You Should Watch One Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
HBO's Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's extensive universe of narratives. Apart from the obvious ties to the original story, the series showcases a direct connection to King's famous novel via the cameo of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved tale from King that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially compared to much of King's other writing, it remains a gripping story of a innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to live his remaining years in a notorious prison. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes important here, since Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover regarding the awful conditions at Shawshank State Prison and some of those imprisoned there, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who was convicted of armed robbery.
So far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the perspective of Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and abused by fellow inmates, and exploited by those in authority figures for his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel his way out of the prison, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement via an initial preview for the series, in which a prison bus was seen with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably headed to Shawshank.
Although we know he did not commit the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows a guard informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Given that the actual murderer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he ends up in the prison and the audience do not see him inside, knowing what we do about that prison indicates that his time there would not be pleasant.
Crucially, however, this development would endanger his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are occurring around Derry which no one, child or adult, understands and she only has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should the prison system plays a role, she could be without help.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks three decades to tunnel his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.
