Don't Miss One Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Before the Series' Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to the author's extensive universe of narratives. Apart from the clear links to It, the show showcases a direct connection to The Shining through the appearance of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic King story that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, especially compared to much of the author's additional writing, it is a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to live the rest of his life in a infamous prison. And it's this specific penitentiary which is central in this context, as the Shawshank facility possesses considerable history across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we learn about the terrible conditions inside the state penitentiary plus some of the inmates there, including the partner of one of Pennywise's initial targets, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.
So far, though, the most we've learned about the prison was through the eyes of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy winds up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, then finds himself beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to dig his way out of the prison, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's inclusion via an early trailer for the series, where a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is likely headed to the prison.
Though we know he was not commit the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie
Given that the real killer in the town is an ancient power from another world hunting and killing kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he does go in the prison and the audience don't follow him inside, understanding what is known about that prison makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.
More importantly, however, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are happening around Derry which no one, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.
