Don't Miss One Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the obvious links to the original story, the show showcases an explicit link to The Shining via the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story that deserves another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, especially compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it is a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to spend the rest of his life inside a infamous prison. It is this specific penitentiary which is central here, as Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable lore across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we learn regarding the awful life at Shawshank State Prison and some of those imprisoned there, including the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the eyes of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in officials in power for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, before making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers first learned of Shawshank's inclusion via an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus was seen with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn who is likely headed to Shawshank.
Though it is known he did not commit the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie
Given that the actual murderer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and killing children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and the audience do not see him inside, knowing what we do about that prison indicates that his experience would not be enjoyable.
Crucially, however, this development would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening in the town that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, however should the prison system plays a role, she may be out of luck.
One thing seems clear: Hank lacks three decades to tunnel his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
