Don't Miss One Classic Stephen King Cinematic Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's vast collection of tales. Apart from the obvious links to the original story, the series also features an explicit link to King's famous novel via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved tale from King which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, especially compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a gripping story about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to live his remaining years inside a infamous penitentiary. And it's that very penitentiary which is important here, since the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore across King's stories — a pattern that continues in It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn regarding the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison plus several of those imprisoned there, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank was through the perspective of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel his way out of the prison, before crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion via an initial preview for the series, in which a correctional transport was seen with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is probably destined for Shawshank.
Although we know he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and the audience don't follow him there, knowing what we do about that prison makes it clear that his experience would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this situation would endanger his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and she just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.
One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
