesRadar+ reported Fuchs’s comments in its Episode 5 interview.
Why Pauly steps in
Pauly understands that Leroy is reacting to something in the tunnels rather than seeing Will as he really is. His decision fits the loyalty he feels toward Leroy. Actor Rudy Mancuso described that bond this way: “Leroy is one of the few people in Pauly’s life that actually has deep meaning and value.” Mancuso discussed Pauly’s relationship with Leroy with TV Insider.
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What is the Doctor Sleep connection?
The connection is Dick Hallorann, the character whose psychic abilities link It: Welcome to Derry with Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep. In Episode 5, a vision draws Hallorann into memories of his grandmother and abusive grandfather. The sequence culminates in the opening of his mental lockbox—a way of containing frightening psychic experiences. The episode makes that opening consequential by showing Hallorann’s vulnerability to the visions It creates.
The closing vision shows Hallorann seeing Pauly as a ghost. That image ties the episode’s two threads together: Pauly’s death and the breach of Hallorann’s mental defenses. Doctor Sleep offers background on Hallorann and the idea of his mental boxes; the episode does not establish a separate plot crossover with the novel.
Rank #2
![IT: Welcome to Derry: The Complete First Season [4-Disc Set] [Blu-ray] [Region Free]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51rMAfjQZTL._SL160_.jpg)
- COMPLETE FIRST SEASON – All episodes on a 4-disc Blu-ray set
- HIGH DEFINITION BLU-RAY – Clear visuals and immersive sound
- STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE – Expands the world of IT
- ORIGIN OF THE HORROR – Explore the beginnings of evil in Derry
- REGION FREE BLU-RAY – Compatible worldwide
Is the film or book necessary to understand the episode?
No. The scene can be followed on its own: Hallorann has a psychic defense, It opens it, and the closing vision shows the result. Doctor Sleep is useful context if you want more of Hallorann’s backstory, not a prerequisite for understanding why Pauly dies or what the final image means.
Why does the episode delay Pennywise’s familiar clown form?
The Neibolt sequence emphasizes It’s ability to manipulate perception through visions of loved ones, rather than relying on the familiar clown appearance. Co-creator Andy Muschietti said, “We decided to delay the introduction of Pennywise.” TV Insider’s Episode 5 aftershow coverage includes the creators’ and cast’s discussion of that choice.
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Rank #3
![IT: Welcome to Derry Season One [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Qbcpl+dJL._SL160_.jpg)
- Blu-ray movie
Episode details
Episode 5 is titled “29 Neibolt Street.” Prime Video’s companion podcast listing identifies its Episode Five discussion by that title.
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