Don't Miss This Legendary Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's vast universe of narratives. Beyond the clear links to the original story, the series showcases a direct connection to King's famous novel via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved tale from King which merits a revisit.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, especially compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned man sentenced to live the rest of his life inside a infamous prison. It is this specific institution which is important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds significant history across King's stories — a pattern that continues in Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn about the awful conditions at Shawshank State Prison plus several of those imprisoned there, including the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial targets, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.
So far, though, the most we have discovered about the prison has been through the eyes of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and experiences beaten and raped by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement from an early trailer for the series, in which a correctional transport appeared bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably destined for Shawshank.
Although it is known he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the actual murderer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he ends up in the prison and viewers don't follow him there, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would not be pleasant.
More importantly, though, this situation would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are occurring around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and Ronnie just has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, but if Shawshank has any say, she could be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel to freedom.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
