Don't Miss This Classic Stephen King Cinematic Before the Series' Next Episode
HBO's Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to Stephen King's extensive collection of tales. Apart from the obvious links to the original story, the show showcases an explicit connection to The Shining through the appearance of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, particularly in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it remains a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned man condemned to live the rest of his life in a infamous prison. And it's that very institution that becomes important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable history across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we learn regarding the terrible life inside Shawshank State Prison and some of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by the authority figures for his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to tunnel his way out of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's inclusion via an initial preview for the series, in which a correctional transport was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn who is probably destined for Shawshank.
Though it is known he did not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Implications for Hank and Ronnie
Given that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power from another world hunting and killing 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, understanding what we do about that prison makes it clear that his experience would not be enjoyable.
Crucially, though, this situation would endanger his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are happening around Derry that nobody, child or adult, understands and she just has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
