You Should Watch This Legendary Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is packed with connections to the author's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to the original story, the show showcases an explicit link to King's famous novel through the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved King story which merits another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, particularly compared to a lot of King's other work, it remains a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to spend his remaining years inside a infamous penitentiary. It is this specific institution which is important in this context, since the Shawshank facility holds considerable lore throughout King's fictional world — a tradition that continues within Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we discover about the awful life at Shawshank State Prison and some of the inmates within, including the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial victims, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the most we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank following his wrongful conviction, then experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, while exploited by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route of the prison, before crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, audiences initially discovered about the prison's involvement via an early trailer for the show, in which a correctional transport was seen bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is probably headed to the prison.
Though we know he did not responsible for the child deaths 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 an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for Hank and Ronnie
Considering that the real murderer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name appear slim. 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 be far from pleasant.
Crucially, though, this development would endanger his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are occurring in the town 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 dad in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank plays a role, she may be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.
