Don't Miss One Legendary Stephen King Movie Before the Series' Next Episode
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to the author's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the obvious links to It, the show includes a direct link to The Shining via the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, especially in contrast with much of King's other writing, it remains a gripping story of a wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to live the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary that becomes important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant history across King's stories — a pattern which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible life inside Shawshank State Prison plus several of those imprisoned there, including the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
So far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the perspective of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank after his wrongful conviction, then finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his financial knowledge. He requires nearly three decades to dig his way out of the prison, before making his way "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.
Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the series, in which a correctional transport appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is probably destined for Shawshank.
Though we know he was not commit the murders of children in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter
Considering that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he ends up in the prison and the audience do not see him there, knowing what is known about that prison makes it clear that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, though, this situation could threaten his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town that nobody, young or old, understands and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.
