You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series Welcome to Derry is packed with references to Stephen King's vast library of stories. Apart from the obvious links to It, the series showcases an explicit link to King's famous novel through the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. 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, particularly compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a haunting story about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend his remaining years in a notorious penitentiary. And it's this specific penitentiary that becomes central here, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore throughout King's stories — a pattern which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories that reference the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we discover about the terrible conditions inside Shawshank State Prison and some of those imprisoned there, including the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, however, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank was through the perspective of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and finds himself assaulted and raped by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences initially discovered about the prison's involvement via an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is probably destined for the prison.
Although we know he did not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and murdering children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience do not see him inside, understanding what we do about that prison makes it clear that his experience would be far from enjoyable.
Crucially, however, this development would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and she just has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she could be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
