Don't Miss This Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to the author's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the obvious ties to It, the series also features an explicit connection to The Shining through the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story which merits a revisit.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, particularly compared to much of the author's additional work, it is a gripping story of a innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. It is this specific institution that becomes central in this context, since the Shawshank facility possesses significant history throughout King's stories — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we learn about the awful life at the state penitentiary plus some of the inmates there, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the majority we've learned about the prison has been through the perspective of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and finds himself assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in officials in power for his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to dig an escape route from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the show, where a prison bus was seen with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is probably headed to the prison.
Although we know he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter
Given that the real murderer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he ends up in the prison and the audience don't follow him inside, understanding what is known about that prison indicates that his time there would not be pleasant.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger his daughter. He acts as her protector. Terrible events are occurring around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and Ronnie just has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system plays a role, she could be out of luck.
A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.
