When the credits rolled on the season finale of HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry, many viewers were left scratching their heads. But they weren’t alone. Taylour Paige, the star behind the show’s moral compass, Charlotte Hanlon, has openly criticized the writers' decision to keep her character in the cursed town of Derry.

Prequels are often trapped by the future they must set up, and Welcome to Derry is no exception. The show serves as the origin story for the hit It films, meaning certain pieces had to fall into place to explain the existence of Mike Hanlon, a key character in the movies. However, Paige argues that forcing the Hanlon family to stay in a town that has brutalized them—both supernaturally and racially—sacrificed character logic for plot convenience.

The Controversial Choice

Throughout the season, Charlotte Hanlon was portrayed as the voice of reason. She recognized the town’s inherent evil early on and made concrete plans to leave with her son, Will. The town of Derry wasn't just haunted by Pennywise; it was plagued by violent racism, culminating in the tragic Black Spot fire.Yet, in the finale, “Winter Fire,” Charlotte makes a baffling 180-degree turn. Despite her husband Leroy receiving an honorable discharge that would allow them to leave, Charlotte decides the family should stay and take over a local farm. The narrative explanation is that they need to stand guard against the monster’s return.

‘There’s No Way’

Paige did not mince words regarding this creative direction. Speaking to Deadline, she expressed deep frustration with how her character’s arc concluded.

“I’m not happy with the way this was written, if I’m being honest,” Paige said. “I’m like, ‘There’s no f***ing way.’ I mean, I guess the lore is that you forget when you’re in Derry, but I don’t buy it.”

Her reaction mirrors a common frustration among Kenyan audiences who follow major international series: the moment a show breaks its own internal logic just to set up a sequel or spin-off. For Charlotte, a protective mother who has seen her son traumatized, voluntarily staying in the mouth of the beast feels psychologically unsound.

Rationalizing the Irrational

To make peace with the script, Paige attempted to view the decision through the lens of 1962 gender dynamics. She suggested that perhaps women of that era were conditioned to be "martyrs" who suppressed their instincts to keep the family unit anchored.

• Historical Context: In the early 60s, leaving a stable situation was considered radical for a woman.
• The 'Nucleus' Role: Paige noted that women were expected to be the "homemaker" who simply got on with business, ignoring their own trauma.

“I wanted more for Charlotte and this family,” Paige admitted. “But I think it would have been maybe too radical for Charlotte to leave. And also too radical for women of 1962 to be like, ‘I’m out.’”

While the show has wrapped its first season, this creative clash highlights the difficulty of writing prequels. The writers needed the Hanlons in Derry to ensure Mike Hanlon exists there 27 years later for the main It storyline. Unfortunately, achieving that continuity came at the cost of believable character motivation—a trade-off that clearly didn't sit well with the woman who brought Charlotte to life.