Make Time For One Classic Stephen King Cinematic Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
HBO's Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's extensive universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to the original story, the series also features a direct link to King's famous novel through the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved King story which merits another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, particularly compared to much of the author's additional work, it is a gripping tale of a innocently imprisoned man sentenced to live his remaining years in a notorious penitentiary. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes central here, as Shawshank State Prison holds significant history across King's fictional world — a tradition that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison and several of the inmates there, including the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, though, the most we have discovered about the prison was via the perspective of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy winds up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the show, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, we learn who is likely destined for Shawshank.
Although it is known he did not responsible for the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter
Considering that the actual murderer in the town is an ancient power from another world hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and the audience do not see him inside, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would not be pleasant.
More importantly, however, this development would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are occurring around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and Ronnie just has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, but if the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.
